2019 NFL Draft Prospects: Quarterbacks - Brett Rypien, Boise State
The nephew of former Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, young Brett was considered one of the nation’s top quarterback recruits after setting Washington state records with over 13000 career passing yards and winning state Player of the Year with 50 touchdowns.
Rypien beat out eventual N.C. State signal-caller Ryan Finley for the Broncos starting gig and immediately found success, winning Mountain West Freshman of the Year and earning first-team all-conference, completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 3353 yards and 20 touchdowns, compared to eight INTs. He was named first-team All-Mountain West the following year with similar numbers and second-team all-conference as a junior, while leading his team to double-digit wins both years.
Last season he was Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, as he became the conference’s all-time leader in completions, passing yards and 300-yard passing games halfway through his senior year, which also was his best statistically – completing 67.3 percent of his passes for 3705 yards, 30 touchdowns and seven picks.
This kid is not afraid of letting it “rip” and he can fire the ball all over the field with a snappy arm. At the same time he is very patient and takes what the defense is giving him. Rypien shows excellent work on timing-based routes, where he uses anticipation and accuracy to constantly hit his receivers right out their breaks.
At times the ball almost surprises the pass-catchers and the Broncos move the ball down the field that way. He doesn’t mind checking the ball down to his backs if the coverage dictates it and throws a beautiful deep ball, where he lays it right into the bread basket. I have seen Rypien roll one way and hit a deep out route from that hash to the according sideline over 30 yards from the launch point right over the trailing defender.
However, he can also put touch on the ball to lay over the top of an underneath defender or attack certain leverages with placement to the back-shoulder of his receivers. What I really appreciate about his game is the fact that he always plays in rhythm and the way he understands the context of plays.
Rypien already does a really good job to move linebackers and safeties, plus he trusts in his ability to do so and let it fly. He just plays games with single-high safeties with look-offs and tremendous eye-discipline. You see him move those guys one way and then hit a go-route perfectly in stride on the opposite sideline. He already uses little head-and-shoulder fakes that make the entire defense freeze. His pump-fakes are very effective and he quickly comes back the other way to exploit the space he just opened up or makes a defender jump on the initial break on double-moves.
With the way he is standing in that pocket despite the rush in his face, there is no reason to question Rypien’s toughness. You see the turn of the shoulders and sudden, short movements to navigate within small spaces. The former Broncos QB is smart with taking off against two-man or when there’s just some lane opening up over the middle. He also understands when the play is over and it’s time to protect the ball with defenders about to wrap him up. Rypien seemed to convert in short-yardage situations on sneaks every single time, as he takes his head down and just plows ahead. I just see a lot of composure and a certain calmness with his game.
At 6’2”, just over 200 pounds Rypien doesn’t really qualify for the NFL standard. He has to strain on those longer throws across the field and the ball definitely loses some speed when going to the opposite sideline. His ball-placement around the line of scrimmage can get wildly inconsistent even if his man gets hands on it and I would define it as him having general accuracy only.
Sometimes Rypien assumes the play will be there from what he saw pre-snap and throws some passes he shouldn’t have. He needs to do a better job confirming information post-snap and learn which adjustments have to be made. Rypien kind of rushes his throwing motion against the blitz and chucks the ball into the nowhere at times. I think he lacks some awareness for pressure off the edge when he is locked in on one side.
A true pocket passer with the ability to extend plays and pick up yardage if the opportunity arises, Rypien can make throws all over the field and works through his progressions in a very advanced manner for a college signal-caller. He can make multiple reads during a play and use subtle details to win from his neck up while trusting his arm to deliver. If he was a couple of inches taller and played for a Power Five team, Rypien would probably be receiving first-round hype. I really like him.
Grade: Top 100