Scouting Report: Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA

Scouting Report on UCLA QB Brett Hundley

Background
Hundley was one of the more highly recruited quarterbacks coming out of Chandler High School. He was rated as the number three quarterback nationally by Scout.com and SuperPrep. His first year at UCLA, he took a redshirt. In 2012 he earned the starting quarterback job, and has been the leader of the Bruins offense ever since. In 2014 he threw for 3,019 yards, and 21 touchdowns while only throwing five interceptions.

Arm Strength
Hundley has one of the stronger arms in this year’s draft class, and is capable of making any throw an NFL QB is required to make. He can also throw from different launch points, including throwing off his back foot. This is definitely one of his strongest points.

Accuracy
Hundley completed 70% of his passes this season, and has never completed under 66% of his passes during his career at UCLA. However, his completion percentage is inflated due to the fact he throws a lot of passes under 10 yards. When he is forced to throw deep he lacks the accuracy I would like to see from a highly regarded NFL prospect.

Athletic Ability
This is another strong point for Hundley, and he is one of the more athletic pocket passers in this year’s draft. He shows great overall mobility, and has run his share of the read-option while at UCLA. I also like his ability to slide in the pocket, although he tends to do this too often for my liking which leads to him getting sacked often.

Mechanics
Hundley is another quarterback that operates in the shotgun most of the time, so footwork from under center could be an issue. I also noticed he has a slightly low release point which leads to some of passes being batted down despite being 6-3.

Football Intelligence
This is one area that I have some strong concerns when it comes to this prospect. He lacks pocket awareness which leads to getting sacked on a regular bases, including being sacked ten times vs. Utah. One positive with Hundley when it comes to this department is that he only threw five interceptions this season.   

Measurables
Hundley has the looks of an NFL quarterback coming in at 6-3 226 pounds. He should also test well at the NFL combine in the 40-yard dash, and other speed based tests.

Durability
While Hundley has battled some injuries this season, including an elbow, and finger injury I don’t see any of these injuries lowering his NFL Draft stock. One concern I have with his durability though is that he tends to take a lot of hits both in the pocket, and while on the run. These hits could lead to injury problems down the road.

Character
This is one area I have heard conflicting reports on Hundley. His coaches rave about his work ethic, and overall character. However, earlier this year Sports Illustrated reported that he was not very popular with his teammates, which leads to some concerns about his leadership ability.

Hundley has taken care of business in the classroom already having earned his degree. He was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in Winter of 2011 and Spring of 2012.   

Overall
While some NFL Draft writers project Hundley as a first round draft prospect, I think he is currently overrated. I see Hundley as a developmental prospect, who will need to sit on the bench for a couple of years before he will be able to take a starting role in the NFL. I currently have him with a third round draft grade.

You can follow John Blair @nfldraftitwr