- Dillion Gabriel has as good of a shot as anyone to be this draft class’ Brock Purdy: Gabriel’s ability to perform well at different schools, in different schemes and for different coaches during his college career shows a prospect that can adapt quickly to his environment and succeed.
- Cam Miller may come from a small school, but he has performed well in big moments: His legacy of production and team success at North Dakota State is rare for a quarterback prospect, as he finished with a 45-11 record(with two of those losses coming against FBS teams), including 15-3 in the FCS playoffs while winning two national championships.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Every NFL team would love to find an above-average starting quarterback on Day 3 of the NFL draft, but history shows that is a rare occurrence. When seventh-round pick Brock Purdy emerged as a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, that allowed the team to spend money elsewhere on the roster for years, which is extremely valuable due to the limitations of the salary cap.
Purdy had a solid and productive career at Iowa State but wasn’t considered a top prospect by NFL teams. He was a four-year starter and in his last three seasons at Iowa State, he recorded 79.8, 78.9 and 79.3 PFF overall grades. At the combine, Purdy didn’t wow with his measurables or testing, as he was just shy of 6-foot-1, weighed 212 pounds and ran a 4.84-second 40-yard dash. Purdy’s best traits as a quarterback prospect were that he was a smart and experienced leader, and the 49ers have reaped the benefits of that experience as he quickly adjusted to the NFL game.
NFL Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells used to have requirements that he wanted to see in a draftable quarterback prospect. Parcells wanted a quarterback that was a proven experienced leader at the position. Some of the Parcells quarterback requirements were:
- A three-year starter
- Senior
- Started 30 games
- Won 23 games
- A 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio
- Completed 60% of his passes
Brock Purdy checked all of these boxes as a prospect, as he started 46 games and posted a 29-17 record. Purdy had a 67.3% career completion percentage at Iowa State with a big jump his senior year when he completed 71.4% of his passes, but he only had a 7.5-yard average depth of target. Purdy threw 81 touchdowns and 33 interceptions with 65 big-time throws and 61 turnover-worthy plays during his time at Iowa State.
In order to find similar players to Purdy, the Bill Parcells quarterback criteria will be used as a filter to see what prospects fit the bill (no pun intended). While we at PFF don’t usually put much emphasis on a quarterback’s number of starts, or the win-loss record of the team he played on as defining features of the prospect, Parcells’ criteria are being used in this article to sort through the draft class and find players with similar college careers to Brock Purdy. Additionally, to show growth at the position, the quarterbacks will need to have a 78.0 overall PFF grade or higher during their last two seasons as a starter, like Purdy.
Using these criteria a few quarterbacks start to emerge in the draft class. I’m not claiming that any of these prospects are going to be as productive as Brock Purdy at the NFL level but that their college production, experience and history of winning stand out in a similar manner.
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Dillon Gabriel has more starting experience than any quarterback prospect ever as his 63 career starts are the most in NCAA history. Gabriel’s record in games he started was 46-17. In Gabriel’s last three seasons as a starter, he posted 87.0, 91.9 and 87.0 PFF overall grades, respectively. Gabriel’s career completion percentage was 65% while he recorded a 10-yard career average depth of target. Gabriel had a record-breaking 155 career touchdown passes against 32 interceptions and 118 big-time throws to go along with 47 turnover-worthy plays. The biggest knock on Gabriel as a prospect is his lack of size, as he measured in at 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds at the Senior Bowl. However, Gabriel’s ability to perform well at different schools, in different schemes and for different coaches during his college career shows a prospect that can adapt quickly to his environment and succeed.
Cam Miller, North Dakota State
Miller started 56 games during his stellar career at North Dakota State. Miller’s record in those games was 45-11 (with two of those losses coming against FBS teams), including 15-3 in the FCS playoffs while winning two national championships. Miller is a smart player who takes care of the ball, as he had 81 career touchdown passes and only 19 interceptions, 73 big-time throws and 35 turnover-worthy plays. Miller completed 69.1% of his career passes and an impressive 72.9% of his passes in 2024 with a 10.1-yard average depth of target.
Miller recorded very impressive PFF grades in his last two seasons with 93.9 in 2023 and 91.9 in 2024. He also provides added value as a runner. In 2023, Miller posted 723 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns and a 72.4 PFF rushing grade. In 2024, he recorded 734 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns and a 77.8 rushing grade. Miller only measured in at 6-foot and 207 pounds at the East-West Shrine game, but his legacy of production and team success at North Dakota State is rare for a quarterback prospect.
Seth Henigan, Memphis
Henigan started 50 games during his career at Memphis, as the team finished with a 34-16 record. He has a 64% career completion percentage with a 9.3-yard average depth of target. Henigan put up impressive touchdown-to-interception performances all four years he played at Memphis, totaling 104 touchdowns and 31 interceptions with 101 big-time throws and 59 turnover-worthy plays.
In 2024, Henigan’s PFF grade was 81.7. It was 81.4 in 2023 and 90.5 in 2022, so Henigan has three straight seasons of really good performances. At the Senior Bowl, Henigan measured in at 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, so he is bigger than the other players mentioned. Unfortunately, Henigan had hands that were only 8-7/8 inches so concerns about his hand size should push him down draft boards.
Brady Cook, Missouri
Cook’s career stands out among this group because his starts came in the ultra-competitive SEC. Over the last two seasons, he has earned 84.4 and 80.4 PFF grades in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Cook started 39 games at Missouri with the team finishing 26-13 in those starts. Cook has a 65% career completion percentage with a 9-yard average depth of target. Cook recorded 49 touchdown passes compared to just 15 interceptions and 55 big-time throws to 34 turnover-worthy plays. Cook is only 6-foot-1 and 209 pounds, but he has shown to be an effective runner, as he was used on designed runs in the low red zone at Missouri. His athleticism should help him as he tries to adapt to the NFL.