Is Mason Fine a diamond in the rough?

I have been personally interested in Mason Fine over the last three years. Keeping tabs and watching North Texas from time to time. Mason Fine–despite his physical issues–possesses a lot talent that can translate to the NFL. His biggest concern is he’s both short and not physically elite. But can he overcome that?

Game watched: UTEP, Charlotte, Rice, MTSU

Attributes

Accuracy

I’d consider him an accurate quarterback, who is fairly consistent. He did throw up some duds when it comes to ball placement–which in the G5 and being his size doesn’t bode well in a lot of people’s eyes. He makes up for the lack of physical abilities with great timing and anticipation on intermediate throws. Specifically with breaking routes and throwing his receivers into the soft spots in zone defense. He’s also better down the field than I have seen with some bigger names. They also weren’t overly easy either. He really had to put the ball in a good spot with great touch.

Improvising

Fine can definitely improvise. He’s pretty quick and has the ability to move around in the pocket in order to extend plays. He can throw on the run when needed as they rollout regularly.

Arm Strength

He’s pretty average when it comes to arm strength. It doesn’t seem to hold him back as he’s thrown into tight windows 10-15 yards down the field. He’s just a guy who can’t bomb 70 yards like some other prospects. But teams shouldn’t worry about the intermediate parts of the field.

Mobility

It’s definitely a strength of his. He doesn’t run as often as he did early in his carry, but that’s mainly because he hasn’t needed to when you look at how much he’s improved as a passer. He mainly uses his mobility to be able to throw the ball, rather than running it.

Pocket Presence

It’s really hit or miss when it comes to his pocket presence. It’s kind of hard to gauge sometimes when it comes to protection breakdowns and when the ball is supposed to be out. Generally has a good feel and–as mentioned several times–uses his mobility to his advantage. However, I don’t think this in particular is going to transfer immediately to the NFL.

Decision-making

He is a very good decision maker. He generally takes good care of the ball and has become fairly turnover-free since his sophomore season. He does take shots so that does tend cause more turnovers, but he does create a lot of explosive pass plays to where the interceptions doesn’t seem like a negative.

Pros

• Very mobile
• Accurate in the intermediate and deep passes
• Takes care of the football
• Elite anticipation and timing
• Great touch on deep throws

Cons

• Smaller stature has lead to some batted balls
• While accurate has posted some duds due to poor placement
• Average arm strength
• Sloppy footwork

Summary

I think this guy could turn into a late round gem. He does fit the mold of a spread offense QB, where a lot of your throws are short-intermediate passes. His arm strength fares better than other QBs I have watched *cough*Jake Fromm*cough* but still isn’t something to brag home about. He should probably sit for the first few years to polish some of the little things to polish him off as a QB. But he does have QB1 potential given he goes to a team that runs the spread offense.

Draft Projection: Early Day 3-Priority UDFA

Potential Fits:

• New Orleans Saints
• Baltimore Ravens
• Miami Dolphins

You can view the rest of our NFL Draft breakdowns here.