5 Georgia QBs That Are Dangerous With Their Legs, Part II

<p>Old-school, pocket-passing QBs are seemingly a lost art. Nowadays, the QB is not only in charge of leading the playmakers around him, but he also has to be a playmaker himself to some degree. These guys take the term “playmaker” to another level in regards to QBs.</p>   <p><strong><em>Cobey Thompkins</em></strong> - 2024 - Stockbridge</p>   <p>Thompkins is an athletic lefty with upside as both a QB and an ATH. Thompkins puts his athleticism on display seemingly on every snap. He is twitchy in the pocket and has the suddenness to elude pressure and keep the play alive. Thompkins is masterful at creating and making a play when the play breaks down. Once he is in the open field, he can make defenders miss with his lateral mobility, showing the ability to plant his foot, drop his shoulder, and slip right off tacklers. Once he finds a running lane, he has the burst to lift and separate. Thompkins is a smooth operator in the pocket, standing tall and surveying the field before getting rid of the ball. He is not afraid to sit in the pocket for that extra second to get the ball to a later progression, or even the checkdown. His creativity gives his receivers a better chance of getting open. Thompkins is a drive ball thrower with a tight release, but he can air it out on certain touch throws. Thompkins is vastly underrated and has D1 tools. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CobeyThompkins9/status/1661118265630793751?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>Ryan Strickland</em></strong> - 2024 - Hiram </p>   <p>Strickland is a high-upside QB prospect that has some solid athletic tools and could end up playing a few different positions at the next level. He shows a lot of athleticism in the pocket. When the play breaks down, Strickland does an excellent job of evading pressure to keep the play alive. He keeps his eyes downfield looking to fire and has the awareness to know when he needs to tuck it to run. Strickland is a natural, fluid athlete that relies on his vision and short-area quickness to generate separation and scamper for extra yards. He also has enough speed and acceleration to out-leverage defenders to the outside. As a passer, Strickland is still developing but shows some positive upside. He has a tight, compact release which allows him to distribute the ball quickly. He does a good job of getting back on-platform when throwing outside the pocket. When on the run, he always has his eyes downfield and has decent vision and good decision-making on the move. Strickland is a true high upside player that could be an intriguing addition to someone's 2024 class. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_RyanStrick1_/status/1660452922520395776?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>Sire Hardaway</em></strong> - 2024 - Douglas County</p>   <p>Hardaway is a thin, athletic QB prospect who is fairly underrated despite putting up some big numbers last season for a successful Douglas County squad. To me, Hardaway is your prototypical "gunslinger" QB build. He is not afraid at all to let his athleticism flash and run away from defenders in the pocket. He often redirects his direction in the pocket and forces the big guys to chase him all the way around the field before bringing him down. He also possesses a long, fast delivery and can rocket the ball around the field. He has noticeable arm strength that allows him to attack the first few levels, but he can also put some touch on the ball and let his receiver go make a play. Some players with this playstyle can make dangerous mistakes, but Hardaway shows that he is certainly capable of standing in the pocket to survey the field and he also has tight mechanics from head to toe. Hardaway holds a D1 offer from SEMO, and it might not be his last. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Sire2k_/status/1571537788461522944?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1293257' first='Marcus' last='Romain']</em></strong> - 2025 - Wheeler</p>   <p>Romain has been on my radar since he first popped onto the scene as a freshman. He improves every time I watch him. Romain has the size-speed combination to make coaches and evaluators drool. His physical setup is impressive, he has long legs, broad shoulders, and isn't a clunky mover like we sometimes see with prospects with his makeup. Romain has experience running the option game, which in turn gives him experience reading certain defensive fronts and blocking schemes. Whenever he decides to run, he looks like an RB with his ability to dissect running lanes and create space for himself to operate. With his sheer frame, he absorbs contact well and is able to shed off tacklers. He can pick his way through traffic then generate momentum with his long strides once he finds space. As a passer, Romain shows good pocket mechanics and footwork. He is able to layer the ball over defenders and hit his receivers in stride on vertical passes. When outside the pocket, he has the arm strength to throw off-platform and across the body. Romain has improved in each of his first two years. If he can show further improvement as a junior, he should start to raise his stock on the trail. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MarcusRomain1/status/1660720331995086850?s=20 </div></figure>   <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='971260' first='Xavier' last='Mahoney']</em></strong> - 2025 - Etowah</p>   <p>Mahoney has been on my radar for the last year or so and is coming off an electric season where he came away with region MVP. With his combination of 4.4 speed and elite burst, Mahoney is one of the better playmakers in the region with the ball in his hands. His shorter frame actually tends to work in his advantage a little here as he is a small tackling target for defenders and can slip right from their reach. Mahoney is certainly capable as a passer, he can extend plays among the best in the state and does a great job of keeping his eyes downfield to pinpoint potential targets as the play breaks down. However, his future is likely at a skill position where he can play more to his strengths and give the offense mismatches with his speed. Still, I can already envision some impressive wildcat packages with Mahoney lined up at QB. Mahoney is a bonafide playmaker who can out-leverage the defense with his speed and could get some D1 looks as an athlete. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_XavierMahoney/status/1600945569903452163?s=20 </div></figure>

Old-school, pocket-passing QBs are seemingly a lost art. Nowadays, the QB is not only in charge of leading the playmakers around him, but he also has to be a playmaker himself to some degree. These guys take the term “playmaker” to another level in regards to QBs.