Elite 11 2016: Ranking the Top 5 QBs Following Star-Studded Competition
BEAVERTON, Oregon — The Elite 11 process has concluded for 2017 quarterback prospects. Hundreds of passers attended 14 regional showcase events throughout the spring, setting the stage for 24 invites to Elite 11 finals in Juneb and half that volume this past week at The Opening.
As usual, we learned a lot about each athlete during this span as quarterbacks were challenged from just about every standpoint. Physical endurance, mental fortitude and leadership qualities are among elements tested by an Elite 11 staff featuring Super Bowl champion Trent Dilfer.
All 12 finalists who attended The Opening join a fraternity that features No. 1 overall NFL draft picks Jameis Winston, Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff and Andrew Luck. Here's a closer look at the latest class to join that collection, ranking the top five quarterbacks of 2017 based on a combination of Elite 11 efforts and total body of work in high school.
5. Tate Martell
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School: Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas)
Size: 5'10 ½", 203 lbs
College Status: Committed to Ohio State
Elite 11 Performance
Tate Martell is the first to admit he wasn't at his sharpest in Beaverton, where many pegged his Alpha Pro squad as an early favorite entering seven-on-seven action. The team romped to a 33-0 victory in its opener but struggled mightily Sunday, suffering two straight shutouts and a swift exit from competition.
There were times when he really locked into one target on any given play despite the presence of several blue-chip receivers on the field. Martell was more efficient in Los Angeles last month during Elite 11 finals, but you have to wonder how much credit for issues in Oregon can be attributed to Alpha Pro's offensive roster overall, as guys simply didn't seem to be on the same page throughout much of the weekend.
Prior to the tournament, he was among the most impressive performers in preliminary drills with receivers.
Overall Analysis
If The Opening is ultimately viewed as a slight blemish on Martell's early career chart, that's mainly because we've grown so accustomed to watching him win. He is unbeaten through two seasons as starter at Bishop Gorman, collecting 5,145 passing yards, 1,037 rushing yards, 86 total touchdowns and just eight interceptions during that span.
Bishop Gorman plays arguably America's most difficult out-of-state schedule, so all eyes will again be on Martell, who initially committed to Washington before eighth grade and more recently spent time in Texas A&M's class. For a player who has spent so many years in the spotlight, dealing with scrutiny that accompanies it, he's done a nice job bouncing back from adverse situations.
Martell remains this class' most improvisational quarterback, which presents possibilities for game-altering plays few can duplicate. A strong lower-body base and polished fundamentals allow him to overcome many of the physical limitations detractors typically point to with him.
4. Jake Fromm
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School: Houston County (Warner Robins, Georgia)
Size: 6'2 ½", 224 lbs
College Status: Committed to Georgia
Elite 11 Performance
Through the first few days in Beaverton, it seemed no quarterback made a more significant leap from Elite 11 finals than Jake Fromm. This could be attributed to his physical conditioning, which was noticeably improved just a month after he transitioned directly from a long baseball season.
He was fleeter while maneuvering in the pocket, fired the football with increased zip and brought a greater level of aggressiveness to the field that appeared to resonate with Alpha Pro teammates.
Fromm fired three touchdown passes in one half of action during the group's first game of The Opening seven-on-seven tournament. However, he and Martell failed to produce a single point while splitting reps Sunday morning and didn't survive to compete in an afternoon semifinal matchup.
Overall Analysis
Aside from Tua Tagovailoa, he may have fired up teammates more than any quarterback at The Opening, and the vibes we get from Fromm are that's just who he genuinely is on the field. He will go to battle for his guys and brings a physicality to the position that can help set the tone for others.
Fromm has spent his life on the baseball field, competing in the Little League World Series at a young age and eventually claiming a state title at Houston County this spring. We love the competitive drive that he carries across the sports spectrum, and he's served up evidence that he can be more than just Jacob Eason's backup at Georgia.
Fromm, who threw for 4,099 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2015, will push the heralded freshman every day in practice upon arrival. Impressive physical traits and an abundantly competitive attitude make him a quarterback on the rise in our eyes.
3. Hunter Johnson
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School: Brownsburg High School (Brownsburg, Indiana)
Size: 6'3 ½", 201 lbs
College Status: Committed to Clemson
Elite 11 Performance
His final showing in this process was largely forgettable, as Hunter Johnson and teammates struggled to find rhythm Saturday, starting with a blowout loss. The seven-on-seven squad was knocked out of the tournament early Sunday so it's likely a lot of folks got far less of a look at Johnson than they'd hoped upon arriving in Oregon.
You can draw some parallels to Jacob Eason last summer. The touted Georgia Bulldog freshman entered competition considered the top quarterback prospect in composite rankings and a threat to start conversations about his legitimacy as No. 1 overall recruit in the 2016 class.
Eason failed to develop any momentum, ultimately relinquished the majority of seven-on-seven reps to Texas pledge Shane Buechele and didn't blossom as "the guy" in Beaverton. That doesn't mean he can't become an All-American in Athens, and that's the sentiment to stick with for Johnson.
