Two years of putting up huge numbers at Western Kentucky are getting quarterback Brandon Doughty pre-draft visits, with the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals showing interest in him.
Doughty was with the Hilltoppers for six seasons, missing most of the 2011 and 2012 injuries due to injuries. He put together two of the more impressive back to back seasons in college football history in 2014 and 2015, throwing for 4830 yards and 49 touchdowns two seasons ago and 5055 yards with 48 touchdowns last season. He led the FBS in both categories two years in a row, while also completing 71.9% of his passes in 2015, also the best in college football for qualifying players.
Doughty plays very well when the pocket around him doesn’t collapse. He looks extremely confident in those moments, makes intelligent decisions and shows his ability to read defenses and recognize quickly what his options are. But Doughty is a very different quarterback when the pocket collapses and he’s forced to move. His subpar arm strength makes it difficult to rely on big throws to bail him out, and his footwork and overall decision making becomes very confused and jumbled.
Doughty is a system quarterback, which usually doesn’t bode well for players when they enter the NFL. He’s also rattled after taking one or two big hits, which is another sign most NFL teams have probably noted from his college playing days. Obviously, he might have changed and is trying to show that in his visits with NFL teams. However, right now Doughty seems like a late sixth round pick at best unless someone is really enamored with him, and it won’t be surprising if he makes it into the NFL training camp period as an undrafted free agent.