He Has a Chance: Ben Bryant, QB, Northwestern

First Round Mock’s looks at Northwestern quarterback (QB) Ben Bryant and puts a draftable grade on him.

Quarterback (QB) is like no other position. There are standards for almost every other spot on the field. Of all the traits of QBs, I feel that leadership is the most important one. Nothing else comes close.

From Buffalo’s Josh Allen to Carolina QB Bryce Young ⎯ leadership is not something that cannot be taught. If a QB doesn’t have it, it is over.

Drive is also part of leadership. It is that ability for a QB to take his God-given talents, no matter how they have arrived, and conquer any adversity or obstacles that are in the way. Simple. Can you take your team on your back and carry them to the promise land?

That leads us to my next prospect, Northwestern’s QB Ben Bryant.

Background

At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Bryant is a prototypically built QB prospect. He might not be a name you have heard before, but that can change.

Adversity came early in his career.

Coming out of high school, Bryant made it known he had received an offer from Georgia (SBNation). This caused a great deal of adversity, as he was committed to Wisconsin, his dream school. Wisconsin then pulled the offer off the table.

His college career has since taken a few twists and turns.

• 2018 Cincinnati
• 2019 Cincinnati
• 2020 Cincinnati
• 2021 Eastern Michigan
• 2022 Cincinnati
• 2023 Northwestern

What did all that add up to?

711 completions out of 1,106 attempts (64.3%) for 8,212 yards, 50 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

At the end of the day, college playing experience is still college playing experience.

The Yanish Report

Tall, thicker body type. Great effort on getting the mechanics correct. Some glitches in footwork still. No to scrambling and no, he doesn’t match well versus 290-pound linemen. Pocket passer. Good arm strength. Saw some absolute dots get tossed. Can drop dots. Try hard to the extreme. Loves to throw out routes. Over overshoots his receivers at times (glitches in the footwork). Gets erratic at times. Total mature leader. Gunslinger mentality. Poised.

For the win

Coming into the NFL is going to be tough.

This will be especially true with Bryant’s average athletic ability when competing against the quarterback’s room he will find himself in.

Especially with the fact of average athleticism versus so many of the other prospects out there. If a QB is going to get it done from the pocket, they have to put on a show these days.

Bryant is built on football IQ and he can throw some dots.

This spring Bryant has enlisted the help of QB coach Tony Racioppi. This is the person who runs the TEST Academy While there, he trained alongside Tulane 2024 NFL Draft prospects QB Michael Pratt and Northern Illinois’ QB Rocky Lombardi, among others.

I feel (whether it’s on a practice squad or a roster spot) that Bryant can do this. Beyond that you have to wait and see, nothing is guaranteed.

When it comes down to it, I had to give him a fighting chance, and that’s why I put the grade on him that I did.

My BIG three questions

1. If he has his choice of team in free agency, will he pick the best opportunity or the best team?

2. Can he get that little hitch out of his footwork while preparing to throw?

3. Will he play in the UFL if it doesn’t work out initially in the NFL?

My 2024 NFL Draft Value: Seventh-Round

2022 Game film evidence Memphis (Jersey No. 6 playing for Cincinnati)

Arkansas

UCF

SMU

2023 Game film evidence Memphis (Jersey No. 2 playing for Northwestern)

Duke

Minnesota

Illinois

William Yanish III is a lifelong football fan. He’s from the little town of Crawford, Colorado. Along the way, he’s lived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and Brookings, Oregon. Quarterback Joe Montana was his idol growing up. A little bit of CTE from life’s adventures killed his dreams as a football player. Now, he is an aspiring writer and Draft Analyst at FirstRoundMock.com. He’s a fanatic with a dream, which is coming true.