ESPN NFL analyst and Elite 11 coach Trent Dilfer joined The SDS Podcast on behalf of Panini America, which is the exclusive trading card partner of the NFL and NFLPA. Fans can collect Panini trading cards featuring the top rookies selected on draft nights. You can get them online at iCollectPanini.com or go to hobby shops nationwide and at retailers like Walmart and Target. The interview was condensed for reading purposes, but the full version can be found on the latest episode of The SDS Podcast.

SDS — You have a unique perspective because you’ve seen a lot of these guys at the Elite 11 quarterback camp. You had Jake Fromm and Tua Tagovailoa there in 2016. What did you think about them as prospects?

DILFER — So one of the more fun years we had was with those guys. Very different players, but both kind of similar mentalities. They’re the coolest kids ever. Kids gravitate toward their leadership qualities.

Jake’s the kid that can be hunting and fishing with his boys, or he could be at a frat party, or he could be with adults and hold a conversation, or he could be on TV and handle his stuff. He can just do anything that you ask him to do from a personality standpoint. And he’s a really gifted passer.

Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

He’s kind of in that Drew Brees, Baker Mayfield-mold of deadly accurate, makes great decisions, he’s gonna be the captain of the ship. That’s why (Fromm) had so much success at a young age.

Tua, in my eight years doing this, is the most unique prospect that I’ve ever coached. He can learn faster than anybody I’ve ever seen learn. He can change. Jeff Tedford was my quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator when I was in college. He would always tell me if you want to be a great quarterback, you’ve gotta be able to change the next rep. It’s OK that you made a mistake, but you’ve got to change the next rep, and if you can learn that fast, your ceiling is super high.

"I think Tua could go through his college career and never lose a game. I think he's that kind of talent with the right supporting cast. I honestly could envision an Alabama team that beats everybody 50-3 with Tua as the quarterback. I just think he's that kind of good."
NFL analyst Trent Dilfer

Tua is that guy. He can change each rep, he can learn from a mistake, completely correct it and not make the same mistake again. He’s got as unique of a release combined with arm strength that I’ve ever seen. It’s Aaron Rodgers-esque, if not better. (Tua) can play in tight quarters, he can threaten every area of the field.

Think about how dynamic Alabama can be if you can threaten sideline to sideline, end zone to end zone with the passing game. You already have the five best running backs in the country, the 12 best offensive linemen, the three best wide receivers, the four best tight ends. You know what I mean? You’ve got 37 coaches that they call “analysts.” You have everything. What they haven’t had is the ability to threaten sideline to sideline, end zone to end zone with the passing game. That’s what Tua brings.

People said that I’m being hyperbolic with this comment, but I think Tua could go through his college career and never lose a game. I think he’s that kind of talent with the right supporting cast. I honestly could envision an Alabama team that beats everybody 50-3 with Tua as the quarterback. I just think he’s that kind of good. I could be wrong, but that’s what I think.

SDS — That’s some seriously high praise. I might know the answer to this question, but if I could give you Tua or Fromm to build your team around today, who would that guy be?

DILFER — Oh, Tua. I’m on record saying I think he’s the best guy we’ve ever coached. I mean, Jameis Winston, Jared Goff, half the NFL is our guys right now. Deshaun Watson would be one of the top guys. Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, I could go on and on and on. Basically every Power 5 starter and every NFL guy has been through the process of Elite 11. Tua’s the best I’ve ever seen.

Now, he’s only 6-feet tall so maybe at some point, that holds him up. I don’t think it will. He’s also one of the best humans I’ve ever been around. His faith is so authentic and so infectious that he makes everyone around him feel better. You just see him with his teammates. It’s remarkable how he can bring people together.

"Tua has got as unique of a release combined with arm strength that I've ever seen. It's Aaron Rodgers-esque, if not better."
NFL analyst Trent Dilfer

Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

He’s just got “it.” Whatever “it” is. We did the documentary a few years ago and called it “The ‘It’ Factor.” We tried to somehow define this esoteric term of “it.” I made a joke. I said we should’ve just put a picture of Tua up instead of trying to explain it. Because he has “it.”

SDS — Getting back to Jake Fromm real quick, wasn’t it you who was responsible for his Twitter handle “Jake from State Fromm” that he ultimately changed it to?

