Justin Herbert 2021 outlook: Flashes from Chargers QB’s rookie 12 months and what he should do to take the subsequent step

An obscure harm to Tyrod Taylor prompted the beginning of Justin Herbert’s NFL profession, then the No. 6 total choose in final 12 months’s draft went berserk on secondaries throughout the league en path to successful the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Yr award. 

Herbert’s colossal arm and misleading improvisational ability allowed him to flourish behind a shoddy offensive line, and he rose the extent of play of some backside of the roster receivers behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in what turned a powerful candidate for the best season we have ever seen from a rookie quarterback. 

With the destiny of the Chargers firmly in Herbert’s arms, let’s discover all the things about his surroundings in Los Angeles and pinpoint what he must do to take the subsequent step as a quarterback. 

How Herbert has improved since he was a prospect

These optimistic developments in a quarterback’s sport are noteworthy as a result of they point out the distinct risk of future development.

I used to be larger on Herbert than most. Whereas he was my QB3, I had him because the No. 9 total prospect within the 2020 class. Here is what I wrote about Herbert earlier than the draft, straight from my scouting pocket book. 

Tall, plus athlete with a rocket for an arm. Will not be one of many strongest arms within the NFL however within the tier just under that. Couple of wow throws every sport. Affected person contained in the pocket however will run when he must and is efficient in doing so due to his smoothness and lengthy strides. Full-field reader. Routinely will get via his progressions however not tremendous constant doing so. Pocket drifting is sweet. Will be affected person there too. Throw-on-run capability is hit and miss. Both or dime or a noticeable miss. Downfield placement is strong too, as is his accuracy to brief/intermediate parts of the sphere. Sometimes locks on to his first goal for too lengthy, which results in hits in pocket or passes getting tipped/picked. Not a refined contact thrower via the degrees of the protection.

Whereas a lot of that write-up confirmed itself on the sphere in 2020, Herbert was higher towards strain as a rookie within the NFL than I anticipated. In these conditions, Herbert completed with the fourth-highest yards-per-attempt common (7.6) and the very best passer ranking (99.4) within the NFL. Large-time throws whereas going through an oncoming defender weren’t completely uncommon at Oregon however his ultimate season with the Geese did not point out he’d be that spectacular in strain conditions. 

Supporting forged

Herbert illustrated what it means for a quarterback to raise these round him in his spectacular rookie season. Second-year undrafted free agent Jalen Guyton averaged greater than 18 yards per seize on 28 catches with three touchdowns, together with a 72-yarder. One other undrafted free agent from the category of 2019, Tyron Johnson, averaged almost 20 yards per reception with three extra scores on 20 grabs. 

Williams was quietly productive as traditional. Almost 16 yards per snag with 5 scores. 

Then there’s Allen, who did set a profession low in yards per catch (9.9) however did have 100 grabs and eight scores in 14 video games. 

The Chargers picked well-rounded however underrated Tennessee wideout Josh Palmer in Spherical 3. I had a second-round grade on him. Hunter Henry was misplaced in free company. Cross-catching specialist Jared Prepare dinner was signed to exchange him. Altogether, Los Angeles’ group has a star in Allen and a effective assortment of depth behind him. And, Austin Ekeler is without doubt one of the league’s most harmful receiving backs. 

Up entrance, the Chargers proved they had been fully conscious of how important it’s to improve the blocking in entrance of Herbert after the rookie was pressured on 36.6% of his drop backs in 2020, the Twelfth-highest price amongst 39 quarterback qualifiers. 

Kevlar heart Corey Linsley was a high precedence in free company. Matt Feiler was added to lock down the fitting guard place subsequent to Bryan Bulaga. Then the actually huge one — left sort out Rashawn Slater within the first spherical at No. 13 total. He brings a spectacular mix of energy, steadiness, and approach to the place. 

Los Angeles is distinctly extra formidable within the trenches for Herbert’s Yr 2. 

Scheme

After starting his NFL profession with then first-time full-time offensive coordinator Steve Steichen, Herbert now will get Joe Lombardi, who known as performs with the Lions in 2014 and 2015 and has in any other case been part of Sean Payton’s employees with the Saints. Offensive coordinator stability is important for a younger quarterback, however making that change does not mechanically catalyze a dip in quarterback effectiveness. 

New Orleans’ offense has been predicated on being unfold, pass-happy, and often using fast throws. Nonetheless, a lot of Payton’s scheme was doubtless tailor-made to the strengths and weaknesses of Drew Brees’ sport, and we all know Herbert has a a lot stronger, extra reside arm than the retired, all-time nice passer. Anticipate an enormous 12 months from Ekeler within the display sport, after the best way the Saints utilized their backs as pass-catchers over the previous decade-plus.

Enhancing his weaknesses

It isn’t a lot about blatant weaknesses Herbert demonstrated in 2020. As a result of discovering flaws in his dazzling debut NFL season may be very difficult. The Chargers had the league’s seventh-best Soccer Outsiders’ passing DVOA with Herbert operating the present. 

It is extra about bracing for what historical past has proven can be a possible regression towards strain, the place he flourished as a rookie. Because of a current Professional Soccer Focus examine wherein their expansive play-by-play database was mined, we all know play underneath strain is far more unstable 12 months over 12 months than clean-pocket play. The latter is extra predictive. 

And Herbert had the strongest case for the league’s finest under-pressure quarterback as a rookie, a effective feat. However when there was no strain, the previous Oregon star was under common, consider it or not. His yards-per-attempt common (7.1) was far under the NFL common of seven.7. His landing price and passer ranking had been under common, and his interception share was a tick above common in these conditions. 

In brief, Herbert must take the subsequent step when the Chargers’ improved offensive line protects him nicely. Easy as that. As a result of there is a good likelihood he will not be as ridiculous in strain conditions in 2021. 

Strengthening his strengths

Herbert’s immense arm expertise is a key part to how superior he performed whereas pressured final season. And whereas it is considerably unlikely that we see a 99.4 quarterback ranking once more, that isn’t to say we should always count on Herbert to be atrocious underneath strain in his second NFL season. 

This part must be devoted to Herbert limiting how a lot he regresses from his stellar under-pressure work as a rookie. That might be equal to him “strengthening his strengths” from a season in the past. If he can maintain some semblance of his play underneath strain to remain within the, say, high 10 vary throughout the board in these conditions, the Chargers can be extraordinarily tough to cease offensively, particularly given how they addressed clear weaknesses on the roster. 

Season outlook 

Herbert is so naturally, overwhelmingly proficient that I consider he can face up to the anticipated regression in his under-pressure efficiency in his second season. I am not able to predict him taking part in as nicely in these conditions as he did as a rookie, however he will not fall sufferer to an enormous dip in manufacturing. 

And I consider he is able to take a transparent step in clean-pocket conditions, which can be far more frequent in 2021 than they had been final season. It’s going to truly be difficult for him to eclipse his OROY statistics — he threw for greater than 4,300 yards with 31 touchdowns to only 10 picks with an nearly 67% completion price. 

However a transparent but not gigantic step in the fitting route within the conditions when his line protects nicely, which can nearly assuredly happen between 70-80% of the time, will assist stabilize Herbert’s total effectivity as a thrower. 

He was a high half of the league quarterback in 2020. To some, he was fringe high 10. Even bracing for the under-pressure dip more likely to happen, due to what ought to be higher choices and extra accuracy in clean-pocket eventualities, Herbert will preserve his standing as probably the most prolific younger passers in soccer. I count on him to have an identical fame in his second season as he had in Yr 1. And the Chargers will return to the playoffs within the AFC.