Admit it; Wisconsin Badgers QB Graham Mertz has improved
Through three non-conference games, Badgers QB Graham Mertz looks much improved:
Madison, Wis. – It’s hard to think of a player who joined the Wisconsin football program with higher expectations than quarterback Graham Mertz.
Rated as the highest QB recruit in school history, many viewed Mertz as the messiah, sent to help UW make the leap from consistently good – to great.
As a junior, Mertz was a net negative at QB, throwing for 1,958 yards with 10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 121.3 passer rating.
You can read a deep dive into Mertz’s struggles here.
The former four-star recruit displayed poor mechanics, held the ball too long, and often failed to make the right reads. In addition, he only had three games last season where he attempted 25 or more passes in a game – all three resulted in losses.
Coach Chryst didn’t trust Mertz to lead Wisconsin’s passing attack – that much was evident.
I think it’s fair to say the 6-foot-3, 223-pound QB has fallen short of his astronomical expectations to this point, and I’m sure he’d be the first person to tell you that. But don’t write him off just yet; he still has plenty of time to rewrite his narrative at UW.
During the offseason, Mertz took a long look in the mirror and knew he had to be better for himself, his teammates, and the program.
The Kansas native had the gumption (thanks for the vocabulary boost SGT Altschwager) to put in the work to improve his game and take on a more prominent leadership role within the program – and the early returns have been very promising.
The early returns...
It’s hard to judge a player’s development after only three games, but this looks like an entirely different Graham Mertz.
During non-conference play, the redshirt junior has completed 71% of his passes for 697 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Not to mention, he also ranks fifth nationally in passing efficiency (190.9).
In addition to his efficient play, he’s also passed the ‘eye test,’ helping paint an important picture – that Mertz, who was one of the program’s most significant question marks, has improved, perhaps even drastically.
After re-watching all of Wisconsin’s non-conference games, Mertz appears to be more comfortable in the pocket, working through his progressions and trusting his arm/what he sees on the field.
First-year offensive coordinator Bobby Engram has allowed Mertz to push the ball downfield this season – which has helped open up the entire offense.
According to Pro Football Focus, Mertz has completed 9-of-11 passes (81.8%) that have traveled 20+ yards in the air with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
For comparison, last season, he completed just 11-of-41 attempts 20+ yards downfield (26.8%) with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
His performance against higher-level opponents will ultimately determine Wisconsin’s offensive ceiling, but there have been obvious signs of growth from last season.
Where things go from here:
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