Jaguars' Gardner Minshew Included in PFF's Building of Perfect QB From Recent Drafts
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew had, by all definitions, a successful rookie season in 2019 after the Jaguars selected him on the draft's final night in the sixth-round. He won more games than any other rookie passer, threw 21 touchdowns and for over 3,000 yards, and did enough to earn the Jaguars' trust as the starter in 2020.
But it would be hard to say it isn't still surprising that Minshew has racked up accolade after accolade from Pro Football Focus, one of the leader football analysis and data-gathering organizations. Minshew was arguably the best rookie passer in the NFL last season, but according to PFF, Minshew ranked among the top quarterbacks in a number of areas.
Earlier this offseason, Minshew had also been ranked as the No. 20 quarterback in the NFL by PFF, as well as the organization's highest-graded rookie passer. PFF also revealed earlier this offseason that Minshew had the second-most scramble yards in the league among all quarterbacks last season.
Now, PFF has thrown another honor Minshew's way. This time, the team over at PFF included Minshew in their building of the perfect quarterback from the last three draft classes, which included 12 first-round quarterbacks. Minshew, who is the only non-first round pick on PFF's list, was tabbed as the prototype for touch and anticipation, winning out over Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa.
"Throwing with touch and anticipation is a huge part of being an accurate quarterback, but I wanted to separate them out to highlight someone here who significantly outperformed expectations as a sixth-round selection last season largely because of these traits," PFF wrote.
"Minshew was the NFL’s third-best deep passer in 2019, yet he has one of the weaker arms in the NFL. Among qualifying quarterbacks, Minshew’s 129.0 passer rating on throws 20 or more yards downfield ranked first. His 49.0% completion rate and 16.7 yards per attempt trailed only Patrick Mahomes and Jimmy Garoppolo (who excelled on just 31 deep shots all season). Going back and looking at the tape, you see plenty of passes that aren’t lasered into his target but rather dropped in over the top of the defender."
Considering the fact that Minshew was one of the NFL's best deep passers in 2019 thanks to his pinpoint accuracy on downfield passes, this isn't exactly surprising. There were a number of instances where he pushed the ball downfield and placed it perfectly over a defender to give his target a chance to make a big play.
In terms of anticipation, Minshew struggled with what he was seeing at first but he caught up to the speed of the game as the season progressed. This will have to be an area Minshew continues to take a step in during his sophomore season, especially in offensive coordinator Jay Gruden's west coast offensive scheme.
Regardless, it is impressive to see Minshew continue to earn honors during the offseason. He was drafted to be simply a backup, but he has fought and clawed his way to becoming a viable starter at the NFL level and now has a chance to potentially prove himself as a franchise signal-caller.
"He got drafted in the later rounds and came out and playing in the National Football League is about taking advantage of your opportunities and Gardner did that. He’s a shining reason why once the opportunity presents itself, you take advantage of it," Gruden said in May. "He did that, and he’s put himself in a great position to take the Jacksonville Jaguars and lead them into the future. He has shown a skillset where he can sit in a pocket, step up, make things happen outside the pocket. He’s accurate, he’s tough and obviously he’s a great leader so he’s got the intangibles you want in a quarterback. Now he’s got to get to know the team, get to know the offense a little bit so we can all gel together."
