Quinton Flowers might be the most overlooked quarterback in the 2018 Draft Class. Flowers has been regarded as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country during his college career. That being said he still has to fight to be selected in the draft in April. Flowers recently completed his four-year career with the University of South Florida Bulls. The team struggled for the majority of his collegiate career, but he was able to lead the team to be nationally ranked this year.
Early Years
The Miami native became noticed by Division I teams while playing at Miami Jackson High School. There Flowers posted video game-like stats, passing for 6,042 yards and 32 touchdowns, along with 2,002 rushing yards. His exemplary play came through emotional hardship off the field. When Quinton was seven his father was a victim of a drive-by shooting. In 2012 he also lost his mother to cancer. Flowers was heavily affected by his mother’s death, telling Sports Illustrated, “It was a time where I felt like football wasn’t the same, because I lost the main woman in my life”.
Flowers heavily considered quitting football during his sophomore year in high school. However, the overwhelming support he received from his family and mentors after his mother passed kept him going. His high school coach, former NFL receiver Antonio Brown, urged him to continue playing.
Credit to canesinsight.com
College
Quinton was recruited by Alabama as a receiver, South Carolina as a defensive back, and Miami as a running back. He was adamant about being a quarterback, and South Florida agreed. Toward the end of his freshman year he claimed the starting job and he never looked back. At USF Flowers claimed 37 school records, and led the school to be nationally ranked twice in the The American East. In 41 games, Flowers threw for 7,819 yards and 67 touchdowns and ran for 3,566 yards along with 40 scores.
His team appeared in the 2015 Miami Beach Bowl and the past two Birmingham Bowls. He earned MVP titles in his last two bowl games, along with AAC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-AAC in 2016. He also was named CFPA National Performer of the Year and was ranked #2 in QBR according to ESPN in 2016. His career highs came this season against UCF, where he had 605 total yards and 5 touchdowns.
Draft Stock
Quinton Flowers has the mobility and arm strength to gain the attention of NFL scouts. However, his size of 6’0 and 200 pounds does not help him. Scouts are also turned off by his inconsistent throwing motion. Early into the draft season, Flowers is projected to be ushered into the third day of the draft, and possibly go undrafted. He will need to show his pocket-passing ability to climb and avoid talk of changing positions. He will have the East-West Shrine game and the Combine to prove himself to scouts in those areas.
At his current draft position I see him as a severely underrated prospect. His collegiate career exhibited that he has talent and I could see his draft stock rising before April. He is shrouded by the big names at QB that the 2018 Draft class has to offer. In my opinion he is not a prospect to be overlooked. I would like to see him become a backup for a team to gauge how he transitions into the NFL. Drafting him late would be low risk high reward in my opinion if he were to stay as a 7th round prospect.
In my wildest dreams the team I’d like to see him on is the Redskins. Pending Kirk Cousins’s departure from Washington I would like to see the Redskins experiment with more of a West Coast offense. Quinton Flowers would flourish in a mobile scheme like that. The most realistic fit for him in my opinion might be in Buffalo. The NFL is an ever-changing machine however, so we will see where Quinton Flowers lands.
Credit to USF Athletics.
Credit to herosports.com for the featured image.