I recently sat down to watch Maryland receiver Tai Felton and couldn’t help but notice the person throwing him the ball. Billy Edwards Jr might be the best kept secret in college football.
Granted, his only real test so far was a close loss to Michigan State. I’d also suggest he’s unlikely to declare for the draft after just one year as a starter. He transferred from Wake Forest after a redshirt freshman season and has been waiting his turn behind Taulia Tagovailoa since.
Even so, I wanted to write a short piece on him today and note he’s one to watch for the future.
Edwards Jr has a sidearm release but he’s able to whip the ball out with great velocity. He’s constantly attacking the middle of the field — throwing layered passes with the necessary arm strength. You see him throw from the left hash-mark to the right sideline with ease. He can also throw with touch downfield, he knows when to hang a pass in the air to create a 1v1 opportunity or a fade to the back corner of the endzone and he’s very capable of throwing downfield in the 40-45 yard range.
I’m really focusing on third down conversions this season and this was an area Edwards Jr really impressed me. He had one 3rd and 13 seam throw against Michigan State that was an absolute bullet placed with great accuracy between a crowd of defenders. He regularly showed poise in the pocket, kept his base and delivered to move the chains. Maryland are 36/66 on third and fourth downs this season — 54.5% conversions. Several of these conversions were 3rd and at least mid-range yardage with Edwards Jr getting the job done.
He plays smart football. He’s very willing to go through progressions and check down wisely to take what a defense offers. Yet he’s not overly conservative. There’s plenty of evidence in four games this season of him throwing into tight windows, putting a bit more on passes when needed to fit the ball into his target. There’s one redzone throw against Virginia arrowed in between two defenders for a touchdown that really makes you sit up and take notice. Edwards Jr holds the safety to the left with his eyes then comes back over the middle, delivering with great accuracy and velocity between the two defenders thanks to the space he created. He does try to be creative and he’ll take a few risks to be a playmaker.
He’s athletic enough to be used as a runner — although his running style is a bit reckless and he takes too many avoidable, heavy hits. He has 10 total touchdowns and two interceptions in four games. He’s leading the BIG-10 in passing yardage.
He’s listed at 6-4 and 219lbs with room to add a little more weight if needed. I’ve listened to the way he speaks and it’s impressive. He’s determined, carries a bit of a chip on his shoulder, speaks well and you can imagine him being a lead voice in a locker room.
Here’s the Maryland Head Coach on his quarterback:
“I think he has emotion, and he’s one of those guys that he’s on both sides of the aisle, per se,” Locksley said. “Like, you’ll see him hanging out with the running backs, and then he’ll be with the big [offensive] linemen. He kind of gets along with everybody, and to me when you think of a quarterback, it’s a person that elevates the level of his teammates. Always say he has to have the mind of a coach and the skill of a player, and those are characteristics Billy showed early.”
I think he’s an impressive looking quarterback. I’m eager to see more and will be tracking him in the coming weeks.
You can watch his performance against Michigan State here:
As for his top target Tai Felton — he’s very savvy with his routes, shows good body control and an ability to adjust to the football in the air. His YAC ability is impressive. He has enough size and the only thing to be uncertain about is his pure speed. That will determine how early he goes — but he’s a player who could easily find a day two home in the draft.
