Is Tyler Van Dyke the Jets' QB of the Future?
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The job of a scout is to always be on the lookout for talent. Always be grinding game film.
In this off-season Monday series of looking at top quarterback (QB) prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft, we turn our attention to Tyler Van Dyke out of Miami.
Believe it or not, there is already a consensus grade out there on Van Dyke by most of the major media platforms, and we have not even seen the fireworks yet on the 4th of July.
Van Dyke is seen as the pick at No. 4 overall going to Seattle (nflmockdraftdatabase.com).
Of course, there is still a season to be played and much can and will happen between now and then.
Could the Jets have interest in Van Dyke?
It is distinctly possible.
Should the Jets have interest in Van Dyke?
Yes.
Why?
Because Van Dyke has a strong skill set and regardless of how Wilson plays, both Jets’ back-up QB’s Mike White and Joe Flacco are under one-year contracts.
The Jets will likely need to go QB shopping in the draft.
Another reason is so far, Van Dyke is my QB2 behind Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
Van Dyke looks remarkably better than Alabama’s Bryce Young and Kentucky’s Will Levis based on 2021 film exposure.
After studying Van Dyke, I don’t believe he is a first-round prospect, but I could see a team taking him in the third round. The third round would the perfect round because it is where teams take guys with upside who are not franchise players, but they do have considerable upside.
My affectionate nickname for Van Dyke is, “The Loose Canon,” because half his passes are right on target and the other half are not.
As a redshirt freshman for the Hurricanes, Van Dyke completed 202/324 passes (62.3%) for 2,931 yards (9.0 yards avg.), 25 TD, 6 INT and a long of 83 yards.
These stats scream that this guy aggressively drives the ball downfield and that is exactly what shows up on game film.
I love that about a QB. I love guys who aggressively want to drive the ball into the intermediate and deep portions of the field.
That’s Van Dyke.
If a team like the Jets were to bring in Van Dyke and sit for a year or two and then see what they have, they very well could have something.
Van Dyke grew on me, the more I watched him and I am excited to see how he performs in the season ahead.
The other thing I liked was that he showed improvement as the season progressed.
Grading Tyler Van Dyke
6-foot-4, 224 pounds
2021 Miami game film reviewed: Virginia, Pitt and FSU
Grade: 3rd Round
NFL Comparable: Stan Humphries
Scouting Report
QB who navigates the pocket with a good arm arm that drives the ball downfield with mixed results. Decent set up in the pocket, goes through progressions and has somewhat of a quick release. Excels throwing short slants. Erratic ball placement at all three route levels (short, intermediate and deep). Too many errant short passes. Was inaccurate deep most of the time. Hits one once in a while. Ball tends to sail high. Has real mobility in the pocket, can take off to run and looks good doing it. However, conceded sacks in all three games too often. Can fold in the pocket and doesn’t throw the ball away in these situations and takes losses. Huge concern is ball protection. In three games (one fumble, two tipped passes, two INT (one in critical part of the game vs PITT in 4Q), threw three times into double coverage and could have been picked off, another time vs. FSU bounced off his receivers hands and luckily for him was caught by another Miami receiver for a TD. Also threw a couple of air balls. Doesn’t throw the easiest ball to catch, but there is a lot to work with. Projects to strong back-up role who can come in and provide a spark.
Bottom Line
I am going to have a close eye on Van Dyke. There is just something about him.
If he can clean up a few things like taking sacks too easily, throwing the ball away better under pressure and protecting the football, he could polish into being a draft day gem.
The thing I keep going back to, is his ability to drive the ball downfield and his aggressiveness, these things simply cannot be taught.
MORE:
- Should the Jets Extend George Fant?
- Should the Jets Sign OT Riley Reiff?
- NFL Draft Prospect QB Will Levis Has Ties to the Jets
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