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No. 2 Jake Locker
What was good: It could be said that Jake Locker, at least in college, was a franchise quarterback without a franchise. A four-star prospect out of Ferndale, Washington, Locker committed to the in-state Huskies under Tyrone Willingham, even eschewing a chance to play major-league baseball. He played in all 12 games as a true freshman and combined for 27 touchdowns rushing and passing. He’d do his best to try and carry the Huskies under Willingham, and later help ease the transition to Steve Sarkisian. He finished that career with more than 7,000 passing yards, another 1,000 on the ground and 82 total touchdowns. He would later be drafted eighth overall by the Tennessee Titans.
What was bad: In a lot of ways, the perception of Locker suffers from his high draft selection. But for all his talent, most recognized that Tennessee was likely seeing only potential more than production. Locker’s career passer rating was just 119 — one of the lowest numbers in this bracket — and his career completion rate was a woeful 54 percent. Yes, that’s colored by his struggles under Willingham, but even his best seasons under Sark featured sub-60 percent figures. His successor, Keith Price, was much more successful right out of the shoot in 2011. Locker was a dazzling athlete that had a lot of football skills. He just wasn’t a particularly good passer.
No. 3 Connor Halliday
What was good: As the quarterback Mike Leach inherited when he arrived at Washington State, Halliday had the good fortune to start three years in one of the passiest passing systems to ever pass. And pass he did, to the tune of 11,308 yards and 90 touchdowns. He also still holds the NCAA record for passing yards in a single game, throwing for 734 against Cal in 2014.
What was bad: Well...there’s more to good passing than yards. Halliday finished his career with 50 interceptions and 74 sacks, an overall career rating of just 132.2. Washington State went just 12-25 in his three season as a starter, including one bowl appearance.