Should he stay or should he go? Todd McShay weighs in on Jake Bentley’s NFL stock
Todd McShay was trying to beat the rush of Clemson fans to the middle of the field when he noticed a South Carolina player pushing for one final snap.
The Tigers had defeated the Gamecocks, 56-35, and McShay, serving as ESPN’s field analyst, was on a quest to find Clemson coach Dabo Swinney for a postgame interview.
“And there’s Jake screaming at the refs to get one more play,” McShay said. “It obviously wouldn’t have decided anything, but it showed his competitiveness. I really respected that.”
Jake Bentley threw for a school-record 510 yards last Saturday, almost single-handedly keeping Carolina within reach of the nation’s No. 2 team. The performance added to the junior’s strong second half to this season, an impressive seven-game stretch (see 20 touchdowns to six interceptions) that’s leaving some to wonder if his college career is nearing its end.
McShay can’t answer if Bentley will return for his senior season or not. He can, though, provide insight on whether declaring early for the NFL Draft is the right move for Bentley.
“I would love to see him come back for one more year,” McShay told The State on Thursday. “He and (Bryan) Edwards and the rest of that group and the defense gets healthy, I just think it would be good for him just as a player, just the maturity and everything else.”
McShay, a longtime draft analyst for ESPN, has a “Day 2 grade” on Bentley, meaning there’s potential for the 6-foot-4, 224-pounder to be taken in the second or third round this April. Some QBs in front of him include Oregon’s Justin Herbert, N.C. State’s Ryan Finley, Missouri’s Drew Lock, Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham and Duke’s Daniel Jones.
“I’m not going to guarantee that he would go there (on day two),” McShay said. “Coming into the year, I think I had him higher than most people. Physically, I don’t think he has any elite qualities, but I don’t see any weaknesses in his game and I think there’s potential to be developed into a good quarterback.
“I think he has a chance to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. If not, a good backup.”
The biggest knock against Bentley is his 1-10 record against ranked opponents. His last two performances in such matchups have produced impressive numbers, however. At No. 19 Florida on Nov. 10, Bentley completed 18 of 28 passes for 239 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His 510 yards in Death Valley came from 32 completions on 50 attempts. He did it against a Clemson defense that could have at least five players taken in the ‘19 draft, including potential first rounders in linemen Clenin Ferrell and Dexter Lawrence.
“It matters, but it’s not necessarily all wins and losses,” McShay said about Bentley’s big game shortcomings. “It’s studying each game and how they’ve played. ... I think prior to this (Clemson) game, you’d want better results in the bigger games. But I think this game helped.
“It also adds to the point of ‘All right, come back next year, build on this momentum, win a couple big games with a team that’s going to continue to get better.’ And I think scouts will start to look at him a little bit differently in terms of how he performs in those big moments.”
South Carolina hosts Alabama in Week 3 of next season.
“Which you love,” McShay said. “Outsiders look at it, ‘Well, he may struggle in that game,’ I can’t wait to watch that tape. Even if they lose. I walk away from that Clemson loss liking him so much more than I liked him before that game.
“So if he battles and competes the way he did and hangs in there and makes the reads and is smart and does all the things he did against Clemson … even if they lose by three touchdowns, it’s a win for him personally.”
McShay also has a Day 2 grade on Edwards, the 6-3, 220-pound junior receiver who could consider an early jump.
“If I were to advise – and I’m honest about this stuff — I think both of them would be better served to come back with each other,” McShay said, “and with a group that’s going to continue to get better. You can’t be less healthy than they are this year. Have success next year and then be in a better position for the 2020 draft.”
In Saturday’s regular-season finale, Bentley passed for 199 yards, three touchdowns, and threw two interceptions. Edwards had five catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.
This story was originally published November 29, 2018 at 2:34 PM.
