PFF Draft Watch: Deep Passing spotlight

For the first time at PFF, our college football fans can take a deep look into our FBS draft-eligible signature stats across every position. After watching every player, on every play, of every game, we've put together a downloadable packet of all our of signature stats across every position. This packet, updated weekly after all of our extensive review processes are completed, will only be available for our PFF Edge subscribers. Join PFF Edge now to make sure you don't miss out! With four weeks completed in the FBS season already, some intriguing developments have shaped the college football realm, dominated with talk of those top draft-eligible quarterbacks. With that, we highlight one our exclusive quarterback metrics, the deep pass, which are those targeted 20 or more yards downfield.

Deep Passing Yards

1. Will Grier, West Virginia Mountaineers

PFF Edge deep pass yards: 649 Grier's dominance on the deep pass (20-plus yards downfield) has become evident over the first four weeks of the season. He has attempted 10 more (43) than any other draft-eligible quarterback so far, tossing a deep pass on 29.7 percent of his throws. He sports the 12th highest adjusted completion percentage on these deep passes, so the quantity has not effected his efficiency at all. Grier has also thrown six touchdown passes on deep throws, tied for second among draft-eligible quarterbacks and his passer rating of 107.3 on deep passes ranks 25th of 81.

2. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma Sooners

PFF Edge deep pass yards: 555 Mayfield finds himself right smack in the middle of the Heisman talk again and also as the lone quarterback on our initial All-American watch through Week 4.  Mayfield has thrown the second-most yards on deep passes at 555, and he's done so on just 29 attempts. While he has had three of these attempts dropped, his passer rating of 139.7 on deep throws leads the nation's draft-eligible quarterbacks. Mayfield is one of two quarterbacks with at least 26 deep pass attempts without throwing an interception and is tied with Grier with six deep passes going for touchdowns so far this season.

3. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State Cowboys

PFF Edge deep pass yards: 545 Rudolph's connection with standout WR James Washington really shines through on their deep pass connection. The duo has hooked up six times on deep passes for 303 yards, which leads the nation. On his own, Rudolph has attempted 25 deep passes, completing 12 of them for his 545 yards, and is also tied for second with Grier and Mayfield with six touchdowns. Perhaps buried in the loss to TCU was Rudolph's perfectly placed deep ball to Washington that he took 86 yards to the house.

Could watch this Mason Rudolph dime to James Washington all day. pic.twitter.com/q2Y64yuyG2

— Cameron Mellor (@PFF_Cam) September 28, 2017

With his latest deep pass TD to Washington, Rudolph sports a 117.1 passer rating on deep passes, which ranks 19th out of 81 draft-eligible QBs this season.

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