Daniel Jeremiah said he wouldn't be shocked if someone drafted Lewerke in the fourth or fifth but he had concerns.
“He’s a late-round player, he’s a seventh-round, free-agent type player for me. Although, I will say this, I’ve talked to some folks around the league, there’s some quarterback coaches that have fallen in love with this kid. I say that in terms of like fourth, fifth round. It would not shock me if he went a little bit higher than I think he would. He’s got nice velocity, I just had concern about his touch and decision making, I thought he held the ball a little bit too long. That was my concerns with him, but I would not be surprised if he ended up going a little bit higher than I have him.”
Since scouts have proven to be wrong too often to ignore, I'm a list multiple rankings if possible. So what do we know about the Patriots undrafted quarterback?
In 2015 Brian Lewerke was a four star quarterback ranked 239 out of high school. That's 237 spots behind Jarrett Stidham of that year.
In 2016, Lewerke only played in 4 games and wasn't ranked prior to the season. Fractured his tibia in 2016.
In 2017 PFF had Lewerke ranked 46 entering the season. During the season, he was good enough to be put on the Hiesman watch list.
Lewerke Completed 59.7 of his passes for 2793 yards with 20 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 559 yards and 1 touchdown, averaging 4.5 yards a carry.
In 2018 he entered at 44 by PFF. 12th by Athlon sports, 20th by Fanside, 14th by slortsnaut, 11th by fan buzz; While NCAA.com ranked him the second best quarterback in the big 10.
Lewerke's stats took a hit. Only playing in 11 games, he completed 54.4% of his passes for 2047 with 8 touchdowns and 11 Interceptions. On the ground he picked up 184 yards and 2 touchdowns. Lewerke suffered a shoulder injury in 2018.
In 2019 PFF ranked Lewerke 76 in the nation but by October he had moved up to 44th. Athlon sports ranked Lewerke 37th, 61st by the sports gambling data base.
Lewerke completed 59.6% of his passes for 3079 yards with 17 touchdowns and 13 Interceptions.
Entering the NFL draft Athlon sports ranked Lewerke the 18th best quarterback in the draft. Walter football had him ranked 19th, drafttek 16th, 11th by the athletic, 9th by Sporting news, 10th by CBS, 22nd PFN, and 15th by sports illustrated. All and all not great rankings for a guy who was on the Hiesman watch list for part of 2017.
Lewerke left college completing 57.7% of his passes for 8293 yards with 47 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. He also rushed for 1255 yards and 10 touchdowns.
While Lewerke dealt with injuries, he had some promising things about him. He is a two time team captain. Who set records at Michigan St.
Patrick Conn of the draft wire wrote
"Lewerke has the leadership aspect to his game that teams will love. He was a three-year starter after sitting his first two seasons in East Lansing. He finished his career voted captain twice. In the pocket, he shows good pocket awareness. Will climb the pocket or move laterally to find time to release the ball. Has good touch on his throws with adequate arm strength for a NFL quarterback.
Lewerke isn’t just a passer, as he can run the football. Can show some toughness on the runs. Can play in an offense that runs with zone reads and read options with the ability to attack with his legs and arms. As far as his platform, throws from good platform. Doesn’t see a drop in play from speeding up mechanics with pressure."
Sikkema of the draft Network wrote the following of Lewerke,
"Truly a fearless passer. Lewerke can put adequate zip on passes and even get the ball down the field a decent ways, and isn’t afraid to do either when the situation calls for it. He also throws with touch better than any quarterback in the class. When his touch throws are on, few in the class can complete some of the timing passes (fade routes, back shoulder throws, over-the-top passes) Lewerke can. Is mobile enough to escape pressure and keep plays alive."
Alexander Haynes of Last word declared the Patriots 2020 undrafted free agent a career backup.
"A strong arm and his time as a starter in a pro-style system will make Lewerke a tempting free-agent option for coaches. Those who are bullish on him will cite the chaos in the Michigan State system, and the fact he has the base traits needed for a functional system to properly mentor him. He has been working with NFL Network analyst and former quarterbackSage Rosenfels this off-season, in hopes of refining mechanics. Working with a patient coach could push him to a nice career as a backup."
His NFL comparisons was Brian Hoyer, who is on a one year deal and probably wont be back. If Lewerke can find his way on to the practice squad in 2020, the Patriots may have their future backup for the next several seasons.
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