Nebraska’s QB Jeff Sims NFL Wild Card

Nebraska transfer quarterback (QB) Jeff Sims has all the tools, but there’s one thing holding him back from greatness.

Himself.

Even his former Coach at Georgia Tech Geoff Collins said it (according to a television announcer) urging Sims not to be afraid to be great and to take chances as a runner and as a passer.

It’s certainly not arm talent that’s holding him back that’s for sure…

With a flick of the wrist Sims drives the ball effortlessly into the intermediate and deep levels of the field.

✔️ Size

✔️ Athleticism

Lack of confidence

Sims has it all…

…except confidence.

This is what it keeps circling back to when it comes to Sims.

The lack of confidence was written all over his face and his body language in 2022 against Clemson, Ole Miss, Pitt, and Virginia.

The results spoke for themselves.

A charted eight times he held the ball too long and got hit when he was throwing, which ended up being incomplete passes at best and putting the ball up for grabs at worse.

Another telltale sign of his lack of confidence in these games was he showed a strong tendency to fold like a tent under pressure, and he gave himself up both in the pocket and when running way too easily.

However, he looked different against Duke, much different…

He was running the ball with determination and he looked different in the eyes and body language.

For that one game, he looked much more confident.

However, then the following week he reverted back to looking like he lacked confidence again while taking on Virginia (last game with Georgia Tech), which was not a good sign.

Wildcard

Now we need to see what Sims looks like at Nebraska and what former NFL Head Coach and current Cornhuskers’ Head Coach Matt Rhule can do to get Sims to believe in himself.

It’s interesting Rhule gets another big coaching job after things not working out with the Panthers due to shoddy QB play, and the first thing he does is goes and gets Sims.

Hanging your hat on a QB with shaky confidence is a risky proposition.

However, not only does Rhule get Sims, but he offers some really big words about his newfound signal caller.

“I fell in love with Jeff just as a player early on,” Rhule said in the Lincoln Journal Star. “He’s dynamic, he’s athletic, he’s smart, he’s big. He’s got accuracy, he can throw from the pocket. So when he became available — when he went into the transfer portal — I was already sold on him. I even had people in the NFL say, ‘Hey, you need to go get this guy.’ Everyone recognizes he’s an NFL talent.”

Can Rhule talking Sims up give him the kind of confidence he needs to finally believe in himself and put it altogether?

The 2023 season will answer that question.

#14 Jeff Sims 6-foot-4, 219 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Spring 2023 Grade: Seventh-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

Projected by 0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of June 4, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2022 game film reviewed (Jersey No. 10 Georgia Tech) Clemson, Ole Miss, Pitt, Duke, and Virginia (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2022 stats: 110/188 (58.5%), 1115 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT, 19 sacks, long-59

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Raw dual threat with a muscular athletic frame who looks the part. Tends to have sluggish body language. Sets up with good initial ball handling. Poor pocket awareness. Inconsistent progressions, but has smooth throwing mechanics and good placement occasionally. Inconsistent release times. Best throwing inside the numbers (slants) while not under pressure. Flashes some NFL-type throws. Struggles with placement outside the numbers. Plays it close to the vest. Below average ball security (14x defenders disrupted passes). Decent, but often a timid runner with some shake and bake.

What to watch for during the 2023 college football season

1. Does he look confident consistently?

2. Holding the ball too long?

3. Ball security?

4. Passes outside the numbers accurate?

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.