The buzz of in the NFL draft has centered around quarterbacks such as Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen. Mason Rudolph and Baker Mayfield are also turning some heads in the NFL. One quarterback that seems to be getting glossed over is Pac-12 Washington State quarterback Luke Falk. Falk has many strengths and has performed well over his four years as the Cougars’ quarterback. Here are the reasons that the Buffalo Bills should consider reaching for Luke Falk.
Falk’s completion rate is off-the-charts
Besides Baker Mayfield, who has a 68.5 percent average completion rate for four years, Luke Falk is right behind him with 68.3 percent.
Falk has thrown 119 touchdowns, which is better than Rosen, Allen, Rudolph, and Darnold. A fifth-year senior, Falk only has 39 interceptions.
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s accuracy has been an issue for Buffalo, as well as his indecisiveness to not pull the trigger on passes. That is not something that Falk brings to the table. When comparing Falk’s completion attempts versus Taylor’s college stats, Falk’s 2054 attempts blow Taylor’s 865 attempts at Virginia Tech right out of the water. In the NFL, Taylor posted low completion attempts with the Bills, his numbers just over 1200.
Buffalo has struggled moving the ball down the field, and Falk’s play shows that he gets his team into scoring position.
Falk has posted winning records for the Washington State Cougars for the last three years. He became the all-time leading passer for Pac-12 schools when he hit 13,608 yards last fall. The quarterback surpassed that mark by the end of the season with 14,481 yards, as stated on the Sports Reference website. With the NFL a high passing league, Falk is a perfect fit.
Mental and physical toughness is McDermott’s style
Falk has not had an easy time this season. Besides playing through the 2017 season with a broken left wrist, the quarterback had to deal with his teammate Tyler Hilinski committing suicide in the off-season. These incidents show a guy who has the mental and physical grit that Bills’ coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane desire in their locker room.
The quarterback was also a walk-on, which shows that he earned his way into a starting position with Washington State.
Reaching for Falk keeps draft picks intact
There is a good chance that Falk will probably still be there when Buffalo picks at 21 and 22 in the first round of the 2018 draft. However, according to an article on the Boston Globe website, the New England Patriots may have their eye on Falk, who has been described as hardworking and well- disciplined. If Buffalo gets to Falk first, they do not have to give up draft picks. With no off- the- field issues on Falk’s record, McDermott and Beane need to give him some hard looks. It is not always the number one and number two picks that succeed in the NFL. Think Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell, two top quarterback picks that turned out to be a major bust.
Luke Falk has the potential light it up in the NFL. Will the Buffalo Bills give him a shot?
