POSITIVES

In a pickup game of football, Jacoby Brissett would be one of the first selections. He's a big, strong, athletic quarterback with the arm strength to impress in shorts. He can move around to find rushing lanes, evade the rush with his feet and is a high-character, high-intelligence quarterback with two seasons of starts under his belt after transferring from Florida.

Brissett is a good athlete with the foot quickness and agility to get in and out of the pocket. He moves well on rollouts and has the power to be effective in short-yardage situations. In an offense that utilizes his running skills, Brissett could have a nice impact around the goal line.

When asked to drive the ball through traffic or down the field, Brissett is able to generate power from his legs and core. His arm strength is sufficient to reach every level of the field without losing velocity. He trusts his ability to thread the needle and shows the touch to lead receivers into space on underneath routes.

A credit to the North Carolina State offense is that Brissett was asked to make reads from within the pocket. He did well, throwing just six interceptions in 2015 and showing he understands underneath and deep coverages. Brissett anticipates openings and doesn't rely on receivers to get open before unloading the ball to them. That's a skill that translates to the NFL very well.

NEGATIVES

Brissett's production for the Wolfpack was wildly inconsistent. He flashed potential with big throws and nice runs but could fall apart on the next series. He's a hot-and-cold player.

Mechanically, a team will try to fix Brissett's tomahawk throwing motion. He has to also learn to step into throws instead of living off his back foot—especially when pressured. Those off-balance throws with defenders at his feet lead to incompletions in college and interceptions in the pros.

A good quarterback can get away with some back-foot throws, but Brissett loves them, though he's not talented enough for them. His first throw against Mississippi State was an off-balance attempt on a broken play that went right to a defender for an interception. Brissett has to find the happy medium between gunslinger and protector.

Brissett took a beating in 2015 as N.C. State executed rollouts and half-rolls at a high level. His toughness should be praised, but he has to learn to protect his body better by getting rid of the ball faster and limiting the hits he takes as a runner.

Brissett doesn't show awareness on the field at the level of a Jared Goff or Carson Wentz. Many times in 2015, he was beat before the snap on blitzes and coverage swaps. He needs time to learn how to be a quarterback who makes reads pre-snap.

Overall, Brissett's accuracy is average. He shows good touch on certain routes (slants, outs, comebacks) but struggled to connect on vertical routes and when there was any kind of safety help over the top. Brissett's ability to make plays often overshadows missed opportunities that come because he doesn't read the entire field or get through his progressions to find mismatches.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 231 lbs.

40 Time: 4.94s

Hand Size: 9¾"

3-Cone: 7.17s

PRO COMPARISON: EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills
FINAL GRADE: 5.70/9.00 (Round 5—Backup Caliber)