Jarrett Stidham will enjoy a surprising amount of success in the NFL if he meets his college-football coach’s expectations.
Gus Malzahn, Auburn University’s head coach, dubbed the former Tigers quarterback as the “steal” of the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday after the New England Patriots selected his former player with one of their fourth-round picks. Malzahn used Twitter to talk up Stidham’s pro-football prospects.
The @Patriots just got the steal of the draft! @Jarrett_Stidham will be successful in the @NFL for a long time. Congrats, Jarrett!#WarEagle AUNextLevel#NFLDraft https://t.co/jHxcOFfvJd
— Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) April 27, 2019
Many projected Stidham to be a future first-round pick after his stellar 2017 season, but he regressed in 2018, causing his draft stock to plummet.
The Patriots nabbed Stidham with the 133rd overall selection, and he’ll probably begin his NFL career fourth on New England’s depth chart, behind Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer and Danny Etling.
However, if Stidham proves to be as good as Malzahn believes he’ll be, the Patriots should reap the rewards for years to come.