His Elite 11 finals experience was unique because he returned home to Indiana midway through to participate in a state track meet and then came back to Los Angeles within 24 hours to cap things off and claim a spot in Oregon. Johnson made several effortless, precise passes during one-on-one drills at The Opening, but his seven-on-seven presence was practically nonexistent, which will surely leave an iffy impression for plenty of pundits.
Overall Analysis
While some may view him as a prototypical pocket passer, Johnson is an athletic specimen who can alter his approach based on supporting staff and scheme. Elite 11 counselors selected him "most likely to succeed in any offensive system" due to this versatility, and that should have Clemson fans excited about life after Deshaun Watson.
Johnson, who threw for 2,545 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2015, per MaxPreps, is one of the most likable guys in this quarterback class, and you can see that reflected in the way other recruits approach him. There will be some questions about his ability to thrive in the spotlight since he's not at a national powerhouse and was underwhelming in a spotlight situation at The Opening.
Expect him to answer the call as a senior this season. When he heats up and gets surgical in the passing game, Johnson may not have a contemporary in this class.
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2. Davis Mills
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School: Greater Atlanta Christian School (Norcross, Georgia)
Size: 6'3", 192 lbs
College Status: Committed to Stanford
Elite 11 Performance
Davis Mills was undoubtedly the biggest threat to Tua Tagovailoa as Elite 11 MVP competition reached its final stages. Rated No. 1 on the coaches' big board throughout Elite 11 finals in Los Angeles, he led his seven-on-seven team to the title game.
Mills delivers crisp, tight spirals on a routine basis and the stage in Beaverton clearly wasn't too big for him. He battled talent-laden defensive units with excellent decision-making in most cases and stood tall in the pocket with poise while surveying the situation downfield as the three-and-a-half-second "sack clock" dwindled.
Selected "most likely to become a No. 1 NFL draft pick" by Elite 11 counselors, he's drawn comparisons to former Stanford standout Andrew Luck. As long as his receivers were operating with efficiency in Beaverton, it was a rare sight to see Mills miss on an intended target.
His consistency and extremely impressive game film placed him directly in the MVP discussion with an hour left in a long, arduous Elite 11 journey.
Overall Analysis
Mills manages to find receivers in stride more than any quarterback on this list, which is a testament to his arm talent and anticipation. There is a cerebral element to his approach that manages to calm down an entire huddle and keep an offense on the same page even when under duress.
His intermediate accuracy is absolutely lethal, and he'll never take a "safety valve" option for granted, content to pick up chunks of yards rather than risking turnovers with ill-advised heaves. When Mills does decide to launch a long-distance pass, there's a loft to the trajectory that other top-tier high school prospects simply lack at this point, and some may never actually acquire that trait.
Mills is about as even-keel as it gets from an alpha-dog quarterback, and this temperament suits him well as a successful leader and a potential "face of the franchise" role. After throwing for 5,088 yards and 51 scores the past two seasons, he has validated fantastic film time after time during in-person evaluation.
1. Tua Tagovailoa
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School: St. Louis High School (Honolulu)
Size: 6'1", 215 lbs
College Status: Committed to Alabama
Elite 11 Performance
No blue-chip quarterback entered Elite 11 action with more questions swirling around their overall game than Tua Tagovailoa. In turn, no quarterback in this group stepped up to the plate and delivered answers in such emphatic fashion as this Crimson Tide commit.
Dilfer challenged him to focus on crafting pro-style fundamentals following a late May regional camp in Oakland. Just two weeks later, he arrived in Los Angeles ready and willing to prove his adaptability.
Though he leads a spread option attack at St. Louis, where Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota once starred, Tagovailoa isn't the product of a system. He's an evolving talent whose proven capable of embracing alternative ways to decimate defenses.
Along the way, he's become the most galvanizing figure we've seen emerge in Elite 11 action. Quarterback contemporaries enjoy his company and seven-on-seven teammates quickly rallied around him, leading to a scintillating Sunday stretch that saw him throw four touchdown tosses in the first half of the tournament title game.
This occurred one month after he registered the best pro day score in Los Angeles. Tagovailoa became the second Alabama pledge in three years to earn Elite 11 MVP honors, joining 2014 winner Blake Barnett.
Overall Analysis
Less than two months ago, many analysts wondered whether Tagovailoa was equipped to handle the trigger role in a pro-style offensive attack. Now midway through his final high school summer break, he's left little doubt.
We always understood defenses would need to respect his rushing prowess, as he is a threat to bolt by defenders off the edge and routinely evades pressure by rotating beyond the pocket. That's all still part of the threat Tagovailoa presents, but it's become clear he can shred opponents without bringing his fleet feet into the equation.
During Elite 11 finals and The Opening, he delivered more downfield dimes than anyone else on the turf. A blend of velocity and touch that others have struggled to master at this stage of their career now looks natural, and he's money on passes beyond 40 yards when called upon to sling it deep.
Tagovailoa surged up the Elite 11 board in historic fashion during this past month, as Bleacher Report's Sanjay Kirpalani documented, and as the dust settles we're inclined to elevate him to the top of our list too. Admittedly, this didn't seem likely at all just shy of summer, but recruiting cycles are a learning process, and it's easy to appreciate what Tagovailoa has proved.
Quotes and observations obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.
Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.
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