Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm had a very successful college career, but it apparently didn’t impress NFL scouts all that much as he lasted until the fifth round of this year’s draft, taken by Buffalo. Here are Fromm’s odds at Mybookie to win 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as the Bills’ over/under win total.
- Odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year: +12500
- Bills’ win total: 9 (over -130 favorite)
Fromm was terrific as a freshman at Georgia in 2017, named a Freshman All-American and SEC Freshman of the Year in leading the Dawgs to the national title game. They lost an OT thriller to Alabama. Fromm ranked ninth nationally in passing efficiency (160.1) and had the third-most passing yards in a single season (2,615) by a UGA freshman.
In 2018, Fromm was 5th among all FBS quarterbacks in passing efficiency (171.2) and 12th in completion percentage (67.3). He was ninth nationally in yards per pass attempt (8.98) and one of 11 finalists for the 2018 Manning Award, given to the nation’s top QB.
Then last year, Fromm completed 234 of 385 passes (60.8%) for 2860 yards and 24 TDs. It was notable how little Fromm was asked to do in 2019. He threw more than 30 passes in a game just twice all year. Once was in a disappointing loss to South Carolina and the other was a thrashing at the hands of the LSU in the SEC Championship Game. In those two games Fromm threw two touchdown passes and all five of his interceptions.
From 2018 to 2019, his completion percentage dipped by nearly seven points (67.4 to 60.8), he threw six fewer touchdowns (30 to 24) and attempted 78 fewer passes (385 to 307).
His 8,224 career passing yards rank fourth on UGA’s all-time list and his 78 career TD passes put him in second place on UGA’s all-time list. He ranks 4th and 5th, respectively, on UGA’s lists of career completions and attempts. All he did in three years as the Bulldogs’ starter is win and show that he deserves a chance at the next level. Fromm went 36-7 as a starting quarterback for the Bulldogs.
So why did Fromm last all the way to Round 5 of the draft? Because he has the look of a game manager in the pros. He’s a good decision-maker and does an excellent job avoiding negative plays (18 interceptions, 51 sacks, nine fumbles in 43 games at Georgia), but he adds the bare minimum with his legs (40 career rushing yards, 5.01 40-yard dash) and completed only 61% of his passes last season. He’s also on the small side (6-foot-2, 219 pounds), with shaky accuracy and an underwhelming arm.
In a text to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he “wasn’t planning on drafting a quarterback today,” but Fromm was “too good to pass up” at that spot.
Fromm does have the ability to anticipate and throw receivers open. Fromm has excellent ball placement and timing and puts the ball in a position where the receiver can attack and gain yards after the catch. He’s fantastic at working through his progressions, often getting to his third read on a play.
Fromm should have returned to Georgia for his senior year, but he would never be a first-round pick, as his pedestrian arm and physical traits aren’t what the NFL is looking for. Fromm’s plunge to the 2020 NFL draft’s fifth round could give Kirby Smart a reputation at Georgia for poor quarterback development. Part of the reason Fromm left Georgia is because the offense wasn’t suited to highlight his skills.
Fromm was the 12th Georgia quarterback to be selected in the modern NFL draft and the first since Aaron Murray went in the fifth round back in 2014, Fromm interestingly enough went four picks later than Murray did. Fromm joins Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, and Davis Webb on the depth chart in Buffalo and signed a contract worth $3.771 million, with $899,490 guaranteed and a $302,960 signing bonus.
There’s very little chance Fromm sees the field this year with Allen entrenched as the starter. Barkley is the No. 2 but in the last year of his contract.
