The Rams this past season are the counter argument to the above. They had all the main pieces in place but NOT the QB, and were able to trade for a good but not elite quarterback who was able to work within their system and win a Superbowl. Now, the Texans are very very far away from where the Rams were, but I don't think it is out of the realm of possibility to think Davis Mills could end up near to a Matthew Stafford NFL QB ability. If that's the case, I would rather them focus on putting the pieces around him. But it's silly to be having these kind of arguments after a handful of passes in preseason games. We'll have a pretty good idea if he is the guy or not by the end of this season, and the Texans don't have to make any decisions before then.
https://qbrankings.theringer.com/ 29. Davis Mills HE LOOKS THE PART, but a lack of comfort in the pocket could prevent this intriguing prospect from becoming a star. Checkdown Machine BREAKDOWN Mills has a chance. He’s a smart dude who was given some pre-snap control as a rookie. He has a nice arm, good athleticism, and good timing, which will endear him to coaches throughout his career. It makes sense that the Texans are giving him a chance to prove he’s worth a long-term investment. But whether he ultimately earns that will come down to Mills’s improvement in one key area: command of the pocket. Mills is just straight-up uncomfortable in the pocket, even if he looks like a caricature of the stereotypical pocket passer. He either flees at the first sign of pressure or quickly forces a checkdown. Fixing his scattershot accuracy is another hurdle the second-year pro will have to clear to from seize the keys to the franchise. BIGGEST STRENGTH: ARM TALENT I wouldn’t say Mills has a great arm. It’s merely good. But he does throw a pretty deep ball, and he’s capable of layering throws over the linebackers, which allows him to access the intermediate areas of the field. BIGGEST WEAKNESS: POCKET PRESENCE You would think Mills’s long, almost periscope-like neck would make him feel at home in the pocket—he certainly should have no issue seeing over the pass rush. But no. Mills gets rattled by any sign of pressure.
He didn't look rattled the last 5 games of the season. Step up into what pocket? When he was protected against the Chargers he looked like the best QB in his class and even outplayed Herbert. This guy is probably rating Mills off of his draft position rather than how Mills performed compared to the other rookie QBs in his class.
Watson STILL in the top 5 is a travesty. Hard to put alot of stock in this list as Trubisky in no galaxy is 'better' than Russ, Lamar, Carr or Tannehill. Minshew in the top 20 is goofy too. Meh - game 1 clickbait. Nothing to see.
Only ahead of Jacoby Brissett (who is filling in) … ouch! https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-qb-index-week-1-ranking-all-32-starters-entering-2022-season 31. Davis Mills Houston Texans · Year 2 2021 stats: 13 games | 66.8 pct | 2,664 pass yds | 6.8 ypa | 16 pass TD | 10 INT | 44 rush yds | 0 rush TD | 5 fumbles He’s arguably being disrespected on this list. Mills grew in esteem on a rough roster while Mariota and Trubisky held clipboards and chewed sunflower seeds last season. He outshone Lawrence and Lance. He’s a work in progress, but Mills proved to NFL watchers he could sling it with power while looking the part. Inside the building, Houston’s front office thought enough of his development to ignore quarterbacks in the draft and abstain from chasing Jimmy Garoppolo.
I'd like to say that a ceiling is a more athletic Kirk Cousins, but that neck reminds me of Peyton Manning. Obviously I realize it's way too early to say any of that.
If you got everything I think he can be serviceable. But as far as a franchise guy or throw a team on your back… nah
Mills is not the guy. Fans can try and convince themselves otherwise, but when you're at a crucial moment for your franchise, with the amount of picks we have, you have to continue to look for that franchise changing guy. Doing otherwise will result in the kind of team that hires retread coaches, is content to go 8-8, or 9-7 (pre 17 games), that is happy when it's players simply battlefight, hires nice guys only, and then settles for ties. Oh wait.
Mills is a sophomore and showed some good stuff today, I’ll wait a few weeks before saying he’s not the answer.
Has Mills been forbidden to ever run? I know that’s not one of his strengths, but sometimes QB’s got to tuck the football and run forward when the pocket breaks down.
I don't think he's the guy. I'm firmly on that board. What you see otherwise is the illogical Texans fan in me (I think that defines the fan base) that is trying to be optimistic and convince myself that he could still develop into something. This thread is kind of meant for that. To capture the emotional roller coaster that is a franchise trying to polish a lump of coal.
