Projecting Where Jacob Eason Will Be Drafted After Day 1 of 2020 NFL Draft

Washington quarterback Jacob Eason's name was not called on Day 1 of the 2020 NFL draft, but he's a strong candidate to find a new home before Day 2 ends.

The ex-Huskie completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season. He transferred to Washington from the University of Georgia, where Jake Fromm jumped him on the depth chart in 2017.

He stands 6'6" and 231 pounds, so size certainly isn't an issue for the signal-caller. But reviews are mixed on Eason, who offers intriguing potential because of his strong arm but brings about concerns because of a lack of mobility.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote the following in his scouting report:

"His elite size and arm talent are reminiscent of Carson Palmer, but issues with pocket poise and getting through progressions cleanly are more reminiscent of Brock Osweiler. Eason is fun to watch when he's ripping throws around the field and taking deep play-action shots, but a lack of mobility inside and outside the pocket is troubling, considering his ineffectiveness when pressured.

"He's relatively inexperienced and should continue to develop from the pocket, but poise is hard to fix, and handling exotic blitz packages is not a given. He's a pro-style, play-action-based quarterback with average starter potential and an average backup floor."

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report ranked Eason as having the best arm strength of any quarterback in the class. He also ranked Eason sixth overall among quarterbacks and gave him an 83 grade out of 100 (low 80s on Miller's scale indicates a potential late second-round pick).

Michael Silver of NFL.com called Eason a "captivating case study" and quoted a few executives who offered praise of the quarterback.

"The guy can drop f--king dimes," an NFC general manager told Silver. "He's an extremely talented passer, and he's gonna rise up the board as the draft gets closer, because people are gonna look at his build and see him throw and go, 'Where [else] am I gonna get a guy like that?'"

And an AFC general manager said the following: "He's a big guy who's athletic with good arm strength, and he can make all the throws. It would've helped him to stay in school another year—there'd be less uncertainty—but I could see teams liking his traits and projecting him as someone they could develop into a starter."

Eason doesn't appear to be a clear-cut day-one starter for a team, but chances are a franchise will take a shot on his arm talent before Friday ends.

Here's a look at the four likeliest teams to do so, in order from least to most likely.

4. Washington Redskins

Depth Chart: Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, Alex Smith

Day 2 Picks: No. 66

The Washington Redskins selecting Eason would indicate that head coach Ron Rivera isn't sold on Dwayne Haskins being the team's future at quarterback.

Haskins was the 15th overall selection of the 2019 NFL draft and connected on 58.6 percent of his throws for seven scores and seven picks at 6.7 yards per attempt. He was far better in his final two games with four touchdowns, no picks and a 72.1 percent completion rate.

Like Eason, Haskins has a big frame for a quarterback at 6'4" and 230 pounds. Perhaps Rivera wants to light a fire under him and see how he responds, but Washington has too many needs (and not enough picks) to take a chance on Eason.

3. Indianapolis Colts

Depth Chart: Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett, Chad Kelly

Day 2 Picks: No. 34, No. 44, No. 75

The Indianapolis Colts don't have a plan at quarterback past 2020. Philip Rivers is signed to a one-year deal, and he's replacing Jacoby Brissett, who apparently didn't pass the Colts' test last year when given the chance to be the team's starter after Andrew Luck's surprising retirement.

Enter Eason, perhaps? He wouldn't be thrown into the fire right away and could learn behind Rivers, who has 16 years of starting experience and eight Pro Bowls under his belt.

Going quarterback on Day 2 would make sense for the Colts. But on the other hand, they are built to win now on both sides of the ball. The team reloaded on defense with ex-San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and kept a dominant offensive line intact by re-signing left tackle Anthony Castonzo.

The guess here is the Colts look to add to their offensive skill positions with their second- and third-round picks before considering a quarterback, so look for them to add a more polished option in Fromm, who might be ready to take over in 2021.

2. New England Patriots

Depth Chart: Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer

Day 2 Picks: No. 87, No. 98, No. 100

The New England Patriots may be in the market for a new quarterback, but they also appear primed to let Jarrett Stidham give it a shot, per Jeff Howe of The Athletic.

Howe noted the team has no interest in veteran signal-callers Cam Newton (free agent) and Andy Dalton out of a job in Cincinnati after the Bengals took LSU's Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick) before dropping this note: "So it'll be Stidham. It'd hardly be a surprise if they open camp with Hoyer as the starter and force Stidham to wrest away the job, but a dose of adversity should help the kid if that's the route they choose. Either way, as long as Stidham maintains his pace from last summer, it should be his job."

The Pats could hypothetically pick a quarterback with one of their third-round selections and put some pressure on the ex-Auburn star to earn his job, but all signs point to Stidham being the man in New England.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

Depth Chart: Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, Devlin Hodges, Paxton Lynch

Day 2 Picks: No. 49, No. 102

The noise connecting the Pittsburgh Steelers to a quarterback with their No. 49 pick has been loud and clear lately. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report reported that the Steelers are expected to take a signal-caller there. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. had the Steelers taking Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts there (h/t Chris Adamski of TribLive.com).

Eason could be the choice to potentially take over for Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, with ESPN's Brooke Pryor explaining why:

"Eason declared for the NFL draft after a junior season in which he recorded 3,132 passing yards along with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. At 6-foot-6, 227 pounds, Eason has a similar build to Roethlisberger and would enter camp as a more solid third-string option behind Rudolph, with the possibility of even surpassing Rudolph for the top backup job. His arm strength and deep ball abilities should be especially appealing to the Steelers after a season in which the passing game settled for short and intermediate throws."

Pryor also noted that the Steelers took care of their remaining needs during free agency and have put themselves in an advantageous position to look for a playmaker in the draft.

In that respect, Eason seems like a good fit, although No. 49 might be a good spot to take an offensive playmaker.

Plenty are available after Round 1, including Clemson wideout Tee Higgins, USC wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims and Georgia running back D'Andre Swift.

The draft is always a crapshoot, but the guess here is that Eason slips and is there at 102nd overall for Pittsburgh to take.