Jordan Rodgers makes case for John Mateer as No. 1 NFL Draft pick if healthy

The Oklahoma Sooners pulled John Mateer out of the Transfer Portal this past offseason, and he took 2025 by storm. At one point, he seemed like a sure-fire Heisman candidate. Then, he injured his hand and needed surgery.

Rodgers would returns quickly, just over two weeks after surgery, to play in Red River. There, he struggled with turnovers, and Oklahoma had its worst offensive performance of the season. Those struggles made the injury to his throwing hand stand in the spotlight.

Despite that performance, ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers is still very high on John Mateer. In fact, as he explained during an appearance on Get Up this Wednesday, Rodgers still thinks that Mateer is going to be the top-ranked quarterback in the NFL Draft. That is, assuming he’s healthy.

“Look, I still think a healthy John Mateer is the best quarterback in the country,” Jordan Rodgers said. “And I’d have him as my No. 1 overall pick. I know that sounds crazy after what we just saw against [Texas], but that interception you just saw [on screen], he misses short and to the right. His grip was obviously affecting the ball and the way it came out. That’s not a throw off platform that John Mateer misses when he’s healthy. Then, decision making, just got the better of him in a game where there was a lot of pressure, and he was trying to do everything himself. Not 100 percent.”

In the loss to Texas, Mateer completed just 20 of 38 passes for 202 yards and three interceptions. He also rushed for five yards on 14 carries, which includes sacks. That comes in a season where Mateer is completing 64.2 percent of his passes for 1,417 yards and six touchdowns to six interceptions. He’s also rushed for 195 yards and five touchdowns on the season.

“There’s still not a quarterback that plays better off-platform,” Rodgers said. “Plays better when things break down, and has the athleticism to take off and run and beat you and make you miss in the open field like John Mateer has. That’s why I still think very, very highly of him when it comes to the NFL Draft next year. He’d still be my No. 1 when he’s healthy.”

John Mateer blames eyes, not hand, for poor performance vs. Texas

Oklahoma received plenty of criticism after Red River for playing John Mateer. That was either because it seemed to put him at risk or because he wasn’t healthy enough to play well. However, Mateer himself downplayed those concerns. Instead, he felt the issues he had were mental and not physical.

“Yeah, the pain level is nothing,” John Mateer said. “There’s no excuse. I was ready to go physically, but mentally I just didn’t perform. My eyes weren’t as good as they needed to be, and when your quarterback doesn’t play good football, it’s hard to win in this league. That’s what happened. Honored to play in the game, get to see the atmosphere. But I just didn’t play good enough.”

How John Mateer plays moving forward, and if that hand continues to bother him, remains to be seen. The Sooners are on the road next week, taking on South Carolina as they continue SEC play.