Jack Plummer, QB Cal: 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Plummer was a three-star recruit from Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Ariz. in the class of 2018
Cal quarterback Jack Plummer is on pace to set single-season career highs across the board during his first season with the Golden Bears. The former three-star recruit will have an opportunity to explore his stock in the 2023 NFL Draft after the college football season ends.
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Jack Plummer, QB Cal: 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Redshirt senior quarterback from Gilbert, Ariz.
Background: Plummer was a three-star recruit from Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Ariz. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 556 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 565 for On3.com. Plummer was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. He was an unranked four-star recruit for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100. For his high school career, Plummer completed 515 of 888 throws for 6,913 yards, 69 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions across 30 games. He also rushed for 572 yards and nine touchdowns on 250 carries. As a high school senior, Plummer completed 58.8% of his passes for 2,822 yards, 35 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in ten games. He had five 300-yard passing games and also rushed for 404 yards and seven touchdowns. As a junior, Plummer completed 191 of 348 pass attempts for 2,745 yards, 18 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Plummer played varsity basketball as a junior. He earned Honorable Mention All-USA Arizona High School Team honors in 2017. Plummer transferred from Purdue to Cal ahead of the 2022 season. He was born on Oct. 21, 1999.
2021 Production: 10 games, 127 attempts, 87 completions, 864 yards, 7 touchdowns
2020 Production: 3 games, 124 attempts, 88 completions, 938 yards, 8 touchdowns, 2 interceptions + 1 rushing touchdown
2019 Production: 7 games, 241 attempts, 144 completions, 1,603 yards, 11 touchdowns, 8 interceptions
2018 Production: (Redshirt Year)
Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a broken ankle in 2019, exited 2022 game against Washington State with a leg injury
Awards: 2019 Academic All-Big Ten, 2020 Academic All-Big Ten
Pros: Rarely responsible for penalties, time to throw meets NFL parameters, keeps his eyes downfield when navigating the pocket, connected on a 50-yard throw against Minnesota (2020), applies touch at all levels of the field, appears comfortable and in command of the pocket, paints the corner of the end zone on fade routes, pocket awareness is a plus, decent speed in space
Cons: Tall and lean, elongated and looping throwing motion, throws outside the numbers need to arrive with more speed and velocity, throws looping outside passes instead of driving them with velocity, sometimes fades away on throws when not being pressured, some untapped throwing power because of lower body mechanics, some false steps and unnecessary hops in his drop back, ball placement on short throws is erratic (often too high but sometimes too low), lots of half-field reads, doesn’t fit throws into tight windows, believes he’s more mobile than he actually is, doesn’t consistently play to the receiver’s leverage, doesn’t always throw from a good base, uncomfortable number of completely inaccurate passes
Overview: Plummer is unofficially listed at 6'5", 215 lbs. The Arizona native possesses a strong command of the pocket, knowing when to step up and when to throw the ball away. He keeps his eyes downfield while navigating the pocket, including when he breaks out for extended plays. Plummer throws soft passes with touch to all levels of the field. These touch passes are especially effective when he’s throwing to the corner of the end zone as he’s able to drop the ball in between the defender and the end line/sideline. Plummer possesses decent speed in space that has led to multiple runs of more than ten yards. The fifth-year quarterback is tall and lean. His long arms create an elongated and looping throwing motion that gives defenders time to react to his movements. Plummer doesn’t drive balls into tight windows. Instead, he throws looping passes, which don’t arrive at targets along the sideline with enough speed or velocity. His looping downfield throws limit his ability to access receivers beyond 50 yards. Plummer frequently throws from a poor base or fades away despite not being pressured. There are some false steps and unnecessary hops in his drop back. Plummer’s ball placement is erratic. He often fires throws too high for receivers, which can lead to interceptions. Plummer doesn’t consistently play to the receiver’s leverage and has an uncomfortably high number of inaccurate passes. He has some open field speed but lacks the mobility in tight spaces to consistently escape pressure and create with his legs. Plummer has benefited from a heavy dose of half-field reads in college, but he’s starting to progress through more full-field reads at Cal. There’s some untapped potential in his arm because his lower body mechanics don’t allow him to throw at full power.
Overall, Plummer displays a strong command of the pocket and good touch at all levels, but he’s an inaccurate quarterback who lacks the arm talent to drive throws to the sideline. Fixing his lower body mechanics will help the redshirt senior’s velocity and throw power, but his ball placement and accuracy are major areas of concern.
Role & Scheme Fit: Pocket passer in a spread offensive scheme
Round Projection: UDFA
Player Comparison: N/A
Submitted: 10-07-22