Daniel Kelly: Gophers’ QB Drake Lindsey Leaves Lasting Impression

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BleedGopher

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Per Kelly:

University of Minnesota quarterback (QB) Drake Lindsey closed out the season in dramatic fashion. He threw one of his best-looking passes of the season.

I’m still trying to figure out⎯

Was it luck?

–or–

Was it skill?

Either way, Lindsey threw it, and his team won 20-17 in overtime.

It was a big league pass.

How did Lindsey look the rest of the season on game film?​

Too inconsistent.

Did he do some things well from an NFL perspective?

Yes.

Did he struggle with doing other things from an NFL perspective?

Yes.

Flashed NFL-level starting quarterback upside​

Keyword: flashed.

There was enough to Lindsey at this point in his development to lead me to believe he has some redeeming NFL value. He did some good things where I was like, “Yeah, okay…”

But again, at the risk of sounding repetitive, I repeat, he flashed these things. In other words, it wasn’t dependable.

But it was enough to leave me intrigued.

What NFL traits did Lindsey flash?​

  • Got to his second or third reads
  • Ability to get the ball out of his hand faster
  • Throws with anticipation
  • Layering passes (sometimes he puts extra “loft” on his passes to get them above the reach of defenders)

Decision-making woes​

This is where the Lindsey hype train goes off the tracks for me.

One of the most important traits an NFL starter (or backup) has to have is the ability to make good throwing decisions.

Time and time again⎯

Consistently⎯

Lindsey kept making poor throwing decisions with the football.

I was like, “Oh no, why did you throw that pass?”

“What were you thinking?”

What was the second-worst thing about Lindsey’s game?​

Lindsey left a lot to be desired when he was under pressure. His throwing mechanics tended to go out the window. He rushed his throws and made some throws “falling away.”

I’m not making this stuff up either.

Pro Football Focus confirmed the game film. Lindsey’s “under pressure” completion percentage this past season was 44.7%.

Ball security concerns​

TAKE CARE OF THE FOOTBALL.

This is another really important thing for quarterbacks to do in the NFL.

Unfortunately, this is another issue for Lindsey.

In addition to Lindsey’s six interceptions last season, I chicken-scratched an additional 34 passes of his that were broken up (PBUs) in the 12 games of film that were available (2.83 PBUs per game average).

Downfield inaccuracy​

Another concern?

Yep.

Lindsey’s downfield throwing capabilities were not up to par.

I chicken-scratched 39 attempts that traveled 20+ air yards.

How many of these did he complete?

11.

That’s 28.2%.

Yet, I still like him…​

But at the right value.

I’m not as high on Lindsey as the “consensus.” They have him as a second-round value (NFL Mock Draft Database).

No way. No how.

However, I still have a “feeling” about Lindsey. The moments he “flashed” were that good.

He left me wanting to see more.


#5 Drake Lindsey 6-foot-5, 230 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2026 Spring Grade: Sixth-Round (I would select him)
firstroundmock.com

Gophers' QB Drake Lindsey Leaves Lasting Impression

Watch 12 games of University of Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey during the 2025 season embedded in this article.
firstroundmock.com firstroundmock.com

Go Gophers!!
 



“Oh no, why did you throw that pass?”

“What were you thinking?”

This is part of what the author of this article came away with…
I thought that part of his game was his strong suit for being a young BIG qb.
 

How to lie with stats

What I saw was a guy getting pressured all the time. What percent of dropbacks were allowed 2.5 seconds or less. I perceived a receiving corps that didn’t do him any favors, way too often. How would he look, eg on the 2023 Michigan team. Better? Same?

Outside of the Iowa debacle not many “bad” outings for a young player. Interested to see what they do in year 2.
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
It's almost like Drake was a redshirt freshman last year
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Yeah, even a second round grade is still really high praise for a guy who was a redshirt freshman and first time starter last year. Drake still has a ton of developing to do and is probably just scratching the surface of the QB he could eventually become.

For whatever reason people seem to gloss over the youth angle when they discuss Drake as an NFL prospect. To me he would be crazy to come out after the 2026 season unless he was a sure fire top pick because he would be much better suited continuing to develop in college.
 

Hope we can back a brinks truck up so he doesn’t feel pressured to go to NFL next year..
I really do feel he’ll have that kind of success this year.
 






