Mel Kiper downplays concerns of John Mateer's size at the NFL level

John Mateer has established himself as one of college football’s most dynamic quarterbacks through three weeks this season. But is the new Sooners signal caller NFL material?

There has been some concern that the Oklahoma QB, who stands at 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds, doesn’t have the size required to be successful in the NFL. ESPN’s longtime NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. pushed back against this criticism, and instead pointed toward Mateer’s athleticism as to why he could find himself playing on Sundays in the near future.

“He can do things in ways that no other quarterback can,” Kiper told Field Yates and Seth Greenberg on First Draft. “And some of the jump throws, some of the things he does, some of those magical throws, those just wow throws — you say ‘What? How does he see that? Why did he do that?’ But he did it, and he does things that nobody else has done.

“So, Mateer is 6-foot-1, 225 (pounds), or whatever he is. It doesn’t matter — he can run. He had 800-plus yards rushing at Washington State. This is a kid who can beat you with his legs. He will make any throw and he’s fearless throwing the football.”

So far, Mateer has completed 67.6% (71-105) of his passing attempts for 944 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. The Sooners will hope to see him cut back on turnovers as the season progresses. Still, the Sooners are 3-0 in large part to Mateer’s heroics. Lewis has been a pivotal piece to his early season success.

Still, Kiper wants Mateer to improve on his accuracy before entering the 2026 NFL Draft. However, Kiper chalked this up to the various arm angles Mateer utilizes during his throwing motion depending on the situation. Through three games it hasn’t impacted his completion percentage too much, and is slightly above his career average (65.8%).

Before arriving on campus, Mateer finished the 2024 season at Washington State having thrown for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also showcased his ability to run the football having scored an additional 15 touchdowns on the ground to go along with 826 rushing yards.

He appears to be on pace to produce similar, if not greater numbers at Oklahoma this season. He’s currently the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, per BetMGM, and has the Sooners off to a 3-0 start. He’ll look led the Sooners to victory against on Saturday, this time in the SEC opener against Auburn at home.