Is Nebraska’s Jeff Sims one of the biggest sleepers in the 2024 NFL Draft? As his scouting report discusses, Sims’ college career has been a tumultuous one. But in 2023, he has an opportunity to reset, right the ship, and reach entirely new heights.
Jeff Sims Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’4″
- Weight: 220 pounds
- Position: Quarterback
- School: Nebraska
- Current Year: Senior
Few QB prospects are in a more intriguing situation than Sims in 2023. Sims was a three-star high school recruit who ended up starting all 10 games in his true freshman season at Georgia Tech. He passed for 1,881 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions over that span and also ran for almost 500 yards and six scores.
Sims got the nod as the incumbent starter in 2021, but injuries prevented him from finding a rhythm. He completed 60.1% of his throws for 1,468 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven picks, and once again carried over as the starter in 2022.
But after leading the Yellow Jackets to a 3-3 record in six games, a foot sprain knocked him out for half of 2022.
Sims was a starting QB for the better part of three seasons, and yet, there’s a sense that he still has to do more to establish himself as a 2024 NFL Draft prospect. Luckily, he’ll get the chance to do that at Nebraska under former NFL head coach Matt Rhule.
Jeff Sims Scouting Report
Strengths
- Has a strong, well-sized, prototypical frame with great mass and composition.
- Explosive, high-energy athlete with a great blend of burst and lateral twitch.
- Has the play strength and explosiveness to escape solo tackle attempts.
- Can create space with brisk cuts and has the long-strider speed to stretch seams.
- Has shown he can use tempo reductions and throttle control to freeze defenders.
- Has a high-velocity arm and a lightning release, generating pace with very little strain.
- Has stellar angle freedom on release, using different arm slots to channel velocity.
- Boasts good rotational feel, leveling shoulders while rolling base and generating torque.
- Flashes good situational placement and areal accuracy on screens and quick passes.
- Shows glimpses of poise, standing tall at the top of his drop with pressure closing in.
- Can anticipate windows at multiple levels, as well as breaks on quick outs and slot curls.
- Can actively recognize when zone defenders are in conflict and capitalize quickly.
- Flashes solid progression work, working left to right and high to low in the pocket.
- Has shown he can call out blitz threats and adjust pre-snap protections.
- Possesses exceptional competitive toughness and composure as a passer and runner.
Weaknesses
- At times, attempts to force lofted throws downfield when pressure is encroaching.
- Lands on his checkdown relatively quickly and can be more patient with reads.
- Sometimes locks in on checkdowns when rolling out and surveying on the move.
- Has yet to show consistent growth as an independent processor in the pocket.
- Can improve at leading his eyes with his feet to ensure mechanical and mental synergy.
- At times, release can be a bit concave, tilting front shoulder and causing passes to float.
- Dropback footwork can be uncoordinated at times, causing variance in base width.
- Inconsistency recalibrating base from read to read can cause lapses in accuracy.
- Sometimes pushes throws too high and too far when trying to layer pace and touch.
- At times, can be a bit quicker to anticipate boundary comebacks and reduce risk.
- Can make better use of micromovements and navigation to keep himself clean.
- Sometimes drifts at the back of the pocket and fails to sense backside pressure.
- Has a history of being banged up from week to week, casting doubts on his durability.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
At the outset of the 2023 season, Sims grades out as an early Day 3 prospect on my board, whose elite physical traits could feasibly earn him initial top 100 placement. How high he rises in the 2024 NFL Draft ultimately depends on his performance at Nebraska, but he has true Round 1 upside if everything falls his way.
Sims enters the 2023 campaign with 633 career pass attempts, but he’s never had the stability and support he’ll have as the Cornhuskers’ quarterback.
That lack of stability has contributed to stunted development in some areas, but there are flashes of legitimate operational promise on Sims’ tape, and his physical foundation is near the top of the class.
At 6’4″, 220 pounds, Sims is an elite athlete and creator with a tremendous mix of explosiveness, agility, speed, and play strength, and he also has a high-velocity arm with a wicked release and free-flowing arm elasticity.
Beyond that physical foundation, he’s shown flashes of good situational precision, anticipation, pocket poise, and mechanical congruence, and his toughness is a definite plus.
In 2023, Sims will need to display additional growth over a larger sample size. He’ll also need to cut down on bad decisions under pressure, shore up his pocket navigation ability, and continue to seek more consistency as a processor.
But Sims is one of the few QB prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft who has the composite upside to become a Round 1 prospect, and he’s not starting from square one on the operational side.
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