Scouting Report: QB Jacob Dolegala, C. Conn. State

*Our QB grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, leaked Wonderlic test results, etc. We will update ratings as new info becomes available.

Jacob Dolegala, a 6’5”/220+ QB prospect from Central Connecticut State, could possibly get selected in the 7th-round of this year’s NFL Draft.  Although he wasn’t at the Senior Bowl, and wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, the mystique of someone his size and with his arm… I’m already seeing/hearing NFL Draft chirpings on him.

So, should he be drafted/should you care? Let’s find out…

Watching the tape…you can talk yourself into this – he is (at least) 6’4”, if not 6’5” (listed 6’6”). He has size and a decent build with a nice throwing motion and touch. He’s like this little hidden gem at the lower levels of college play…ready to grab a scout’s (and draftnik’s) heart.

But… then you look at his numbers – a career 57.6% passer. He barely threw 24 passes per game in 2018…for 16 TDs/6 INTs and just 201.9 yards per game. How, at this low level, could his numbers be so weak?

Ironically, that weak output might actually be a factor that helps Dolegala get drafted – he played for a coach/offense that ran the ball a lot. Dolegala was an underutilized, underdeveloped weapon for CCSU…a QB prospect with NFL tools/size just hidden away – and that might draw attention from the NFL. There is an air of ‘what might be’ mystique with him.

For me, watching his tape, I do see some NFL skills. Definitely has the size. The arm is solid…nice overhand mechanics. The ball comes out fluidly. He has a nice touch, although it’s hard to say whether he’s ‘accurate’ or ‘erratic’ – the plays and players he worked with were very basic. At his best…there is some very good tape of him throwing the ball with velocity and on the money.

Overall, game-by-game, watching Dolegala can be a bit of a mishmash mess to figure out. When the team played anyone of note…Ball State (2018), Syracuse (2017), Youngstown State (2017)…CCSU would get crushed and Dolegala never looked ‘next level’. When Dolegala faced equal competition, he was good/promising but not overwhelming or awe-inspiring. Dolegala, at his best, looks ‘promising’/like something to work with to develop. Never did I watch him play and think I was watching a super-serious NFL QB prospect or aggressive, confident gunslinger from the new era of great, developed throwers. I mostly saw a tall guy with decent mechanics babying along against low level opponents and surroundings.

The scouting summary…or the draft ‘doom’ of Dolegala might be something from a 2017 season event. In 2017, CCSU made the FCS playoffs for the first-time. But Dolegala and another player were suspended the week leading up to the playoff game for a party incident that occurred on campus. CCSU would go on to lose the playoff game (14-to-zip) without Dolegala playing. As a senior (2018), Dolegala would not get his team back to the playoffs.

It’s a stretch to think Dolegala would catch NFL Draft attention to begin with, but this 2017 suspension incident – that might put the final stake in the heart of the sleeper story and cause Dolegala to go undrafted…although he’ll definitely get a training camp invite.

Jacob Dolegala, Through the Lens of Our QB Scouting Algorithm:

Dolegala showed statistical promise in 2016, as a sophomore – 266.7 yards per game passing, fully taking over the team at QB. However, he followed that up with 177.5 passing yards per game in 2017 and then 201.9 yards per game last season/2018. 

The final three games of Dolegala’s college career: 15-14-28 pass attempts in each game (19.0 passes per game) with a 42.1% Comp. Pct. (24-of-57) with 148.7 yards passing per game and 6 TD passes/4 INTs in total. Each of the three games under 47% Comp. Pct.  

It all makes little sense, statistically. How could a real NFL prospect put up such garbage numbers down the stretch? It should make him undraftable, but there’s a minor groundswell of ‘we can fix him’ happening in the NFL scouting community. 

Dolegala has decent feet – 18 rushing TDs in his career, but he’s not a big-time runner. Probably a 4.85+ 40-time runner. 

The Historical QB Prospects to Whom Jacob Dolegala Most Compares Within Our System:

It’s a list (below) of QB prospects that never made a dent in the NFL. A few D1 prospects who showed some hope/promise but haven’t surfaced anywhere. Likely, that’s the Dolegala story – goes to a training camp, bounces around a year or two, doesn’t get the development he needs and goes to the AAF or XFL; if they’re still around in 2-3 years.

*“Adj” = A view of adjusted college output in our system…adjusted for strength of opponent.

**A score of 8.5+ is where we see a stronger correlation of QBs going on to become NFL good-to-great. A scouting score of 9.5+ is rarefied air—higher potential for becoming great-to-elite. 

QBs scoring 6.0–8.0 are finding more success in the new passing era of the NFL (2014–on). Depending upon the system and surrounding weapons, a 6.0–8.0 rated QB can do fine in today’s NFL—with the right circumstances…but they are not ‘the next Tom Brady’ guys, just NFL-useful guys. 

2019 NFL Draft Outlook:

I think there’s a chance a team takes the bait/gamble that Dolegala was held back by his surroundings, and that’s not out of the question. If I had to bet, I’d say he goes undrafted.

If I were an NFL GM, I’d ‘pass’ on Dolegala because I’d want to take chances on guys who force/impose their will on the team and opposing defenses and dumb coaches. Dolegala just quietly played some football at a small college with nary a ripple. 

NFL Outlook:   

Gets a training camp look. Doesn’t make the team but goes onto a practice squad for development but never takes the next step and goes to AAF or XFL and maybe resurfaces years later…but, likely, he just disappears and is forgotten in the NFL circles. 

2/8/2019