NFL Draft Rumors: 'Just Aren't a Lot of Great' QB Prospects in 2020 Class

A high-level NFL executive said there aren't many "great" quarterback prospects in the 2020 NFL draft class. 

Multiple execs told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler the trend of front offices taking young QBs with hope of striking gold while the signal-caller is on their team-friendly rookie deal will continue, but it could also cause an increase in busts.

"Someone is going to stretch and draft Jordan Love high for this very reason," an executive told ESPN. "There just aren't a lot of great ones out there."

LSU's Joe Burrow and Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa are the consensus top two quarterbacks in the 2020 class, but there's a lot of debate and uncertainty beyond that duo.

Love (Utah State), Justin Herbert (Oregon), Jacob Eason (Washington), Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma) and Jake Fromm (Georgia) were among the second-tier QBs who competed for positioning during the predraft process, which was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay raved above Love's upside Tuesday (via Sean Walker of KSL.com), but he questioned the length of his developmental curve:

"There's more to work with off Herbert. Jordan Love had struggles this past year, with 17 interceptions. I think teams would like to get to know him a little bit.

"To me, Love is so sudden, and he's got so much potential. But he's not ready yet. He's going to need some time. He has to go to the right place, as all these guys do. But he really, in my opinion, has a higher upside than even Justin Herbert. He's going to need a little bit more time, and he's going to need the right supporting cast early in his career in order to get over the forced mistakes that he's made."

Teams usually display little patience given to first-round quarterbacks, though.

The Washington Redskins selected Dwayne Haskins with the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft. He struggled as a rookie, tallying seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in nine appearances, and the team already traded for Kyle Allen from the Carolina Panthers to compete for the starting job.

If a team makes a similar investment in Love or another QB besides Burrow or Tagovailoa, he'll be expected to make an instant impact. It's unclear whether Love will be ready for that challenge after posting a 20-17 TD-to-INT ratio during his final collegiate campaign with the Aggies.

The value of a franchise quarterback far exceeds the financial input early in their career—the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, is scheduled to count a mere $5.3 million against the salary cap in 2020—so teams will continue to take chances on QB prospects.