When thinking about players that would be preseason standouts, Tyson Bagent was never high on any list. The rookie quarterback from Shepherd was an interesting novelty. He’d had a highly productive career in Division II, setting multiple passing records. His showing at the Senior Bowl was well-received by the NFL community. Even so, it wasn’t enough to become the first player in 60 years to get drafted from his school. The Chicago Bears took advantage, signing the young man as an undrafted free agent.
Since then, he has become one of the biggest surprises of the past month, showcasing an array of tools that excite people about his future. He’s played so well that many believe he should be in line to hold the backup job behind Justin Fields. It’s shocking how calm, poised, and efficient he’s looked. Former Bears scout Greg Gabriel isn’t surprised. He explained why people should’ve seen it coming.
“When I began scouting in the NFL in the early 1980s, there was a strict rule of thumb that came into play when evaluating quarterbacks, and that was based on the amount of playing experience the player had. To be considered as a high draft pick, a quarterback needed to be a starter for two to three seasons and attempt a minimum of 900 passes in his career…If we look at the “old rule,” Tyson Bagent fits it to a T. “
That old rule comes from Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells.
He always had a specific set of parameters when drafting quarterbacks. They had to have started three years, been a senior in college, graduated, started at least 30 games, won 23 of them, had twice as many TDs as interceptions, and completed at least 60% of their passes. Here is how Bagent measures up.
- Be a three-year starter – Yes
- Be a senior in college – Yes
- Graduate from college – Yes
- Start 30 games – Yes (43)
- Win 23 games – Yes (33)
- Post a 2-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio – Yes (3.31-to-1)
- Complete at least 60% of passes thrown – Yes (68.6%)
It’s not just that, though. Gabriel made it clear your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Experience isn’t the only reason Bagent has been successful. He’s also talented.
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“It still remains to be seen how Baget will turn out, but from what we have seen to date, he looks to be, at worst, a quality backup in the League. He has very good quarterback size, has the athleticism to make plays with his feet, can process quickly, shows a quick release, has a strong arm with a tight ball and is accurate. These are all traits we look for in every quarterback.”
Tyson Bagent has a habit of outplaying expectations.
He won two state championships for Martinsburg High School. Yet for whatever reason, bigger schools shied away from him. West Virginia and Marshall both passed on him. Once it became clear no big program would give him a shot, he chose to follow in his father’s footsteps at Shepherd. There he rewrote the record books, starting as a freshman, and reached the national championship playoffs three times in four years. His team went 7-3 in those runs. Bagent did everything possible to get drafted. So why didn’t he?
There are two explanations. One is the level of competition he played. Coming from Division II brings an inevitable stigma with it. The other is a saturated market. No fewer than 12 quarterbacks were drafted this year between the 1st and 5th rounds alone. Unsurprisingly, the last two in the 6th and 7th rounds came from more prominent programs (Stanford and TCU). Maybe last year, with only nine QBs drafted, Tyson Bagent would’ve heard his name called. As it stands, he now has one more bit of motivation to show people how wrong they were about him.
