25. Love for Jordan Love. I stopped in my tracks walking by a TV on Thursday night, hearing NFL Network’s Marc Ross saying of Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, “His potential far exceeds Tua.” So I found Ross, 11 years a top personnel executive with the Giants, and asked for an explanation.
“If you actually watch Jordan on tape, watch the traits he has, the playmaking ability, the innate feel for the game, the feel for the pocket, the poise, that will transfer well to the NFL,” Ross said. “When you would watch him every game, there were those ‘oh my gosh’ plays that you just have to keep rewinding . . . I have been banging his drum for a while saying that he was my second favorite guy. When you watch Utah State and Jordan Love’s cast, he was under siege every play, just about. With Tua, or Joe Burrow, they have layup plays where the scheme, the protection’s there, there’s a wide receiver open every time.
“Jordan Love didn’t have any layups in his offense. He’s got these receivers who will be nowhere close to NFL receivers who are tightly covered. He has to overcome all that on every play. Whereas, the Tuas and Joe Burrows, they just really have to make five or six tough plays a game, three-pointers. Jordan Love, every play for him is a three-pointer, or beating his man off the dribble to try to score.”
26. Why Ross is rare. I told one GM about Ross’ comments. This is a GM who is seeking quarterback help this spring. This GM doesn’t agree with Ross about Love; the GM is lukewarm about Love off the field and thinks he’s careless on the field. (Love was cited for marijuana possession the week before Utah State’s bowl games this year, which some teams care about and some don’t. The charge was later dropped.) But Ross, former personnel VP for the Giants, was unswayed. “I love that,” one respected GM said. “I don’t agree, but it’s hard to have that opinion with a guy like Tua. The wave starts—people have loved him for a couple of years—and then it becomes a tsunami. It’s like you can’t go against him. Scouts I like are ones who have opinions like that and don’t back down.”