Anonymous Scout Prefers Gators QB Kyle Trask Over Trey Lance

While there has been plenty of movement with top quarterback rankings heading into the NFL Draft, Gators quarterback Kyle Trask may be the biggest wildcard, and one anonymous scout might have him ranked higher than expected.

It's anonymous scout season once again, and with less than a week remaining until the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the takes are beginning to scorch the internet like never before.

Gators quarterback Kyle Trask has not been a hot commodity amongst pundits, but perhaps at least one scout feels he has the potential to be something special. Or at the very least better than one quarterback that has been mocked higher than the former Florida signal caller all offseason. 

For 37 years now, The Athletic's Bob McGinn has conducted his NFL Draft Series, which features plenty of personnel directors within the NFL, along with scouts that began to speak with him under anonymity. This has led to plenty of takes that cause confusion, anger and sometimes intrigue.

In his latest series, McGinn ranked the top quarterbacks in the draft, ranking Trask sixth behind Mac Jones (Alabama, 5), Trey Lance (North Dakota State, 4), Justin Fields (Ohio State, 3), Zach Wilson (BYU, 2) and Trevor Lawrence (Clemson, 1). While it is unexpected, at least one scout has Trask ranked above Lance.

“Nobody’s talking about him,” one scout told McGinn. “I’d take him over Lance. He’s a big, strong, tough kid. He’ll step up, and he can throw it. He’s got good enough arm strength. Second round.”

Liking a player like Trask over Lance is unheard of within the draft community, mostly due to the physical traits that Lance has shown in his games played while at North Dakota State and, of course, his upside. The scout's opinion that Trask could be selected in the second round makes sense, however.

Trask has shown an ability to perform admirably within a system, effectively managing the game, but he has not shown an ability to transcend his team to greater heights on a consistent basis.

In his career at Florida, Trask completed 552 out of 813 (68.9%) of his passes for 7,386 yards, 69 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Last season, Trask was one of the best quarterbacks in college football, becoming a Heisman finalist while leading the Gators to an SEC Championship bid.

While other scouts weren't as high on Trask as the one mentioned previously, the opinions of NFL teams will likely be just as varied. He has been compared to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, too, according to at least one scout McGinn spoke with and plenty of other observers, too.

At 6-foot-5, 236 pounds, Trask has a large frame to take on hits, and the traits to stand in a pocket, making the throws needed to be made for an offense to succeed. The comparisons to Roethlisberger end there, however. The Steelers quarterback, and future Hall of Famer, has better speed, a bigger arm, and other traits that set him apart.

While Trask is not the most highly sought-after quarterback in this year's draft, whatever team that does end up selecting him could be pleasantly surprised by what he provides to a quarterback room, and could end up becoming a starter down the line.