MNVCGUY said:
Yeah, even a second round grade is still really high praise for a guy who was a redshirt freshman and first time starter last year. Drake still has a ton of developing to do and is probably just scratching the surface of the QB he could eventually become.

For whatever reason people seem to gloss over the youth angle when they discuss Drake as an NFL prospect. To me he would be crazy to come out after the 2026 season unless he was a sure fire top pick because he would be much better suited continuing to develop in college.
Click to expand...

Most people struggle to project
 






gopherbadgerman said:
Just my opinion but the NFL seems to draft on potential and not on college production
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100%. College production certainly factors into things but there is also a ton of projection into the player they think you are going to be. It was why a guy like Mafe got drafted as early as he did. He had a decent college career but he got drafted where he did based on what teams thought/think he is going to become.
 

Interesting tread. My problem wirh him is that he is slow as hell. There is no cure for that. He will always struggle with a good pass rush (as will of lot of college QB's), and he cannot make a play with his feet. It would be nice if we were able to protect him well enough so that his lack of running ability and escapability are not exposed. That being said, we obviously do not have a better option at QB. Go Gophers!
 

Drake being included in NFL draft is way too premature. He needs to develop surrounded by a decent supportive cast. Lets hope both happen in 2026. If so, then lets talk.
 

denguegopher said:
Interesting tread. My problem wirh him is that he is slow as hell. There is no cure for that. He will always struggle with a good pass rush (as will of lot of college QB's), and he cannot make a play with his feet. It would be nice if we were able to protect him well enough so that his lack of running ability and escapability are not exposed. That being said, we obviously do not have a better option at QB. Go Gophers!
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Lindsey has a reported 4.70 40 time (not sure how reliable - https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Drake-Lindsey-QB-Minnesota) and Patrick Mahomes ran a 4.8 at the NFL combine. Mahomes seems to be ok with his lack of speed.
 

GopherTheJugular said:
His family is by no means needing NFL money.
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About to say I met Drakes girlfriends family at the bowl game, she's a cheerleader here and they've been together since middle school, but Drakes family owns half the real estate in Little Rock and are pretty much the only reason Arkansas still plays a game there once a year. One of the family members told me Drake had a three million dollar offer to go to Tennessee but he turned it down because Drake loves Fleck, has a pretty good deal here and believes this is where he can develop
 

GoldRush said:
Lindsey has a reported 4.70 40 time (not sure how reliable - https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Drake-Lindsey-QB-Minnesota) and Patrick Mahomes ran a 4.8 at the NFL combine. Mahomes seems to be ok with his lack of speed.
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Let's hope so. Maybe it's a lack of "escapability." I do have an untested and unproven hypothesis. I keep thinking about that TD run he had into the west endzone at the Bank. If his grandfather was an NFL running back there is a good possibility that Drake has inherited some fast twitch muscle fibers. On that run it looked slow. He looked slower than 4.7. My hypothesis is that he he saw the end zone, panicked and held his breath while running. That slowed him. I think that the should concentrate on this breathing while running and his 4.7 speed will emerge. I would love to hear more from someone who knows about sprinting.
 

denguegopher said:
Let's hope so. Maybe it's a lack of "escapability." I do have an untested and unproven hypothesis. I keep thinking about that TD run he had into the west endzone at the Bank. If his grandfather was an NFL running back there is a good possibility that Drake has inherited some fast twitch muscle fibers. On that run it looked slow. He looked slower than 4.7. My hypothesis is that he he saw the end zone, panicked and held his breath while running. That slowed him. I think that the should concentrate on this breathing while running and his 4.7 speed will emerge. I would love to hear more from someone who knows about sprinting.
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Very short answer is that sprinting is anaerobic. So the breathing won't really help him go faster. Stored energy transfers help with quick bursts for sprinting relatively short distances/times.
 

GopherPoke said:
Very short answer is that sprinting is anaerobic. So the breathing won't really help him go faster. Stored energy transfers help with quick bursts for sprinting relatively short distances/times.
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OK. but will not breathing, perhaps, cause him to run slower? Yes, sprinting is anaerobic, and enhancing his VO2Max will not be associated with him sprinting faster.
 



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