One of the late risers in the 2024 NFL Draft QB class, where does Kansas’ Jason Bean rank with his scouting report? Bean didn’t always get his due as a talent at the collegiate level, but now, under the 2024 NFL Draft microscope, his tools take center stage.
Jason Bean Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’3″
- Weight: 205 pounds
- Position: Quarterback
- School: Kansas
- Current Year: Redshirt Senior
You don’t always see sixth-year senior prospects with the blend of natural talent, experience, and operational competence that Bean has — but he’s a unique presence in the 2024 NFL Draft QB group.
Bean began his collegiate career as a three-star recruit at North Texas, toiling as a primary backup before delivering his first substantial starting experience in 2020. That year, Bean threw for 1,131 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five picks while rushing for 346 yards and five additional scores.
Jason Bean is too fast 💨
We got a game in Waco!! pic.twitter.com/kxismgUcIO
— College Football Network (@CFN365) October 22, 2022
Bean’s production at North Texas yielded a transfer opportunity at Kansas, and for most of the 2021 season, he was the team’s starter. However, an injury late in the year gave an opportunity to Jalon Daniels, who ended up retaining the position through 2022.
Bean could’ve transferred out again. But instead, he chose to bide his time and remain. And in 2023, an injury to Daniels brought Bean back into the starting lineup. The Kansas quarterback capitalized on his second chance with his best play yet.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
In 2023, Bean completed 124 of 199 attempts (62.3%) for 2,130 yards — a whopping 10.7 yards per attempt — 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Meanwhile, on the ground, he added 280 yards and three scores.
Bean now has an important pre-draft process on tap, starting with an opportunity to perform at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Once relatively anonymous, he now could challenge for a draft selection.
Bean’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Hyper-elite creative threat with blistering explosiveness and long-track vertical speed.
- Abrupt explosiveness and flexibility allow him to surge away from pressure threats.
- Has good baseline arm strength and can generate solid short and intermediate velocity.
- Has a live arm and a quick release, with impressive elasticity and angle freedom.
- Crisp rotational thrower who adequately loads his base and channels hip torque.
- Has the combined arm elasticity and control to layer pace and touch on seam throws.
- Flexible hips and arm elasticity allow him to channel torque even when drifting.
- Has shown he can work left to right on progressions and react quickly to stimuli.
- Able to anticipate breaks on hitches and comebacks and proactively time his trigger.
- Can anticipate boundary windows in between zones and rifle the ball between DBs.
- Actively places passes according to DB leverage and eye direction against man coverage.
- Can trigger on throws while sliding laterally away from pressure at the top of his drop.
- Competent pocket navigator who can sense pressure and shift while keeping eyes up.
- Fearlessness emboldens him to take chances on high-upside tight-window throws.
- Capable option QB with smooth ball-handling, whose running ability freezes defenses.
Weaknesses
- May measure in below 200 pounds, with smaller measurements than listed.
- Lacks elite arm strength, and sometimes muscles throws too much to compensate.
- Front foot placement could be more precise on timing and rhythm throws.
- Sometimes narrows his base a bit too much at the top of drop, necessitating correction.
- At times, plays too tall in the pocket, snagging his hip rotation and limiting drive.
- Inconsistent depth discipline on dropback can cause him to fade back under pressure.
- Slight segmentations in dropback footwork can tug shoulders off proper alignment.
- Upper-body ball carriage can be too far forward at times, forcing re-rotation on release.
- Sometimes struggles to keep his shoulders level while sliding away from pressure.
- Sometimes fails to lead his WRs for RAC in short range, forcing unnatural adjustments.
- Struggles with deep passing precision when exerting himself more on rotations.
- Could be more consistent at leading his eyes with his feet on progressions, limiting delay.
- Inconsistent base adjustments from read to read can stall left-right field transitions.
- Risk propensity can be a double-edged sword with passes into double coverage.
- Leaner frame can make him more susceptible to jarring hits in the open field.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Jason Bean grades out as an early-to-mid Day 3 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft on my board. He’s one of the most compelling depth prospects in the 2024 class, and there’s a reasonable avenue for him to be a quality QB3 and backup candidate early in his NFL career.
Bean was most often relegated to a backup role behind Jalon Daniels at Kansas. But when Daniels missed time due to an injury in 2023, Bean got his chance to shine, and he put legitimate high-quality reps on tape as a passer and creator.
There’s still room for Bean to strive for more consistency in his game in the operational realm, but his raw talent and competitive urgency bode well for his viability in a backup role.
At his size, Bean is a hyper-elite creator who can be a legitimate rushing threat for an offense, as well as evade pressure and create secondary throwing windows at a high level. He also has good baseline arm talent, and he doesn’t rely purely on his natural talent to a fault.
In the pocket, Bean has good pressure feel and navigation skills and can slide laterally to extend his time while keeping his eyes up and triggering on WRs. He’s also flashed the ability to go through progressions and anticipate breaks, and he’s not afraid to take calculated risks.
Bean will need to keep refining his mechanics to improve his situational precision at the NFL level. But a speculated move to WR may not be necessary for him. There’s legitimate value in having a backup with Bean’s creation ability, and with more refinement, he can be a high-quality safety blanket and spot-starter with schematic flexibility.
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