NFL Draft Profile: Sean Clifford, Quarterback, Penn State Nittany Lions

#14
Pos: QB
Ht: 6017
Wt: 6017
Hand: 215
Arm: 912
Wing: 3200
40: 4.65
DOB: 7/14/1998
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
High School: Saint Xavier
Eligibility: 2023

Sean Clifford
Penn State Nittany Lions

One-Liner:

Clifford is an athletic quarterback who can play in a read-option system but doesn't display any high-level arm talent to succeed in the league as a quarterback. He is only athletically inclined for the quarterback position and therefore wouldn’t be able to change positions in the league.

Evaluation: 

A quarterback who is athletically inclined and can use his feet to make plays. He has a solid ability in the read-option system. He uses an above-average key and diagnose to hold edge rushers in check in the read system. When they dive hard he has no problem taking the ball himself. He is fairly solid when it comes to running the ball in open space. He is able to make second-level defenders miss at a high rate. He has slightly above average accuracy when throwing on the move. Clifford does not possess NFL arm talent. He does not have excellent velocity on his ball and he does not have a ton of arm strength. He doesn’t have a lot of touch on his deep ball and is not consistently able to get it there. He also does not do well with reads. He constantly locks eyes with his top target and very rarely moves from there. For a mobile quarterback, he tends to plant his feet in the pocket way too often. There is no sense of movement in the pocket unless he is escaping. Sean Clifford is an athletic read option quarterback who is probably best suited for the college game. Clifford has little to no NFL arm talent and has only shown an ability to succeed in one read/read-option situations. Though listed at 6’2, Clifford plays much smaller than that. The upside for Clifford is only there if he could drastically reinvent his game this next season. His best-case scenario is a Taysom Hill-type role, though that may even be out of reach.

Grade:

UDFA

Background:

Sean Clifford has made a total of thirty-three starts for Penn State in his career and has thrown over eight thousand yards of offense. In 2021, he had three two hundred fifty passing-yard games and was third all-time in a season in passing attempts. Not only has he excelled on the field, but in the classroom earning All-Academic Honors over his Penn State career. At St. Xavier High School he was a two-team captain and won the Division I Ohio State Championship. He is the son of Kelly Burke and John Clifford and earned a degree in Advertising and Public Relations and now is looking to earn his second degree in Journalism.

Latest News:

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Watch: At 23 years old and with 20 career starts already under his belt, Sean Clifford is one of the more seasoned senior quarterbacks in this year’s class. Showing command at the line of scrimmage, changing plays based on the defensive formation, and ensuring he gets his offense’s best player (WR Jahan Dotson) the ball regularly are all aspects of Clifford’s game that demonstrate his maturity and degree of preparedness for the next level. In addition to his smooth set-up, delivery and ability to scan the field, the redshirt senior from Cincinnati is a capable runner who’s already third all-time among PSU quarterbacks in rushing yards. After a disappointing 2020 campaign that saw the Nittany Lions fall under .500, NFL teams are eager to see if Clifford’s experience will elevate his performance against a tough Big Ten schedule, beginning September 4 at Wisconsin. (08/21/21)