The 2019 NFL Draft class of quarterbacks includes big-name guys like Dwayne Haskins, Kyler Murray, and Will Grier, and Daniel Jones. You may not know each and every guy in this year’s QB class, but there are actually some pretty intriguing ones. A lot of them have compelling and fun backstories, too!
22 fun facts about the quarterbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft
Famous family members, cool hometowns, and other fun stuff in between.
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A lot of QBs have some pretty interesting family ties.
Will Grier, West Virginia: Comes from a family of social media stars!
His two younger brothers, Nash and Hayes, have a combined 15.4 million followers on Instagram. Nash became famous in 2013:
Nash had downloaded the app shortly after its release, and began making videos, which usually featured his brothers and especially starred his then-four-year-old half-sister, Skylynn. To this day, nobody really knows how or why, but those Vines went viral, making Nash, then only 15, another overnight internet sensation.
“Nash was in the front seat refreshing his page, and his follower count, it was unreal,” Will said. “He’d hit refresh and it would be 22,000. And he’d hit refresh again and it would be 25,000.”
Hayes became an internet star too, and in 2015 became Dancing With The Stars’ youngest male contestant ever.
Brett Rypien, Boise State: Nephew of a former Washington State and NFL QB
Brett’s uncle is former Cougars quarterback Mark Rypien, who had a long NFL career:
We’re pretty close. That’s how I got into football. Watching some of my uncle’s highlights when I was really little, about three to four years old. He’s been there for me at every level I’ve played at, and it’s nice having a guy who understands because he’s been there at so many levels.
Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt: Son of an NFL head coach
“I’m extremely proud of him,” Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said during the combine. “He’s made great decisions. He did an excellent job in high school giving himself the opportunity to go to a place like Vanderbilt. He graduated in 3 1/2 years.”
Jarrett Stidham, Auburn: His future father-in-law is Houston Rockets CEO Tad Brown
He met his fiancee, soccer player Kennedy Brown, at Baylor before transferring to Auburn.
Clayton Thorson, Northwestern: His father played for the Giants
Chad Thorson played linebacker in 1991, playing his college football for Wheaton.
Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State: Considers Falcons WR Mohamed Sanu basically family
“He’s a close family friend and he coached me in Pop Warner,” Haskins said via NJ.com. “So he’s like my uncle. In fact, I call him my uncle. We are not blood related, but we are really close.”
Some guys have connections to big-name NFL stars.
David Blough, Purdue: Was inspired to become a Boilermaker because of Drew Brees
“Drew being my size, under recruited out of Austin, he’s the reason I went to Purdue,” Blough said leading up to the draft. “He laid the groundwork. I want to be the next one of him.”
Like Allen, he’s pretty tall — he checks in 6’7. But his height isn’t the only thing he’s got:
His height and explosiveness come with a damn rocket arm. The man throws a fastball. When he stands in the pocket and uncorks a ball into a tight window, he looks like a giant sentry gun who’s just been mounted there:
But he’s not a statue. Jackson can move and put a lot on a pass while under pressure:
Daniel Jones, Duke: Reminds some of the Manning brothers thanks to his size and college coach
At 6’5, he’s similar to Peyton and Eli Manning— both of whom were also coached by Jones’ coach at Duke, David Cutcliffe.
“Being around those guys, watching Eli work out and lead those workouts and meetings and those types of things is really cool,’’ Jones said. “Just those relationships, being able to watch those guys is special. I got to interact with them a little bit. I got to sit in on one of Eli’s meetings and just kind of talk to him.’’
Kyle Kempt, Iowa State: Beat Baker Mayfield!
In 2017, he led his program’s first win over Oklahoma since 1990 — during his first career start, too. His Cyclones knocked off Mayfield’s team, 38-31, and Kempt threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns.
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Other quarterbacks come from interesting hometowns.
Jake Browning, Washington: His hometown inspired Johnny Cash’s song “Folsom Prison Blues”
Folsom County Prison sits right outside Browning’s hometown of Folsom, California.
Via Google Maps
Tyler Cornelius, Oklahoma State: Comes from a very small town
Per the Handbook of Texas, population estimates for his hometown of Bushland, Texas were 130 from 1965-2000.
“Really don’t have a population because we’re not incorporated,” Cornelius’ youth coach Jeff Ponder said via the Tulsa Word. “We’re basically a bedroom community.”
Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss: Like Marcus Mariota and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, hails from Hawaii
He’s from Pearl City, to be specific, joining the growing trend of Hawaiian QBs all over the mainland.
Some guys had important stuff happening off the field, too
Ryan Finley, NC State: Has two master’s degrees
He was granted a sixth year of eligibility stemming from a a season-ending knee injury in 2015, and has two master’s, including one in liberal studies and a graduate certificate program in youth development and leadership.
Tanner Mangum, BYU: Outspoken about mental health
“Football is a hyper-masculine activity,” Mangum said via the Desert News. “It requires toughness, resilience, and mental toughness, and those are things I do believe in. But I also recognize that there is nothing to be ashamed of. It doesn’t mean you’re weak.”
Time for some fun facts!
Eric Dungey, Syracuse: Watching his fearless play is both thrilling and terrifying
The frequently injured Dungey frequently refused to slide whenever he took off. Like that time he attempted a stiff arm instead of going to the ground, knocking a guy’s helmet off:
He hurdled defenders, and no, he’s not Lamar Jackson:
He’s kicked a defender in the head, too:
Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State: His former coach hilariously bragged about recruiting him
Dan Mullen said pretty much every other school missed on Fitzgerald. A small FCS school was apparently the only other school recruiting him:
Drew Lock, Missouri: Touchdown dancer extraordinaire!
After Mizzou scored early in the 2017 Texas Bowl, Lock celebrated with this, uh, unique dance:
Lock wasn’t exactly afraid to show his personality on the field — he once trash talked a Vanderbilt defender, drank from a water bottle thrown at him by a fan, and stole a sign a fan made to mock him.
Unfortunately, Lock’s TD dance backfired. After Texas took a big lead late, the QB had the troll reversed by Longhorns head coach Tom Herman:
Lock said later that he’d been doing the dance all season. Guess when an opposing coach mocks you, it gets more publicity!
Trace McSorley, Penn State: Thought to have played on a broken foot!
In his last game, it was reported he played in the Citrus Bowl on a broken foot. This sounded hard to believe, but it did sort of seem like the kind of thing he’d attempt.
“They were going to have to rip my pads off of me,” McSorley said after the game. “I’ve been through too much, and we’ve been through too much as a team.”
Turns out he didn’t actually break anything:
Kyler Murray, Oklahoma: Taller than a bunch of famous people!
The noted MLB Draft pick is taller than people like Genghis Khan, Mark Zuckerberg, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and other notable folks.
Easton Stick, North Dakota State: Can dribble a football like a basketball
He led the Bison to three national championships, including one as a freshman. More importantly, he can do this:
Gardner Minshew II, Washington State: Rocks an incredible mustache
Wazzu fans started wearing fake ‘staches to games, and even his head coach got in on the fun:
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