Kurtis Rourke, QB

Height: 6'5"
Weight: 223 pounds
Age: 24 years old (October 25th, 2000)

Indiana

Year	Completion %	Yards	TDs	INTs
2024	69.4%	3,042	29	5

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Ohio

Year	Completion %	Yards	TDs	INTs
2020	68.2%	386	3	0
2021	65.3%	1,801	11	7
2022	63.5%	3,257	25	4
2023	69.4%	2,207	11	5

Pros

• Quick release
  A quick release involves multiple factors, including pre-snap processing and the physical ability to create torque without sacrificing accuracy. Rourke excels in a quick passing scheme with defined reads where he can survey the field and confidently get a clean pass off. His time to throw was one of the best in the class, reducing negative plays and bat downs extremely well. His adjusted accuracy rate skyrockets in the short and intermediate game.
  
  
• Playing in structure
  Rourke thrives in structure. Winning with a stellar back-shoulder game that prioritizes his ball placement and control of the ball, Rourke's a bit of a throwback pocket presence because he confidently delivers darts in a defined space. He executes the scheme extremely well and is able to make full-field reads when he's given the time. 
  
  
• Chunk plays off play-action
  He was accurate to all levels and generally to all parts of the field (throwing to his left led to some missed throws and turnover opportunities compared to other sections of the field), but his chunk plays off play-action was the standout feature. Comfortable on RPOs with a quick resetting of his eyes and feet, Rourke generated stellar downfield throws, proving to be a threatening presence when attacking vertically. 

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Cons

• Mobility
  Even before Rourke was dealing with injuries, he was a lumbering presence who could only occasionally buy time inside and outside the pocket. He's not a bad athlete but slow-footed and struggles to accelerate. That leads to a high level of pressures being converted to sacks, so he must compensate with quick decisions and a willingness to check down or throw the ball away. Rourke is a non-factor in the game outside of a tush-push situation where his size is doing the work. 
  
  
• Play under pressure
  His breakout season at Indiana revealed a new upside for Rourke as a passer, but it also showed that his greatest weakness will be an Achilles Heel throughout his career. Getting pressure on Rourke absolutely tanks his effectiveness. His completion rate plummeted from 72% to 48.8% when pressured, and part of the issue is Rourke struggled to identify when and where it was coming from. After playing in college five seasons, plus a redshirt year, Rourke has to have exit plans more consistently and not be put into a blender every time a rusher is sent.
• Injury history
  Rourke played through this past season on a torn ACL, but his journey is filled with other concerning footnotes that cause concern for his durability. He tore his ACL at the end of 2022 as well before toughing it out through 2023 for a mediocre campaign at Ohio. He's tough as nails, without a doubt. But can his body withstand the NFL?

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Player Evaluation

Teams with a stellar offensive line will get a high-end backup in Kurtis Rourke. While the book came out on how to slow him against Ohio State, Rourke's smashing 2024 outbreak redefined his upside and floor. He went from an intriguing fringe prospect to someone who is rosterable for the foreseeable future in the NFL. His injury history will hopefully not prove to be prophetic of a career where Rourke deals with significant setbacks. 

Player Comp: Mason Rudolph with a stronger arm

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A to Z Rankings:

A to Z Big Board Ranking: #7 quarterback

A to Z Draft Grade: 7.10

Draft projection: Late Day 3/UDFA