Anthony Gordon, Washington State
The Houston Texans aren’t looking for their next starting quarterback, but why not take a chance on a young prospect to see if they can build him into a solid player who one day could either be the top backup on the roster or even make available for trade with a better selection for the future.
That player who has a sixth-round grade who could fall to the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft is Anthony Gordon of Washington State. Gordon could easily be a player the Texans put on a practice squad and teach him the fundamentals of what it takes being an NFL quarterback and not rush any of his progression. Gordon is 6’2 and 205 pounds, and he’s no stranger to throwing the football at all times as his head coach at Washington State was Mike Leach.
Again, a player like Gordon means the Texans would have to take their time in grooming him to the level of an NFL quarterback, but being a seventh-round choice, the rewards of finding a good quarterback in the final round can outweigh the risk involved at this point.
Gordon is described by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com as a player who “throws with a consistent touch” and a player who is “willing to sit down in pocket and work on his progression.” When watching highlight packages of Gordon, those sentiments ring true because the Washington State quarterback does have a nice touch from the pocket when throwing the football.
In one full season as a starter, Gordon’s numbers were off the charts under Leach — a former Texas Tech head coach — as Gordon had 493 completions, 689 attempts, completed 71.6 percent of his passes and passed for 5,579 yards. The quarterback also collected 48 touchdowns, 16 interceptions and his longest pass went for 65 yards against UCLA on Sept. 21, 2019. Gordon also showed he can take a hit as he was sacked 20 times, including five times against Washington.
In his final collegiate game, Gordon played in the Cheez-It Bowl, where he was 28-of-42 for 351 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Selecting Gordon in the final round could make the Houston Texans look smart if they can improve his mechanics at the NFL level, eventually giving them another option at the backup quarterback spot.