Deep Dive into 3 Top Michigan QB's

When you think football, you think Quarterback. The field generals of the offense and the face of most of your favorite teams, the Quarterback position is by far the most famed in football. In this article, I dive into three outstanding Quarterbacks from our Class of 2023. To make sure I covered three unique styles of play, I’m covering [player_tooltip player_id="30316" first="Dante" last="Moore"] (Detroit MLK), [player_tooltip player_id="30338" first="Christian" last="Johnson"] (River Rouge), and [player_tooltip player_id="241265" first="Parker" last="Picot"] (Rochester Adams). These 3 Quarterbacks represent some of the best play in the state while offering very diverse skillsets. Now I’ll dive into what I believe to be the QB’s most vital attributes and mention an area for improvement for each player. [player_tooltip player_id="30316" first="Dante" last="Moore"] <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12957981/Dante-Moore">HUDL </a> Strengths Motor/IQ - One of the premier QB prospects in the nation, [player_tooltip player_id="30316" first="Dante" last="Moore"], sports an incredible football IQ and relentless drive to better himself and those around him. Motor/IQ is his most vital asset. He never stops improving on his game, and he seems to have a great support system with mentors helping him along the way. In terms of IQ, he reads the defense pre-snap and works through his progressions quickly. He usually doesn’t rush, and he knows when to fire a laser vs. touch pass. Mechanics - Once Moore gets the snap, he immediately begins going through progressions while making his 3-step drop. His initial footwork and shoulder/arm level are excellent. He has a quicker release than most QB’s, and as long as Moore is not pressured, his feet are planted, and his shoulders are square to the target. In terms of throwing mechanics, everything there is elite. Arm Strength - Easily the best arm strength I witnessed all season. For many QB’s I watched, they have to wind up making deep throws, which will obviously mess with their accuracy. On the other hand, Moore shows a similar release for his short-zippy passes as he does the deep touch passes. In other words, he makes every throw look effortless, and much of that is a testament to his strength. Areas to Improve Throwing Under Pressure - Like most QB’s, Moore falters a bit when he’s under pressure. This mostly comes by way of inaccurate, sometimes ill-advised throws. In addition, Moore sometimes rushes his passes in typical situations, impacting his accuracy, strength, etc. Though, this is not a major issue for him, hence his 40/3 TD/INT ratio. [player_tooltip player_id="30338" first="Christian" last="Johnson"] <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13452404/Christian-Johnson">HUDL</a> Strengths Athleticism - Johnson is a pure athlete, and he shows it on the football field. Naturally, his throw on the run is amongst the best in the state, and he’s able to scramble to pick up yardage as well. His general speed and elusiveness come in handy when under pressure, and this also helps with designed bootlegs/rollouts and QB Power. I can not stress enough how much Johnson’s athleticism improves his game. He’s a versatile threat that can sling it and run it. Throw Accuracy - River Rouge put up an astronomical amount of points last season, and much of this is thanks to Johnson’s accuracy. In the pocket, he’s a nice passer who can command his throw well. He’s especially good at throwing on the run, and the arm strength is good. Overall, he’s one of the most accurate QB’s in the state. Areas to improve IQ & Fundamentals - Don’t get me wrong, Johnson’s IQ and Fundamentals aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, though these are still areas he can touch up on. About the IQ, there are times when Johnson will take a chance and challenge an elite DB over the top, sometimes even in double coverage. There are some plays where Johnson looks like he’s already determined where he’ll throw pre-snap, though some of these plays could be drawn up at such. As for fundamentals, his footwork could use a tad bit of work, more specifically making sure he follows through on all of his throws. There are some instances where he throws off his back foot when he doesn’t have to. [player_tooltip player_id="241265" first="Parker" last="Picot"] <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/7806998/Parker-Picot">HUDL</a> Strengths Read Option - If you know the Adams offense, this should be a no-brainer. Adams runs a triple-option (Veer) offense that focuses heavily on running the ball, chewing the clock, and throwing it when the defense least expects it. Picot runs the option beautifully, which is enhanced by his ability to take it himself and run the football. He knows the Veer offense exceptionally well and rarely makes a poor read. Toughness & Endurance - To be an effective Veer QB, you have to be tough as nails. I watched Picot face off against some of the best defenses in the state, and he didn’t show any signs of pain or weakness even when he’s being hit most plays. Even in the 4th Quarter, Picot runs with the same ferocity, and his reads don’t get messy. Veer QB’s take significantly more physical punishment than a pro-style QB, and I would argue that just enough mental skill goes into being a Veer QB. Areas to improve General Passing - This is an issue with many Veer QB’s. Picot is an average passer who takes good advantage of most opportunities. When Adams runs the ball down a team’s throat all game then decides to draw up their first pass in the 3rd quarter, yeah, someone is going to be wide open. That being said, many Veer QB’s have an excellent pass percentage, though so few attempts that the percentage stat may not count for record books. Picot takes advantage of the wide-open receivers but lacks great ability to throw into tight windows, but as a Veer QB, it’s simply not something that’s asked of him. In essence, his passing is not a significant detriment to his High School game, and he’s not seeking a collegiate football career. However, this is a widespread issue for Veer QB’s who pursue a collegiate career.