Jacob Eason once was a mega-touted recruit out of high school, but his collegiate career didn’t quite go as planned. Thus, he slipped to the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, snapped up by Indianapolis. Here are Eason’s odds at Mybookie to win 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as the Colts’ over/under win total.
- Odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year: +15000 long shot
- Colts’ win total: 5 (under -120 favorite)
The Colts have Philip Rivers as their starting QB this season and Jacoby Brissett as the No. 2 so it’s not likely that Eason even sees the field – but injuries do happen. Eason was the 2015 Gatorade National Player of the Year at Lake Stevens High School outside of Seattle.
He spent his 2019 junior season at Washington after transferring from Georgia following the 2017 season (Eason had to sit out 2018 under NCAA transfer rules). Eason did become Georgia’s starter in his second game as a true freshman in 2016, going 7-5 in 12 starts. He showed a lot of moxie even as a true freshman, posting a 120.2 passer rating and leading two game-winning fourth-quarter drives on the road against SEC opponents.
As a sophomore in 2017, he beat out freshman Jake Fromm for the starting job but Eason went down with a left knee injury early in the season opener against Appalachian State. He suffered a torn lateral collateral ligament. When he returned, Fromm was entrenched as the starter while Eason remained on the bench, prompting his transfer to Washington.
Last year, he started all 13 games a UW and finished with 3,132 passing yards, the fourth-highest total in UW single-season history. His 23 touchdown passes were sixth-most ever by a Husky. In three early games against Eastern Washington, Hawaii and Brigham Young, Eason threw for a combined 901 yards, 10 touchdowns, and one interception. In conference, he averaged just 7.1 yards per attempt and completed 59% of his passes with a paltry 12-to-7 TD:INT ratio.
Eason has drawn comparisons to Carson Palmer and Brock Osweiler due to his huge frame (6-foot-6, 231 pounds) and very strong arm. Eason has always looked the part on the field and has the high-end arm strength scouts look for, but his anticipation, accuracy, and short-area touch must improve to earn a starting job in the NFL because he lacks athleticism. Often times, Eason has over the top confidence in his arm, which results in getting him into trouble because he completely ignores the lower body portion of the throwing process. When doing this, his base/feet are erratic.
At 6-6, Eason tied Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Oregon State’s Jake Luton as the tallest quarterbacks at the 2020 NFL Combine. Even though he’s from the Seattle area, Eason grew up a Colts fan.
“I haven’t spent a ton of time there but it’s cool because I actually grew up a huge Indianapolis fan. I was a tremendously big fan of Peyton Manning’s,” Eason said. “I think one year when I was six or seven, I got his jersey under the Christmas tree and had Colts hats, Colts shoes, you name it. So full circle, it’s pretty spectacular that the Colts ended up selecting me in the fourth round. I’m super excited to get down there, figure out my new home and get in the locker room with those teammates and just dive in and learn and grow.”
The Colts open the season Sept. 13 at Jacksonville. Indy is a 6.5-point favorite at Mybookie.
