Overview
Anthony Gordon finished his high school career for 4,899 yards and 49 TDs, leading Terra Nova to a State Championship. It was not enough to earn any D1 college offers, and Gordon played his freshman season at the City College of San Francisco. He tossed 37 TDs and just under 4,000 yards, and led the Rams to a CCCAA title. He signed at WSU the following year, and spent his first two seasons learning behind Luke Falk.
After Falk graduated, many assumed Gordon would be named the starter. But graduate transfer Gardner Minshew came on to the scene and Gordon yet again became the backup. After Minshew graduated, it was finally time for Anthony Gordon to get his shot.
He started off the season red hot, leading his team to a 3-1 record and throwing for 21 TDs, 1,894 yards, and 4 INTs. Gordon cooled off, relatively speaking, and the team stumbled to a 6-7 record. The Cougars signal caller still ended the year second in TDs and yards to Heisman Joe Burrow, even though Gordon threw the ball well over 100 times more. Two games in particular stand out to me, Utah and Washington. Two of the more impressive defenses in the Pac-12 did a really good job of limiting Gordon. He threw the ball 49 times against Utah and 62 times in Washington, but did not complete a pass over 25 yards in either of those games.
Anthony Gordon was invited to the Senior Bowl and had a really good showing. He was able to work with a number of top end WRs and TEs in this year’s class, and certainly turned some heads.
The two lingering question that will follow Gordon throughout the draft process: who is responsible for his success? Is it the talent of his receivers, the Air Raid offense, or just plain skill? Does his skill set match up more like Gardner Minshew or Luke Falk? Nothing we see from here until the draft may be able to fully answer the question. But his body of work should be enough to help teams pull the trigger as a solid Day 2 pick.
Strengths
Short and intermediate accuracy is elite. In a good pocket with time to throw, he can fit the ball into tight windows on a regular basis. Not the smartest with the ball at times, but does not force the deep shot when it is not there. He understands his limitations and does not stretch beyond those limits. Gordon has a knack for spreading the love on offense as well. The stat sheet is regularly stuffed with 5-7 guys with more than a couple targets. Very young in football years. Only 1 year as a full starter at the D1 level. There is so much to his game that could be fine tuned or touched up. Finally, he utilizes arm angles a lot more than QB prospects in this year’s draft. Multiple times this year, Gordon has pulled out the side arm with great accuracy.
Weaknesses
Not a whole lot of zip on the ball when he takes deep shots. Lack of arm strength causes the ball to feel floated rather than driven. Another knock on his game is the volume that he threw at, which is not his fault. This season, he threw 60 passes in a game more times (5) than under 40 (2). The Air Raid offense boosts a QBs stats, which scouts and analysts note as a detractor to their body of work. The amount of screens he throws in a game is also pretty surprising. Lastly, he struggles to keep plays alive, but instead of throwing the ball away, he tries to keep the play going with his legs. This leads to poor throws and interceptions more often then not.
Best Game – Oregon
From the box score, it certainly was not one of Gordon’s most dominant games. Two interceptions in that game, one of which definitely was not his fault. Perfect placement, but the receiver couldn’t bring it in, and the play went from amazing, to disaster.
The 2nd interception was a forced throw on a 3rd and 25, that eventually led to a pick six. He tried to fit the ball into a tight window and it ended up backfiring.
The reason I place this game as his best actually does not have a lot to do with statistics. All year Gordon has been able to throw for 5, 6, and even 9 TDs with ease (see UCLA). But down 11 in the fourth, the gunslinger made smart decisions, did not turn the ball over when it mattered, and executed an amazing two minute drill to take the lead with 1 minutes left. Unfortunately, the defense did not hold that lead, or else this game may have been brought up a whole lot more.
Comparison and Prediction
Struggled with this one. There is so many ways he could improve, that it is hard to pinpoint one guy that fits his style. For now, let’s go with Ryan Tannehill. Last year, that might have been a burn against Gordon. But the way he has fit into the Titan’s system, Gordon should hope he gets picked up by a team that tools built around him to be successful.
Feels like a Day 2 guy. Probably the QB6 or QB7 at this point. The numbers are huge, played well at the Senior Bowl, and so many teams are looking for a QB. All of those factors work in Gordon’s favor and for good reason. The Bears could be in the mix for Anthony Gordon, giving them a QB to give Trubisky some competition in camp this year. If the Colts and Raiders go in another direction in the first round, they would also be in the market for the WSU QB late second or early third.
You can view the rest of our draft breakdowns here.