Potential top draft pick Justin Herbert has been rumored to be leaning toward staying at Oregon for his senior season for months.
Now, yet another report has emerged indicating the junior quarterback is going to come back for another season in Eugene.
I'm hardly first on this sentiment, as I know it has become the general expectation amongst draft media, but I have been told Justin Herbert is "leaning heavily" toward returning to Oregon for his senior year. Sounds like a final decision won't come until after the bowl game.
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) December 7, 2018
This makes some sense. As talented as Herbert is — check out these insane NFL-caliber throws — the junior hasn’t had much experience starting for the Ducks. He’s still very raw and could use another year at a major college program to sharpen up his game before being thrown into the deep end.
Then there’s the matter of his brother, Patrick, a four-star tight end who is coming to Oregon in 2019 to play for the Ducks. A family friend said early during the 2018 season that Justin would be very strongly leaning toward returning, with the chance to play with his brother high on the list of reasons why.
If he does make the decision to come out of school early, then Herbert will likely be picked very early, if not be the No. 1 overall pick. His arm talent is right up there with the best we’ve seen in years, and he’s a phenomenal athlete to boot. But staying in school could end up being very beneficial in the long run, both from a personal and professional standpoint.