Jarrett Stidham stepped in as Auburn’s quarterback last fall and made an immediate impact, playing better as the year wore on and leading the Tigers to huge regular-season wins over Georgia and Alabama.

There were rumors that he was going to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft, but he quickly put those to rest by announcing he would return for at least one more season on The Plains.

On Wednesday, though, NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein joined “3 Man Front” on WJOX and said he thinks Stidham could very well have been a first-round pick this April had he declared:

“You have to compare him to the other guys,” Zierlein said. “I think his football makeup would have checked above Rosen’s. I think he probably would have fit behind Josh Allen from a size and arm talent — and I’m talking about where ultimately they get drafted. I think he would have fit ahead of Lamar Jackson and ahead of Mason Rudolph, for sure. My guess would have been that he would have had a chance to work his way up, potentially even ahead of Rosen, who I think is sliding a little bit. My guess would be, worst-case scenario, he would be the fifth quarterback off the board at back end of the first. Best case scenario, he could have moved his way into the middle of the first round.”

However, Zierlein then added that a solid season out of Stidham could have him in the top-10 discussion for the 2019 NFL Draft:

“That said, if he goes and does what he’s capable of doing at Auburn, we’re talking about him as a top-10 pick next year,” he said.

If Stidham does indeed enter the top-10 pick discussion for next year, he’ll likely declare for the draft. Before that, though, he has some unfinished business at Auburn.