Clayton Tune, QB Houston: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Tune was a three-star recruit from Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas in the class of 2018

Houston quarterback Clayton Tune is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in recent American Athletic Conference history, but he still faces an uphill battle in his final collegiate season before entering the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Clayton Tune, QB Houston: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Fifth-year senior quarterback from Carrollton, Texas

Background: Tune was a three-star recruit from Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas in the class of 2018. He was the No. 827 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 800 for On3.com. Tune was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. He was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 78 grade out of 100. Tune graduated from high school with 6,686 passing yards and 66 passing touchdowns and 1,074 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. As a high school senior, he completed 181 of 270 pass attempts for 2,416 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for 368 yards and nine scores. Tune produced 2,445 passing yards and 22 touchdowns with 512 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns as a junior. He totaled 1,825 passing yards and 21 touchdowns with 194 rushing yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore. Tune originally committed to Kansas before switching to Houston.

2021 Production: 14 games, 420 attempts, 287 completions, 3,544 yards, 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions + 105 carries, 154 yards, 2 touchdowns

2020 Production: 8 games, 285 attempts, 170 completions, 2,048 yards, 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions + 72 carries, 253 yards + 5 touchdowns

2019 Production: 7 games, 179 attempts, 106 completions, 1,533 yards, 11 touchdowns, 9 interceptions + 66 carries, 244 yards, 2 touchdowns

2018 Production: 5 games, 117 attempts, 59 completions, 795 yards, 8 touchdowns, 2 interceptions + 1 rushing touchdown

Injuries & Off-Field: Played through a torn hamstring in 2021

Awards: N/A

Pros: Puts touch on deep throws, quick and fairly clean release, has enough mobility to extend plays, comfortable and accurate making throws on the run, drops the ball in a bucket downfield, knows when to put touch on short to intermediate throws, doesn’t become flat-footed in the pocket, showed toughness by playing through a hamstring injury in 2021, frequently gives his targets opportunities for YAC, launched a 50-yard pass against UTSA (2022), improved his process of working through progressions from 2021 to 2022

Cons: Time to throw exceeds three seconds, penalized four times in 2021, has decent speed but not enough to threaten NFL defenses on designed runs, ducks his head and scrambles into pressure, base gets too wide at times, throws to areas more than throwing with pinpoint accuracy, lacks the arm strength to make all the throws downfield, throws to receivers outside the numbers don’t arrive quickly, stares down targets, too quick to panic in the pocket and stop looking downfield, challenges double coverage too often, doesn’t have the arm strength to consistently challenge small windows, some throws behind his targets on short routes, ball placement is inconsistent, age

Overview: Tune is unofficially listed at 6'3", 220 lbs. Tune is a gutsy quarterback who is well respected for his leadership at Houston. This is his third season serving as a captain for the Cougars. He played through a torn hamstring in 2021, leading Houston to a 12-2 record. Tune puts touch on his throws at all three levels and often gives his pass catchers opportunities for yards after the catch. He has enough mobility to extend plays and can punish defenses with his legs if left alone in space. Tune is comfortable and accurate throwing on the run and has a quick release. He avoids becoming flat-footed in the pocket but isn’t up on his toes either. Tune improved his process of working through progressions over the past few years, but he stills has a bad habit of staring down his preferred target. The Texas native has good speed but not enough to threaten NFL defenses on designed runs. Tune’s base becomes too wide in the pocket, and his footwork is inconsistent. He drops his head in the pocket too soon and looks to scramble even when he has more time. This tendency to bail early impacts Tune’s pocket presence and leads to him scrambling into pressure. While he launched a 50-yard pass against UTSA (2022) that drew a defensive pass interference call, Tune doesn’t have ideal arm strength and velocity. He struggles to unlock the deep third of the field and doesn’t regularly fire throws into small windows along the sideline. Tune’s ball placement is inconsistent as he appears to throw to general spaces rather than pinpoint targets. At his age, teams will wonder if there’s any meat left on the bone for the fifth-year senior.

Overall, Tune is a veteran college quarterback who plays with great touch and has a clean release, but he lacks the arm talent to hit every throw and his pocket awareness is shaky. The fifth-year quarterback projects as an undrafted free agent who could catch on as a member of a practice squad.

Role & Scheme Fit: Pocket passer in a spread offensive scheme

Round Projection: UDFA

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 10-04-22