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The 2017 college football season is into Week 3, and the year of the quarterback continues. As many as five quarterbacks could end up getting selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers could be on the prowl for one of them next April.
NFL.com’s college football coverage is back once again with their quarterback power rankings. With so much talent potentially available next April, they are keeping a close eye on the top prospects, ranking out the top ten options each week.
Entering this season, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, and Josh Allen were the top three in this power ranking. Rosen shot up to No. 1 in Week 2 after his huge comeback effort against Texas A&M. Heading into Week 3, he remains on top after a strong performance against Hawaii. Rosen completed 22 of 25 passes for 329 yards and five touchdowns. He heads on the road to Memphis this week.
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield is the most prominent riser the past two weeks. He climbed two spots last week, and another one this week. Oklahoma beat Ohio State on the road, with Mayfield completing 27 of 35 attempts for 386 yards and three touchdowns. This is the kind of signature win that will boost his profile. Daniel Jeremiah broke down his film earlier this week.
Every year there seems to be one or two quarterbacks that come out of nowhere to end up getting drafted higher than most expect. Some of the names rounding out the top ten include Jake Browning (Washington), Luke Falk (Washington State), Justin Herbert (Oregon), and Shea Patterson (Ole Miss). Herbert and Patterson won’t be draft eligible for at least another year, but are both worth watching.
Herbert is interesting this weekend and his Ducks travel to face Josh Allen and the Wyoming Cowboys. Allen got a crack at an FCS team last week to wash out the taste of a bad performance against Iowa. He could use a solid performance against Oregon to build back some momentum lost in Week 1.