NFL Draft Profile: Brennan Armstrong, Quarterback, Virginia Cavaliers
#5
Pos: QB
Ht: 6010
Wt: 215
40: 4.73
DOB: 10/19/
Hometown: Shelby, OH
High School: Shelby
Eligibility: 2023
Brennan Armstrong
Virginia Cavaliers
One-Liners
The accuracy Armstrong possesses is really impressive but his mechanics and decision-making need to improve drastically for Armstrong to play at the next level.
Evaluation:
In terms of his strengths, Armstrong has natural arm strength and ball placement. He doesn’t miss throws to the short and intermediate parts of the field and Armstrong always hits open targets. The athleticism is there with Armstrong too. Armstrong isn’t that fast but he is quick and agile, which allows him to make defenders miss. When creating outside of structure, Armstrong moves pretty well and is always a threat to gain five to ten yards on the move. From a cerebral perspective, Armstrong has a long way to go. Virginia’s offense makes things simple on him, causing Armstrong to stare down one receiver and rarely see the field. When his first read isn’t open, Armstrong will either force the ball or try to run. He made a lot of head scratching throws because he couldn’t move off of his first read. Armstrong’s biggest concern is his mechanics. His lower body stays stationary on throws and he constantly threw off his back foot. Even when he had a clean pocket, Armstrong would revert back to throwing off of his back foot. Armstrong doesn’t have a tight or quick release, which causes his ball to come out of his hand funny and prevent him from throwing a tight spiral. His mechanics also prevented him from getting enough velocity outside of the number and on deeper throws. The natural accuracy is there with Armstrong, which is enticing because his mechanics need to be overhauled. With that being said, his arm strength and overall athleticism aren’t good enough for a team to invest a high or even mid-round draft pick in Armstrong with the amount of work that needs to be done with him.
Grade:
UDFA Grade
Background:
Brennan Armstrong is from Shelby Ohio, and will be a major piece for the Cavaliers in 2022. Armstrong was named preseason All ACC Third Team Offense in 2022 and was captain in both 2020 and 2021, showcasing his true leadership skills. At Shelby High School, he was a four year starter and one year led his team to a thirteen and one record and an appearance in the State Semifinals Game. Armstrong is also a American Studies major and a Roger Family Bicentennial Scholarship Fund recipient and is posed for another tremendous season in 2022 for Virginia.
