Who is Brock Jensen, and why do the Packers seem so interested in him?
It has been a well-publicized fact that Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy wants to bring four quarterbacks to training camp. The team currently has three: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, and Scott Tolzien, all of whom started for the Green and Gold in 2013. The fourth will likely be a selection in May's NFL Draft. In recent weeks, several names have been connected to the Packers in the middle to late rounds of the draft, but one in particular - Brock Jensen - seems to be coming up more than most.
So who is this Brock Jensen guy and why didn't I hear of him before Draft season?
I'll answer the second part first. Jensen played his college ball at FCS North Dakota State, whose recent claim to fame is that they pulled an upset of Oklahoma in the NCAA Basketball tournament last month. However, the Bison's football program is an FCS powerhouse, losing only two games over the past three seasons and winning three straight FCS championships. Jensen started every game each of those three years, as well as seven of the team's 14 games his freshman year as well.
Oh, and he's a Waupaca, Wisconsin native, too.
Got some stats and measurements for me?
You bet. At his Pro Day, Jensen measured in at 6' 2-3/4" and 223 pounds, which is plenty good size for an NFL quarterback. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.70 seconds, as well. As for stats, here's a breakdown of his collegiate career:
Year
Games
Starts
Comp
Att
Comp %
Yds
TD
INT
Rush
Rush Yd
YPC
Rush TD
2010
9
7
59
131
45.0
950
7
2
68
231
3.4
4
2011
15
15
219
326
67.2
2524
14
4
79
173
2.2
9
2012
15
15
207
338
61.2
2331
17
8
111
357
3.2
12
2013
15
15
218
329
66.3
2793
34
7
99
479
4.8
10
Total
54
52
703
1124
62.5
8598
72
21
357
1240
3.5
35
Those are some impressive numbers, especially that TD/INT ratio in his senior year. Clearly, Jensen wasn't afraid to leave the pocket a bit either, and if you remove the sacks from his rushing yardage that part of his game would look even more desirable.
That's pretty great, sure, but that and his three championships were against FCS competition.
This is true, but NDSU has played (and beaten) FBS teams in Jensen's tenure, including some from power conferences. These aren't teams in weak conferences like the Sun Belt, either; they beat Minnesota (Big Ten) in 2011, Colorado State (Mountain West) in 2012, and Kansas State (Big XII) in 2013. While it's not like they went and beat Alabama, that should show that Jensen and NDSU were still capable of competing at a high level against good competition.
Okay, I'm officially interested. Got some highlights?
Do I ever. And boy, do they have some awful music to go along with them.
If you were wondering why NFL teams are interested in Jensen, just watch those first two throws - he puts them on a line from 50+ yards and has them right on the money. Some of his deep balls were inconsistent, but when he throws a good one, it's really good. He also shows good accuracy on short and intermediate throws as well.
Where is he projected to go in the draft?
Well, that's the big question everyone is asking. It's virtually impossible to imagine a scenario wherein he goes on days 1 or 2 of the draft, but he definitely should be a third-day pick. Jensen's agent said he has been told by scouts that the QB is a mid- to late-round pick. Personally, I would see him being solid value after the sixth round, and he should have no trouble signing right away after the draft if he is not chosen.
Jensen's production speaks for itself, but he's also got an NFL-caliber arm. Still, questions about the competition level he faced in college will abound, he'll need to get more consistent with the deep ball, and his ceiling doesn't appear to be as high as some other prospects.
Overall, though, Jensen would make for a good pick or undrafted free agent signing as a developmental quarterback who could sit and learn from Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy.