Former NFL Scout Impressed With Wildcats’ QB Noah Fifita

Arizona quarterback (QB) Noah Fifita jumped out at me on his 2023 game film.

It wasn’t only the fact that five of his seven victories last season came against top 25 ranked teams, but it was the fact that how his skill set translates to what succeeds in the NFL.

I know how it works with the worn-out scouting boxes where prospects need to be a certain height and weight and Fifita does not check the height box. He’s listed on ESPN as 5-foot-11 and his school website as 5-foot-10, but we will not know how accurate any of that is until official pre-draft measurements.

Regardless, he is a playmaker and a winner, which trumps those scouting boxes I don’t subscribe to anyway. I go by the game film. I watch these prospects through what I call, “NFL Colored Glasses,” meaning I look for the traits that translate to success at the next level.

He’s a sparkplug type who reminds me of former NFL, CFL, and USFL QB Doug Flutie out of Boston College.

Time to throw

Fifita gets the ball out of his hand fast.

He checked in with a time to throw at an average of 2.55 seconds (Pro Football Focus), and that’s what it looked like on film. He sets up and fires. Incredibly, that number dwindled to 2.40 seconds when blitzed and 2.23 seconds from a clean pocket.

One of the biggest differences between college football and the NFL is the game at the next level is dramatically faster. This being said, how quickly Fifita mentally processes the game will serve him well going forward. While it’s an apple-to-oranges comparison (college to the NFL), this is how Fifita stacks up against NFL starting quarterbacks who get the ball out of their hands the quickest.

Purdy trait

Time and time again I noticed on film how Fifita uniquely moves, shifts, and positions perpendicularly into throwing lanes before releasing.

This reminded me of when I studied 49ers’ QB Brock Purdy last season and the advantage that gives him.

It’s probably necessary because of Fifita’s height, but he does it well and highly effectively. By doing this, it creates clean non-traditional throwing lanes and it helps him to better control his throwing lanes.

Fifita completed 72.4% of his passes in 2023.

What’s holding him back?

• Ball security issues
• Below-average deep passing game

Ball security is a biggie in the NFL ⎯which is the ability to keep the ball out of harm’s way when throwing downfield. Outside of his six interceptions on the season, I charted another 20 passes that were broken up (2.22 average per game). In six/nine games he threw a “what were you thinking pass.”

When it comes to the deep ball ⎯on 32 deep attempts I charted, he connected on 11 (34.3%).

Despite the positives, those two traits along with his height project him to be an NFL backup.

#11 Noah Fifita 5-foot-11, 194 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Summer Grade: Third-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of July 5, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 game film evaluated: UCLA, Utah, Washington, USC, Washington State, Oklahoma, ASU, Colorado, and Oregon State

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Instinctual and poised prospect. Generates excitement. Good feel for the position. Decisive and quick movements in the pocket. Intent on leading his team downfield. Excellent downfield focus. Best in the short-to-intermediate range (0-19 yards). Fast-paced attack. Fancy ball handling. Blitz beater. Athletic enough to bail out of pressure. Not dependent on footwork to complete passes. Inconsistent progressions. Tends to lock in and pat the ball pre-delivery. Thrives making off-platform throws. Throws from different arm angles. Subject to batted balls at the line of scrimmage. Has the arm strength to fit it into small throwing windows at the intermediate route level. Isn’t afraid to throw into tight man coverage. Impressive placement on completions. Some throws can get out of control. Becomes too fixated on certain receivers. More quick than fast as a runner. Not a runner by trade. Punted once.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season

1. Consistently going through progressions?

2. Deep accuracy?

3. Spreading the ball around to various targets?

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), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.