Tom Brady will be 37-years-old at the start of the start of the 2014 season. While fans of the New England Patriots hate to even think about it, retirement is certainly in his not so distant future. In the late second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Patriots drafted his potential successor in QB Jimmy Garoppolo out of Eastern Illinois University.
While he does not have elite arm strength like some other QB prospects in this class, Garoppolo is a consistent player with a bright future ahead of him. He has an incredibly quick release that allows him to get rid of the ball before the pass rush gets to him. With defenses loading up on pass rush specialists, the ability to get rid of the ball quickly is more important than ever before.
Also, Garoppolo is one of the most accurate passers in this draft. His accuracy on short and intermediate routes on both the outside and inside of the field is extremely impressive. While his deep ball accuracy is not as impressive, that is mostly due to his lack of arm strength. Garoppolo can still put it on a dime throwing deep.
While his arms strength will not blow you away, Garoppolo appears to have enough to make it in the NFL. The velocity on his passes is impressive at times, as he is able to force the ball in a small spot when necessary. He is a bit of a raw prospect, who has plenty of room for improvement, and will certainly get the time to learn, and proper coaching to help him grow with the Patriots.
Garoppolo simply could not have landed in a better spot. Learning under Brady and Bill Belichick will give him the best opportunity to reach his potential. That said, if he does end up being Brady’s successor, he will obviously have some massive shoes to fill.