Stock Watch: QB’s Trending Upwards

Out of all of the positions on the football field, it is most fun to track the progress, and stock of those at the QB position. At any given moment, there are players who can see their stock rise, and fall, whether it is in the offseason, or during the season itself. Nevertheless. we wanted to take some time to recognize a few smaller names who we feel may witness their stock rise, and trend upwards next season. Take a minute to check them out below! <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="137483" first="Jeremy" last="Hecklinski"]-</strong> Walton As many of readers could expect, we wanted to give Hecklinski the respect he is due, as he has continued to improve, and develop as an all around QB, becoming one of the more polished, and talented up and coming QB’s in the state. Next season, we are confident that Hecklinski will see his stock rise, as he plays the position very cleanly all around. Not only is he a pure athlete, but he has a very strong arm, with a good feel for the game. He makes throws all over the field with ease, and he has solid feet when he is in the  pocket. He also throws the ball with good placement, and his release is very timely, making for easy completions. With this, due to his size, he also appears to see the field well, and understands his reads, and the process of going through them. As the 2022 season is months away, look for him to take leaps in his progression, and to come out next season as one of the most talented, but underrated prospects at his position. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="97693" first="Ty" last="Watkins"]-</strong> South Forsyth [player_tooltip player_id="97693" first="Ty" last="Watkins"] is a big bodied QB, who’s frame, and size happen to be ideal for plenty of coaches who are eyeing him from the next level. To start, he’s got a solid arm, and his athleticism makes it hard to keep up with him. Last season alone, he not only rushed for a few TD’s, but he passed for around 18. This is largely due to his ability to make good reads, and distribute the ball to the appropriate target, within a timely manner. Watkins also has a longer release, but the ball still comes out clean, and with a good touch as well. While Watkins has high levels of talent, we would like to see more athleticism from him, and a more polished skillset from him going into next season, as we feel that this can help take him to the next level as his stock rises. <strong>Chase McCravy-</strong> Hillgrove McCravy may not be one of the QB’s you would expect to see on this list, but he has flashes of talent that can be seen by any smaller college program at any minute. He appears to maneuver the pocket, and field well for his size, but the way he is able to buy time and make plays with his arm, and legs alike are what sets him apart. In addition to this. McCravy plays the QB position with a solid release, and great ball placement. This makes it easier for his receivers to make plays, especially on short, and intermediate routes. As he continues to grow and progress in his throwing motion, and ability to understand the game, we only expect to see him receive more attention as his team finds more success as well. <strong>Qamar Grant-</strong> Pebblebrook Last season, Grant brought his team to the playoffs, and managed to help his team to a great record before falling to the eventual state champions. Next season, we expect Grant’s recruiting to take a jump, as he is a consistent leader, and piece of his team’s offense. He throws with great anticipation, and does an okay job at processing his reads at this point of his career. He plays with decent arm strength, and has a clean release when letting it rip. His arm talent has helped him to average a great amount of yards per game, with the ball being dished out efficiently to different receivers. Next season, look for him to develop into an even more refined passer, with more fluidity in his position. <strong>Mason Kidd-</strong> Mountain View Mason Kidd is not as popular as the rest of the QB’s on this list, but his stock is certainly rising, even if it is with some of the smaller programs across the country that may have their eyes on him. When the ball is in his hands, Kidd has the ability to throw it with high levels of velocity, accuracy, and power. In doing so, he not only is able to keep the defense on their toes, but he is able to make throws at different levels of the field. Kidd’s release is decent at this point of his high school career, but we would like to see him clean up the way he lets the ball loose when he tries to speed up his release times. In addition to this, he also can be a bit slow at times, and can see the field with less anticipation than we would like, but this does not fully hinder his ability to make plays with his arm due to his arm talent. Next season, look for his stock to rise due to his consistency at the QB position, especially as he continues to develop as a passer.