Bailey Zappe: Scouting Report. Everything You Need To Know

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CARSON STRONG	MALIK WILLIS	KENNY PICKETT
MATT CORRAL	DESMOND RIDDER	SAM HOWELL

• Height: 6-1 ft
• Weight: 220 lbs
• College: Western Kentucky
• Year: Senior (Graduate)
• Position: Quarterback

Games Watched: UT Martin (2021), UTSA (2021), Middle Tennessee State (2021), App State (2021)

STRENGTHS

• Very accurate at all levels of the field
• Able to fit the ball into very tight windows, up to 20 yards downfield
• Is able to throw the ball with lots of touch and lots of lob
• Good runner
• Can generate big plays with only his arm, without needing many yards after catch (not screen-reliant)
• Good at reading coverages and sensing blitzes shown to him, before the snap
• Was made to pass the ball a lot in college, so an NFL QB workload will not be too foreign to him
• Good height and weight for an NFL QB
• Put up incredible numbers in college, almost video game like

WEAKNESSES

• Looks extremely uneasy under pressure, a bad trait to carry with you to the pros
• Faced a low level of competition in college
• He has had only really one good season in college
• Doesn’t put good velocity on his passes
• Does not have good arm strength, cannot make every pass that an NFL offense could ask him to make
• His offense in college was an air-raid based scheme, something you don’t see very regularly in the NFL. So may take time to adjust

Projected role in the NFL: 

I don’t think he will be a starting QB his first season. His inexperience at a high level and his bad traits will probably turn a team off starting him in his rookie campaign. That being said, I could see him starting in year two or three. After having learnt the ropes from a veteran QB. But if it comes down to it, he would make a very competent backup, if that is what his role ends up being.

Best team fit(s): 

He could end up going to the Seahawks in the second or the third round. As Russell Wilson could be playing his last few years in the Pacific Northwest. The Vikings is another place where Bailey Zappe could end up. As Minnesota could be looking to move on Kirk Cousins in a few years. Finally, the Titans could be a place where he could end up being drafted as Tannehill is getting up in age, and so he could end up replacing Tannehill in the next few seasons.

Pro comparison: 

Bailey Zappe’s physical profile is very similar to that of someone like Geno Smith or Andy Dalton, and I think he could have a similar career to both of them. Dalton was a sure-fire starter for almost a decade, and I think it is unlikely that Zappe is a starter for that long, but Geno Smith was a starter for about 3 years before being a backup around the league, and a serviceable backup at that. Zappe’s accuracy could warrant a starting role, but he will likely end up having a career as a borderline starter in the league, like Teddy Bridgewater.

Grading scale: 95+ Generational | 90-94, Early 1st Round | 85-90, Mid/Late 1st Round | 80-84, 2nd Round | 75-79, 3rd Round | 70-74, 4th Round | 65-69, 5/6th Round | 60-64 6/7th Round | <60, Undrafted Free Agents

Grade and Draft Value: 

82/100 – I have him as my 7^th best QB and he just misses out on my top 50 big board. I think he could be a late 2^nd round to late 3^rd round pick, depending on how the draft falls.

SUMMARY

His arm and accuracy could lead him to be thrusted into a starting role in his rookie season, but that is quite unlikely. Due to the fact that this is a quite weak QB class and the fact that a lot of the QBs are extremely inconsistent and extremely similar, we could see a team taking a shot on him as one of the first 5 QBs taken, maybe even in the 2^nd round.

How good of a prospect is Bailey Zappe? Let us know over on Twitter @NinetynineYards and @muffinmeep1

WRITTEN BY SHAUNAK HARIT

Feature Image Credit: WKU Athletics

Video Credit: Jackson Mock on YouTube