Utah QB Cameron Rising NFL Franchise Wildcard

Had Utah quarterback (QB) Cameron Rising not torn his ACL in the Rose Bowl against Penn State, there was a strong chance he would have declared for this past NFL Draft.

However, that’s not the way it played out. Instead, Rising ran one too many times and tore his ACL.

The injury forced a return to the field with the Utes in 2023 to re-prove himself to the NFL world.

A few weeks ago, I evaluated six of those games, and now I’m circling back and I studied the rest of the Utah game film that’s out there to confirm.

The result?

Rising looked just as good in these four games.

Fact or fiction?

Now, the plot thickens as my dad used to say. That’s because according to The Spun, a rumor leaked in regards to Rising’s recovery…

There was a rumor out of Utah’s football program that Rising’s recovery from his torn ACL faced another setback and that he’ll have to miss part of this upcoming season but that doesn’t appear to be true.

In the article, Rising himself disputed that rumor on his Twitter account.

Outside of that exchange, the last “official” words regarding his rehab came via The Salt Lake Tribune. “He’s throwing already and ahead with his rehab. We don’t want to push it because if you do that, then you end up with chronic soreness, swelling, that type of thing,” said Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham. “To this point, he’s doing great, and we fully expect to have him for the opener certainly, unless we have a setback. In preparation for that, hopefully, 10-14 days out from the opener where he can start to really practice.”

Reminders

I’m choosing to believe what Rising and his coach are saying, and that’s what his summer evaluation grade reflects.

Watching Rising last season reminds me of NFL quarterbacks Dan Fouts and Phillip Rivers (Chargers), Mark Rypien (Redskins), Daniel Jones (Giants), and Josh Allen (Bills).

If he’s able to return to form, there’s no question he has a promising future in the NFL.

Competitive nature

Rising’s competitiveness is his top attribute, and it’s probably going to be the thing that pushes him to get through his most recent setback. It pushed him through his shoulder surgery and recovery in 2021. In fact, it’s pushed him his entire life.

This is something that was forged in him from an early age being the youngest with older athletic brothers according to the article “Family trash talk forged a strong-willed personality in Texas QB commit Cameron Rising” in the Austin American-Statesman.

In this article, Risings’ Dad, Nicko stated, “He hated to lose.”

It’s a characteristic that caused him to beat out transfer QBs for the starting job at Utah the past two seasons. It’s got to be a characteristic that will be ultra-attractive to NFL teams.

He just needs to learn how to slide.

#7 Cameron Rising 6-foot-2, 218 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Summer 2023 Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of June 24, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Note: The rest of the NFL Draft Community sees Rising as a projected seventh-round draft choice at this point.

Previous article (2022: 6 games evaluated) Utah’s QB Cameron Rising the Next Josh Allen?

Additional 2022 game film reviewed: ASU, Stanford, Oregon State, and San Diego State (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2022 stats: 249/385 (64.7%), 3034 yards, 26 TD, 8 INT, 9 sacks, long-72

Note: 74 (2021) and 77 (2022) rushing attempts.

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Tough pro polished leader with a good passing game in the short to intermediate route levels. Methodical confident pace. Comfortable under center. Good ball handling. Quick decisions (9 sacks). Can create and extend with mobility. Went through progressions. Smooth mechanics. Can zip it in or finesse it. Good rolling out (especially to his right). Spreads ball around (8 different targets San Diego State). Likes throwing to tight ends. Strong enough arm. Pushes downfield, but tends to overthrow or deliver high. Can lead receivers too much at times. Accuracy issues deep. Ball security problems (34x disrupted passes in 10 games 3.4 avg). Downfield-minded, but can take off and run with determination and decent speed.

What to watch for during the 2023 college football season

1. Does he return to form?

2. Ball security?

3. Deep ball placement?

4. Rushing attempts?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock and has written for Sports Illustrated Lions, Jets, and 49ers, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.