Following a four-year Oregon career that resurrected a sinking program, Justin Herbert officially became the first Duck to be drafted in the Top 10 since 2016 when the Los Angeles Chargers made the Eugene native the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Since Herbert was a sophomore in 2017, the draft-stock watch and anticipation of his potential as a pro prospect have been inescapable. In 2018, after leading the Ducks to a 9-4 season, he spurned a sure-fire opportunity to be selected in the first round of the 2019 Draft. What followed was one of the most memorable seasons in Oregon history, highlighted by a Pac-12 Championship, Rose Bowl victory and No. 5 finish in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
After the season, his MVP performance at the Senior Bowl, combined with excellent showings at the NFL Combine and Oregon’s Pro Day concluded what was a near-perfect pre-draft circuit. A draft stock that was leaning toward the middle-to-late first round on New Year’s Day suddenly jumped firmly into the Top 10.
“You want a guy to lead your franchise to championships,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said to ESPN. “Here’s a guy that came in as a freshman, thrown to the wolves, and took over a 4-8 football team. Three years later, he’s sitting on a conference championship and sits there as a Rose Bowl champion.”
After showing his ability to win at some of the highest levels of college football, the Chargers saw enough to make Herbert the third quarterback off the board, and he’ll surely have the opportunity to compete with Tyrod Taylor for the starting job following the departure of 14-year Charger Philip Rivers.
The Herbert selection at No. 6 won’t come without its fair share of criticism, however — throughout his collegiate career, questions about his footwork, accuracy and leadership have all been raised at various points. His completion percentages of 59.4 and 66.8 in his last two collegiate seasons leave a bit to be desired, and his supposedly introverted personality strays from that of a typical NFL franchise quarterback.
“I do think a comment like that is laughable,” Cristobal said. “I didn’t see any of these people at any of our practices. Certainly didn’t see them on the sideline of any of our football games…When Justin talks, people listen.”
Regardless of perceived shortcomings, Herbert took a struggling program and led it to elite levels just four years later. The Chargers are putting their faith in him to do the same in LA.
