Jordan

Ta'amu

Ta’amu (6'3/221) was “very accurate” and showed “great arm strength”, earning him a “winner” designation from Pauline. The draft analyst believes Ta’amu will be viewed as a nice developmental quarterback prospect, going as far as saying that he has “great upside.” Only 21 years old, Ta’amu is very inexperienced, but he showed promise in his 1.5 seasons as a starter averaging 9.4 yards per pass attempt. Pauline reports that he met with the Vikings, Saints, Cowboys, and Texans before leaving for his internship with a local police department.

Ta’amu (6'3/221) showed flashes of brilliance as the quarterback of the Rebels, and moments that, well, let’s just say there’s a reason we say only ‘flashes’ of brilliance. Zierlein cites his strengths include his compact, sturdy frame and that he has NFL arm talent. Decisiveness is an issue, however, and he believes Ta’amu needs to do a better job before the snap of diagnosing. “He’s tough enough and has the arm talent,” writes Zierlein, “but will need to learn to stay a step ahead of defenses since many of his inconsistencies stem from playing a rushed brand of football.”

Ta’amu (6'2/210) is fourth in the class in Hermsmeyer’s yards per attempt model, only trailing Kyler Murray, Will Grier, and Ryan Finley. Ta’amu was credited with a strong score in Hermsmeyer’s “completion percentage over expected (CPOE)” metric that measures accuracy adjusted for yards in the air, and he has an above average 9.5 YPA. One of the youngest players in the NFL Draft, Ta’amu has some late sleeper appeal, but it would be a long shot for him to get multiple NFL starts if he is selected on Day 3, which is where he’s currently expected to go.

The ever rare case of a prospect measuring in a little bigger than his listed school dimensions (6'2/210). On top of that, Ta’amu turned in measurements of 9 7/8 hands and a wingspan of 77 1/2. Ta’amu became the QB sleeper du jour for a number of NFL Draft analysts during the pre-Combine phase. We know he can fling it around a little coming out of Ole Miss’ hybrid Air Raid system. He’s also expected to test well athletically. Ta’amu has a lot on the line this week. If he blows it out of the water, you’re going to see his stock take on a bit of helium. If he tanks, he may go undrafted. Stay tuned.

Before you say “what about Kyler Murray?” Crabbs believes that Murray won’t participate in the 40-yard dash. If he does, he obviously is going to win that race. Ta’amu doesn’t have the same speed as the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner, but he has shown the ability to make plays with his feet. Confirming that he has some straight-line speed will go along way towards making him one of the top Day 3 options at the position.

"[Ta’amu] has enough physical tools to suggest upside,” Ledyard writes, adding that “his mechanics and ball placement are two of his biggest strengths which will help him in throwing drills and he should test as one of the top athletes at the position in Indy.” The analyst refers to the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Ole Miss gunslinger as his "[D]ay 3 quarterback of choice.” Ta’amu participated in the East-West Shrine Game earlier this winter and generally drew positive reviews for his practice performances down in St. Petersburg.

Ta’amu has been the talk of Shrine Game practices, and he met with the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday. All three of those teams have starting quarterbacks entrenched (or reasonably entrenched, anyway), but Ta’amu isn’t the type of prospect who is going to be ready for the NFL right away. Based on what we’ve heard from numerous analysts, there’s a real chance that Ta’amu has worked himself into draft consideration.

Sikkema thought Ta’amu had the second-best performance of any quarterback on Monday, with only BSU’s Brett Rypien impressing to a higher degree in the analyst’s eyes. Back at it again on Tuesday. Sikkema passes along that the Ole Miss signal-caller “connect[ed] with a variety of different receivers” on the day, notable in that he has not been leaning on his most familiar target in DeMarkus Lodge. The Dolphins checked in with Ta’amu following Monday’s practice.

We’re going to have loads of reports on how players performed during the practices -- which mean a lot more than that game -- and also reports of teams meeting with players. It’s draft season. The Dolphins don’t have an answer at quarterback, and while Ta’amu is viewed as a late-round pick, his ability to make plays with his legs and arm make him an intriguing one. On paper, this is an intriguing fit.

Ta’amu will certainly be one of -- if not the -- most heavily scouted quarterbacks at the Shrine Game. He threw for 3,918 yards for the Rebels in 2018, and he also ran for for 342 yards and six scores. He certainly has the arm strength and mobility to play at the next level, but he’s going to have to show better pocket presence and answer questions about his accuracy. Still, if Ta’amu can test well, he certainly has a chance to be a draftable prospect or high-priority UDFA in 2019.