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Bills' Jake Fromm Praised by Anonymous NFL Exec: 'He'll Play 10 to 12 Years'
May 7, 2020
The Buffalo Bills were praised for their choice of Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm with the 167th overall selection in the 2020 NFL draft.
"I was surprised he was available in the fifth round. He's got good intangibles, smarts and throws with timing," an anonymous AFC executive told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler in an article released Thursday. "He's not a big-time talent, but he'll play 10 to 12 years in this league."
Fromm was the eighth quarterback off the board in the draft despite a standout statistical career playing in the vaunted SEC with the Bulldogs. He completed 63.3 percent of his throws for 8,236 yards with 78 touchdowns and just 18 interceptions in 43 appearances across three seasons.
The biggest knock against the 21-year-old Georgia native is his limited arm strength, which could cap his upside in the pass-happy NFL if he's not able to push the ball down the field consistently.
Here's the conclusion from Bleacher Report's Matt Miller in his Fromm scouting report:
"Fromm is a low-risk, low-reward quarterback who would be ideal for a team with a great defense and a good run game. He won't turn the ball over, but he also won't create many big plays on his own. Fromm's limited athleticism and arm strength will create a belief that he's a game manager. That could work in the right fit, but at worst he's a high-level backup who can win games if pressed into action."
That reads almost perfectly for the Bills, who ranked second in scoring defense last season and feature one of the league's best young running back tandems in Devin Singletary and rookie Zack Moss.
Buffalo has a high-risk, high-reward starting quarterback in Josh Allen. He accounted for 29 total touchdowns last year (20 passing and nine rushing), but he threw nine interceptions and fumbled 14 times.
The Bills are betting on Allen's development to transform them into legitimate championship contenders. But if he falters or gets hurt, having a more conservative backup like Fromm who can protect the ball is a nice insurance policy.
Those are also the style of quarterbacks who stick around in the NFL for an extended period. He may never become a 16-game starter at the sport's highest level, but his high football IQ makes him an ideal reserve who can hold down the fort when necessary.
And if Fromm exceeds expectations to eventually become the Bills' full-time starter, he'll turn into one of the draft's biggest steals.