2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Florida State QB Jordan Travis

From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Florida State QB Jordan Travis.

#13 Jordan Travis/QB Florida State – 6011, 200 pounds (Senior)

Shrine Bowl/Combine

MEASUREMENTS

The Good

– Keeps eyes downfield on the move, uses legs to extend play and doesn’t look to immediately take off
– Squares his shoulders to improve accuracy out of the pocket, capable of moving left or right
– Shows plus accuracy at all levels to middle of field (glance/dig/post/seam)
– Shows rhythm and timing on breaking routes, will hang tough in the pocket
– Good athlete, runs hard, escapes sacks as passer, threat on designed runs (read/option, QB power)
– Winner and productive, found ways to come out on top in fourth quarter
– Passable arm strength, willing and able to fit passes into tight windows over the middle
– Shows touch when needed
– Trusts his receivers to make plays
– Shows IQ and ability to beat the blitz
– Competitor and plays with energy
– Compact and quick release
– Good carriage of the football on the move, doesn’t loosely hold ball down at his hip
– Smart, takes care of football, and finds ways to avoid sacks/interceptions and negative plays

The Bad

– On shorter end with average frame and hand size
– Deep-pass accuracy is scattershot with too many uncompetitive misses
– Struggles against pressure and will force throws/make mistakes under siege
– A little stiff and upright as a passer in the pocket, can get up on his toes, which may cause passes to float and sail
– Arm strength is fine but not overwhelmingly good
– Became over reliant on throwing fades/jump balls/back shoulders and asked his tall WRs to make 1v1 plays
– Coming off severe leg/ankle injury, questions over rookie readiness
– Lacks a ton of experience playing under center
– May lack true defining trait as a passer
– Older than most prospects

Bio

– 38 career starts for Seminoles
– Career: 637-of-1,027 (62 percent), 8,715 yards, 66 TDs 20 INTs plus 1,950 rushing yards with 31 touchdowns, three career receptions with one touchdown
– 2023: 207-of-324 (63.9 percent), 2,756 yards, 20 TDs 2 INTs
– Turns 24 in May
– Made one start at WR in 2019 against Miami
– Began career at Louisville before transferring to Florida State for 2019 season, appeared in one game for Cardinals, throwing one touchdown and one interception
– Three-star recruit from Palm Gardens, Fla., chose Louisville over Georgia, UNC, and Baylor among others
– Transferred after spending season as Louisville’s third-stringer and head coach Bobby Petrino getting fired, waiver approved to play right away (reports of Travis being “verbally abused” by a Louisville staffer)
– Turned program around from 5-7 in first year as full-time starter to 13-1 in 2023 (injured in only game Seminoles lost)
– Suffered left leg/ankle fracture in next-to-last game of 2023 season, believes he’ll return prior to NFL training camp
– Older brother is former MLB 2B Devon Travis, who played for Toronto Blue Jays from 2015-2018 (also played for Florida State)
– Set school record with 66-yard TD run, longest ever by a Seminoles QB, as a freshman; broke that a season later with an 88-yard scoring run against Pitt

Tape Breakdown

After spending a year at Louisville, Jordan Travis transferred to Florida State, where his older brother played baseball. By 2020, he was seeing starting time and by 2021, he became the guy. He had a great career only soured by the severe leg injury suffered in mid-November against North Alabama.

Travis is a tough customer able to make plays from the pocket and shows off a skill set that makes him a scheme fit in the Steelers’ offense. The Seminoles’ offense moved the launch point and got Travis out of the pocket while also working the middle of the field. Travis shows good touch, timing, and accuracy on glance/slants and throws between the numbers. A cut-up.

Travis is an impressive athlete who can keep plays alive while his eyes stay downfield. He does a good job squaring his shoulders and throwing on the run. His athleticism also makes him a threat in the designed run game on read options and QB Power, especially down near the end zone. A career with 31 rushing touchdowns doesn’t just happen on accident. Cut-ups of both.

But Travis felt too reliant on his tall wideouts, Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, make plays. His tape is full of jump balls and back-shoulder throws to those two, usually with mixed results. His offense wasn’t as “gimmicky” as others out there but it’s not something he can do as often at the NFL level.

His downfield accuracy can wane, and passes can sail with a deep ball that can hang too much without a strong base. He’s much more accurate underneath which might feel intuitive but is not true for every quarterback.

He also struggled under heavy and direct rush, leading to mistakes and potential/actual negative outcomes.

Of course, the severe leg injury casts some doubt on his rookie year. And for an athlete, there will be an additional question over how well he’ll move coming off the injury.

Conclusion

Overall, Travis is a solid prospect whose game may not “wow” in any one area. But he plays from the pocket well, is largely fundamentally sound, and is an impressive athlete who helped turn around the Florida State program. A scheme fit for what the Steelers are looking for, he could essentially redshirt his rookie year. Predicting him to become an NFL starter is a stretch but he could spot start and be a fine backup who can make plays in a West Coast-style system. My NFL comp is Tyrod Taylor.

Projection: Mid-Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 7.6MED – Potential Starter/Good Backup (Third Round)
Games Watched: vs LSU (2023), vs Duke (2023), at Clemson (2023), vs Miami (FL – 2023)