Georgia Football: 5 reasons why Jacob Eason will be SEC's top QB in 2017

Georgia football's Jacob Eason, soon to be a sophomore, will be the SEC's top quarterback in 2017, and here's why.

Jacob Eason has a chance to be the SEC's best quarterback in 2017, even though the competition will be stronger this season.

Some teams are completely unsettled at quarterback. At Florida, the starting quarterback could easily be Luke Del Rio, Feleipe Franks or even potential graduate transfer Malik Zaire, who is not even officially on the team.

Some teams face question marks but at least have a clear-cut starter. While Ole Miss lost Chad Kelly, the highly-recruited Shea Patterson steps in to fill Kelly's shoes. With Kelly suffering a season-ending torn ACL, Patterson started the last three games of the season.

The teams with quarterbacks returning after a full season as a starter should be in the best shape. Austin Allen, Drew Lock, Jalen Hurts and Jacob Eason should all have strong statistical seasons and in the case of Hurts and Eason, should take a major step forward in 2017. Eason is the better pure passer of the two, but both were the SEC's only true freshmen quarterbacks to play in every game in 2016.

Jacob Eason will be the SEC's top dog because Georgia's line play will be better—it must if the Bulldogs want a successful season. Eason has one of the strongest arms in the country and should see improved play out of his receivers this season. Also, historically, college quarterbacks show major progress during the sophomore season. Eason is likely to follow that trend. Finally, Georgia's top two running backs should ease the pressure for Eason and open up the passing game.

Here is a closer look at why Jacob Eason will be the SEC's top dog.

Oct 31, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Isaiah Wynn (77) blocks against the Florida Gators during the second half at EverBank Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 27-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

5. Better offensive line play

Just a reminder: Eason threw 2,430 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions as a true freshman behind a weak offensive line. No, he didn't face the same level of pressure Austin Allen endured, but he ranked fifth in the SEC with 21 sacks. Several of those sacks were purely missed assignments by the Georgia offensive line.

While serious questions remain regarding the Georgia offensive line, the unit should be better than in 2016. Isaiah Wynn returns to lead the unit, along with Dyshon Sims, Lamont Gaillard and Solomon Kindley. Wynn is a two-year starter at guard, not a division II transfer—no disrespect to Tyler Catalina. The 2017 unit is bigger and stronger than in 2016.

Most importantly, the 2017 unit has a lot more depth, so there will be backups scrapping to earn playing time if the starters should falter. For example, true freshman Isaiah Wilson might earn a starting role, even though he wasn't an early enrollee. However, if he doesn't earn a starting role, he will be one of the top backups with the kind of talent Smart won't hesitate to throw into a game in a pinch.

Nov 12, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jacob Eason (10) passes against the Auburn Tigers during the second quarter at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Auburn 13-7. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

4. Arm strength

Eason has one of the strongest arms in the nation. Of course, for him to exhibit said arm he needs time to throw the ball, so the first point becomes even more important. At the same time, Eason needs to settle for a short pass in the flats to one of his running backs instead of a 30-plus yard throw when the play calls for it.

Eason threw passes of 30 yards or longer in 11 of 13 games this season. He failed to do so against South Carolina, easily his worst game of the season, and against Ole Miss, a game in which multiple receivers dropped passes.

Ironically, Eason's strongest game of the 2016 season was in a 17-16 loss to Vanderbilt and Eason's longest throw of the game was on the lower end compared to other games in the season. However, he completed 68 percent of his passes, threw for 346 yards, and averaged 8.65 yards per passing attempt, far exceeding his season average of 6.57. Eason also avoided throwing any interceptions.

In short, he threw multiple passes for 20 yards or more but also connected on the intermediate throws when necessary. Eason can unleash the ball when the circumstances are right, but a seasoned quarterback knows when to make those throws.

Oct 1, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Riley Ridley (8) catches a touchdown pass against the Tennessee Volunteers during the last half minute of the game to give Georgia the lead during the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium. Tennessee defeated Georgia 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

3. Wide receivers

Georgia lost a lot of speed with NFL draftee Isaiah McKenzie, but Reggie Davis' numerous drops beguiled fans. In fact, Davis wasn't the only one. Multiple returning players were questioned at various times for numerous dropped passes last season.

With McKenzie and Davis' loss, Terry Godwin likely becomes the team's top receiver and Riley Ridley should get a lot more playing time. Godwin was Georgia's second-leading receiver with 38 receptions for 397 yards. Ridley led the team in yards per catch at 19.8. Javon Wims should also take on a bigger role.

Finally, the early enrollee with the biggest buzz is JJ Holloman. Holloman and Wims give Eason two big, tall targets, while Godwin and Ridley have the speed to replace McKenzie and Davis.

If expanding the conversation to possible targets not strictly considered wide receivers, Eason built a strong bond with fellow freshman and tight end Isaac Nauta last season with Nauta being the Bulldogs' third-leading receiver with 29 receptions for 361 yards. His numbers could be even stronger this season.

Apr 22, 2017; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs black team quarterback Jacob Eason (10) walks off the field at halftime during the Georgia Spring Game at Sanford Stadium. Red defeated Black 25-22. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

2. Experience

Eason has received a lot of criticism, but a fuller picture reveals he put up strong numbers for a true freshman who now has 12 starts under his belt. Matthew Stafford, who went on to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, completed just 53 percent of his passes during his freshman year.

Stafford's freshman year wasn't too dissimilar from Eason's year in that Stafford made throws not often seen from a freshman but also made plenty of youthful mistakes. Stafford made big strides in both his sophomore and junior seasons. Stafford's total passing yards went from 1,749 to 2,523 to 3,459 from freshman to sophomore to junior year. His completion percentage went up from 53 percent to 56 percent to 61 percent.

Even a dissimilar quarterback like Peyton Manning showed a major progression from his true freshman year to his sophomore season. Manning went from 1,141 passing yards and 11 touchdowns to 2,954 passing yards and 22 touchdowns.

It is impossible to see how much of an improvement Eason will make but he is likely to see improvement.

Nov 19, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) celebrates with quarterback Jacob Eason (10) after scoring a touchdown against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 35-21. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

1. Running backs

Again, Georgia is counting heavily on the offensive line. Just one of the reasons for this is the team has one of the strongest running back tandems in the SEC in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

An improved running game should alleviate some of the pressure on Eason. If teams know Georgia is running the ball, they will stack the box. Eason operated out of the shotgun for most of his freshman season, but he should be comfortable taking snaps under center by the start of the 2017 season.

The best quarterbacks usually have strong run games behind them and it could be argued that Georgia has the best in the conference. Chubb was once considered a Heisman candidate and even after his injury, Michel stepped up and picked up right where his running back mate left off. These two are going to take a ton of pressure off Eason in 2017.

This is important because it will keep teams more honest. If Eason can sell the play-action more effectively and the running game is more effective, that will open up more passing opportunities.