Jayden Maiava had a strong season last year. With his numbers, he should be sitting at the top of the quarterback rankings. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In his great showing last season, there were still some lows. If he improves on those fronts, his NFL draft stock could skyrocket.
In a recent article, analyst Jordan Reid took a look at what Jayden Maiava needs to improve on for the upcoming season. Here is what Reid had to say on Maiava:
“When Maiava struggled last season, he tended to compound mistakes and create bigger issues. His completion percentage dropped to 50.8% when he was pressured, and constant misses resulting from pressure led to unsettled feet, an uneven base and more inaccuracy. He’s also a below-average athlete and isn’t a passer who can consistently create outside of the normal designs of the offense. This minimizes his margin for error and magnifies the amount of protection that will be needed around him.”
In the games the Trojans lost last season, when the offense was out of control and mistakes occurred, Maiava could not get the team out of that. His mistakes kept coming one after the other. The Notre Dame game is a perfect example of that. Maiava is the leader of this offense, and another year under his belt should help the cause. One thing still remains: how far this team goes falls right in his hands. If he can control the mistakes and be consistent, the Trojans will be in the College Football Playoff.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Jayden Maiava needs to clean up his game for Trojans to take next step
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
