The Gut Check No.615: Is Tommy DeVito for Real? And What It Means for Daniel Jones

Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran, USA Today Sports

Is Tommy Devito for Real? What You Need to Know First

I didn't study DeVito for the 2023 NFL Draft. I can't tell you whether evaluators missed something about his game at Syracuse and Illinois.

As we know, the quarterback position is the most difficult in sports. There are multiple combinations of factors that can lead to success or failure as a player and a leader. Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts have as many differences as they do similarities. The same is true of Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Allen.

The league is still figuring out how to identify a quarterback who processes information well on the field. While some degree of book-school smarts and information recall on whiteboards are essential, they aren't as important as once thought. They're trying to figure out how to test processing speed away from the field, but the methods are still in their infancy — ask C.J. Stroud, who was condemned for his low scores, or the Browns about Baker Mayfield, who was lauded for his.

To complicate matters further, NFL executives — especially the owners — rush player development. They see the exceptional circumstances of instant success from a rookie and expect the same from their draft picks.

The majority of success stories at the position involve the player getting time away from the field to observe and learn:

• How the team and the position prepare for games.
• How veterans develop their craft away from the facility.
• The greater depth and complexity of NFL playbooks.
• The greater depth, complexity, and athletic abilities of teammates, opponents, and schemes.
• How to build an infrastructure to support their unusual life demands as a professional athlete and celebrity.
• How to manage public and familiar expectations as a rich and famous individual.

They don't teach life skills in college, and those NFL seminars are great for league PR. But dumping that information on them in a matter of days may prove inspiring to learn more, but it is only helpful on a superficial level.

I repeat, most of the great success stories at the position involve time away from the field and then intermittent playing time before becoming the permanent starter. It's equally vital to know that development is rarely linear — especially at the quarterback position.

There are phases of development that often lead to highs and lows. It's why I've taken the time to show you why Trevor Lawrence is a bargain and Brock Purdy is for real. Young quarterbacks often deliver strong production early in their careers because they face defenses not specifically prepared to face them.

As opponents gain and implement more intel on the young quarterbacks, we often see a dip in production. As these passers mature, their production stabilizes. There's no exact timeline for how this happens, but a reasonable estimate for the strong debut, likely regression, and hopeful rebound/growth is 18-30 games.

So, Is Tommy Devito for Real?

The short answer: Yes, he's a viable NFL quarterback. The better answer: It's more likely DeVito is a quality backup with the potential to become a journeyman starter. The best answer: We haven't seen enough from DeVito to label him a future starter, but there are compelling reasons to see if it happens, especially for the Giants.

The compelling reasons are the parts of DeVito's game that have nothing to do with his offensive scheme or the opposing schemes he has faced thus far. His pocket management and footwork are sustainable parts of his game.

DeVito has quick, precise feet. It shows up with his drops, his movement from pressure in the pocket, his ability to reset and fire an accurate ball after avoiding pressure, and even as an open-field runner.