DILFER — OK, so I’m gonna say this for the first time publicly. I stole that from (former LSU quarterback) Craig Nall. I take full credit for it publicly. I’m the one who took all the credit for somebody else’s great idea and I kill Craig about this. Craig is one of our great coaches at Elite 11. He played in the NFL for 7-8 years. Kids love him. He’s a fantastic coach and he has an unbelievable sense of humor.

"Justin Fields is a unique talent. He's a great Russell Wilson comparison. He's an elite athlete. His physical makeup is spectacular. You really can't punch holes in it. He's big, thick, strong, fast, twitchy, you name it. Every athletic trait that you could want, he has."
NFL analyst Trent Dilfer

One night, we’re sitting there. We stay up all night at Elite 11 to talk and evaluate and hang out. One night, out of the blue, Craig goes, “Jake from State Fromm” and literally, a room full of coaches just died. So I was smart enough to go up the next day and be the loudest person saying it. So everybody gave me credit for it and it made me look way funnier than I am, and then he ends up changing his Twitter handle to it.

But I’ve gotta come clean and say that I stole it from Craig Nall.

SDS — You also had Justin Fields there in 2017 and like Tua, he also was the MVP of the camp. What have you seen from him and the second part is who do you think projects more as a first-round quarterback between he and Fromm?

DILFER — Now we’re gonna have some controversy. Justin Fields is a unique talent. He’s a great Russell Wilson comparison. He’s an elite athlete. His physical makeup is spectacular. You really can’t punch holes in it. He’s big, thick, strong, fast, twitchy, you name it. Every athletic trait that you could want, he has. He’s got Jake’s cool, calm, no-flinch demeanor. He, like Jake, is really good with his teammates. He’s one of those guys who everyone kind of gravitates toward.

I learned this about him. I didn’t know until he got to Elite 11, but he is a very intuitive quarterback. He sees things that he shouldn’t see. He makes throws that are very graduate-level throws. He has what I call “supreme physical confidence.” He knows that he can get out of a jam so he can take a little more time letting things evolve. You can see that watching his high school tape. There’s a calmness to him that if all hell breaks loose, I can make something happen with my supreme talent.

He’s a very, very special prospect. I like the SEC. I like Georgia. I don’t really try to take sides. I was bummed to see him go to Georgia because naturally there’s going to be this controversy now, which is unfortunate because you have two really special quarterbacks on the roster and the reality of it is that one of them won’t be there long-term.

I’m just saddened by that because I wish that (Fromm and Fields) could play against each other. That’s what I’d like to see.

SDS — Let’s finish with the NFL Draft. You’re a quarterback guy, and even better, you’re a former Cleveland Browns quarterback. Who would you take No. 1 overall if you were the Browns?

DILFER — Thirty-thousand foot view. I don’t think they can go wrong. I love this quarterback class. I think there’s good reasons to draft (Sam) Darnold, (Josh) Rosen, (Josh) Allen and maybe even Baker (Mayfield), though I don’t think I would draft Baker at No. 1.

I think it should be Darnold and here’s why. From a physical standpoint, he’s got all the stuff it takes and his carelessness in the pocket with the ball can be fixed. I think the Browns’ quarterback has to have a certain mentality. I lived it. I was one of the failures. That’s a city that really hasn’t had high-level quarterback play since Bernie Kosar, so they need a figure head, a person that can handle the weight and the burden of being that guy as much as they need a player.

I think that’s what Sam is. Sam is that cool kid that makes everybody around him feel better. You’re just more comfortable when you’re with Sam. Nothing fazes him. Failure won’t faze him. Success won’t faze him. Pressure won’t faze him. He just that no-flinch guy who’s going to survive that pressure-filled moment, and one day thrive. That’s the easiest way that I can explain Sam Darnold. For those reasons, I think Sam should be the quarterback.

Now, if you go with Allen, who’s a wild talent, you’ve just got to be patient. He’s just not ready to play right away. He needs a year, year and a half to harness this raw horsepower that he has, which is unique.

And Rosen, I just don’t know if that’s the right fit. I think Rosen needs to go to a highly-sophisticated, big-market city like New York where the energy of the city, the pressure of the city, the scrutiny of the city is gonna bring out the best in him.

That’d be my Reader’s Digest analysis of where these guys should go and where they’d fit.