I was just trying to figure out what that graphic was supposed to be showing us?
2026 NFL Draft Thread
OK, that’s been very apparent, even to us fans. Do you think the pros couldn’t see it too?
if anything they look at the numbers while under duress. if the offensive line was that bad,
how'd he put up those numbers?
I feel that's unfair. Being a "game manager" is a QB who basically just doesn't get in the way.
Altmyer went and won more games than any QB in the clutch in the past two years.
I feel teams made a mistake not drafting him, and it's a bummer. We'll see how it turns out. I have a feeling it will be good.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
far better that Altmyer (and his agent) got to choose his team than to have it dictated to him as a late rounder. the monetary difference is small potatoes vs the fit
I'm no scout, but Luke is a better QB than Drew Allar... I can't be convinced otherwise
this x 1,000
agree 100%
as a QB, getting selected in rounds 5-6-7 is almost a curse . He will be fine . He will make some team happy - whether the Lions or another
This is crazy:
Yeah, that was generally my point.
When your scouting report reads "solid production relative to the protection received"... I think the staff owns that.
He lost an opportunity to showcase those skills on game tape and given his lack of elite physical skills/measurables you saw what happened...teams are going to take a flyer on worse performing but better looking in shorts dudes like Allar or Green.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
At least with Allar his physical measurables are a lottery ticket that if the light comes on you've got a star. Athan Kaliakmanis is less productive than Luke AND physically limited like he is.
That said, Detroit seems like a good landing spot for Luke. Teddy Bridgewater is on a one-year deal there as the backup on his way out of the league, that can be Luke's spot in 2027, backing up an immobile starter in his 30's, opportunity knocks.
That's one of the fun things about football, if you're an athletic freak in any direction, football can slap a helmet on you and find some way to exploit your gifts.
Allar also played in an offense that didn't really showcase his skills either. He basically had nothing to work with from his receiving corps (Altmayer at least had Beatty). The thinking is that if Allar gets a chance to show himself in an NFL offense, he will be better as a pro than he was in college.
Some of the notable names that signed as UDFAs:
-Haynes King (Georgia Tech QB): Panthers
-Miller Moss (Louisville QB): Bears
-Joey Aguilar (Tennessee QB): Jaguars
-Mark Gronowski (Iowa QB): Dolphins
-Jalon Daniels (Kansas QB): Buccaneers
-Kaidon Salter (Liberty/Colorado QB): Titans
Also of central Illinois interest, WR Kyle Dixon, a Carlinville native who played in college at Culver-Stockton, signed with the Patriots.
-Haynes King (Georgia Tech QB): Panthers
-Miller Moss (Louisville QB): Bears
-Joey Aguilar (Tennessee QB): Jaguars
-Mark Gronowski (Iowa QB): Dolphins
-Jalon Daniels (Kansas QB): Buccaneers
-Kaidon Salter (Liberty/Colorado QB): Titans
Also of central Illinois interest, WR Kyle Dixon, a Carlinville native who played in college at Culver-Stockton, signed with the Patriots.
So they drafted 306 pounds of muscle.
Actually, once the frustration of not being drafted comes and goes, he'll realize that it's a MUCH better situation to pick a team where there's a path to playing time vs a team you because you were available and hey, why not take a QB.
The only bummer, if there is one, is that I'm not sure what they pay difference is between being drafted in the 7th round vs signing as a free agent.
The Offensive Line has two players on NFL rosters from last year's roster.
If there's a difference, his Junior year he was throwing to a fairly highly drafted NFL receiver and I'm not sure where Franklin ended up. Our skilled people last year were.....ok? His window to fit balls into was much smaller and in some cases, his indecisiveness and indecision led to late balls that would be put in harms way. He also doesn't have prototypical NFL size and arm strength. That's not the be all, end all, but if you're a scout, you need to see a QB that can process things extremely quickly and understand that an open receiver in the NFL is WAY different than an open receiver in college. That difference is probably two full yards with corners that close insanely quickly.
Every NFL team has the same set of eyes, extremely talented scouts and they see everything....including deficiencies in the team around him and every team came to the same conclusion. They're trained to take that into consideration.
We love him because he led a renaissance of our football program. Scouts don't care about our record and our past failures.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Bert has done an excellent job and deserves his flowers, but that list looks very different if it's by who recruited those players.
Lovie brought a ton of NFL talent into the program and Beckman/Cubit brought next to none. (Among draftees it's only Jihad Ward, Nick Allegretti, Dawuane Smoot, Clayton Fejedelem who was a walk-on and Ke'Shawn Vaughn who we underused and forced out, right?)
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
So you think NFL scouts chose not to draft Luke because of the o-line he played behind, something Luke had no control over, and not Luke’s size, arm strength, and processing time (he unfortunately ranked in the bottom of the B1G in time to throw and pressure to sack percentage)? And you blame that on the coaching staff who took Luke from benched twice at Ole Miss to 7,600 passing yards and 57 touchdowns in the B1G?
The NFL.com scout opens with "Three-year starter with solid passing production relative to the lack of protection he saw in 2025" so yes, it impacted the perception of the player.
He was the #10 transfer QB when he came and a top 200 player out of HS. Would've been a top 2 QB this offseson...not like he was a diamond in the rough. Those 7,600 yards and 57 TDs in the B1G instead got him labeled as the 16th most productive QB and a game manager.
It's wild that saying "a better line and a D that put him in favorable spots would help the perception of the player" is controversial.
OrangeBlue98
Iowa is not in a great spot right now (LvilleILL1)
- Des Moines, IA
Again, if anything, being under pressure allowed scouts to see his work under difficult circumstances. The game tape would show more than what someone who had all day to sit in the pocket and throw would show.
No need to split hairs on this anymore. Luke didn't get drafted and ended up in what seems to be a good landing spot with Detroit. And it will always be the case in the NFL that teams will fall back to measurables if there are questions. Even if a guy like Green flames out, scouts can fall back on "Well, he looked the part, so we took a flyer hoping he would develop because his combine numbers were great."
IlliniwekKDR
- Colorado Springs, CO
As a Steelers fan, I can't express how much I hated that pick
Eh, just start playing this and you'll be fine (because lord knows the rest of us had to hear it all freaking weekend):
It's easy to be underwhelmed by Franklin's coaching, but talentwise he still threw to a top TE in 24 & 25, a 5th round WR, was behind a bunch of NFL linemen and had some great RBs.
He definitely had more talent around him, if only on paper, than what Altmyer had.