2025 NFL Draft Quarterback Scouting Report - Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
Hey all,
Back with another edition of my 2025 NFL Draft QB Scouting Series! This week, I’ll be covering one of the biggest risers from the 2025 season, Indiana quarterback, Kurtis Rourke. I have the full written eval below. If you want to check out the YouTube video for Rourke, you can check it out with the link below:
Kurtis Rourke, Indiana
Height: 6’5”; Weight: 223 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 24 years and 6 months
Class: Redshirt Fifth-Year Senior
Overall Grade: 2.67/4 (May Have a Future Role)
2024 Stats:
Passing: 222/320 (69.4%); 3042 yards; 29 TDs; 5 INTs
Rushing: 46 carries; -35 yards; 2 TDs; 5 Fumbles
2024 Games Charted: Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame
Totals from Games Charted:
Short Throw Accuracy on Platform: 40/44 (90.91%)
Short Throw Accuracy off Platform: 13/22 (59.09%)
Medium Throw Accuracy on Platform: 73/92 (79.35%)
Medium Throw Accuracy off Platform: 3/4 (75%)
Intermediate Throw Accuracy on Platform: 32/52 (61.54%)
Intermediate Accuracy off Platform: N/A
Deep Throw Accuracy on Platform: 5/12 (41.67%)
Deep Throw Accuracy off Platform: N/A
Left Side of Field Accuracy: 60/78 (76.92%)
Middle of Field Accuracy: 37/46 (80.43%)
Right Side of Field Accuracy: 69/102 (67.65%)
Total Field Accuracy: 166/226 (73.45%)
On Platform, Way Off Target Throws (Vertical/Horizontal): 3/5 (0.75/1.25 per game)
Off Platform, Way Off Target Throws (Vertical/Horizontal): 0/1 (0/0.25 per game)
Sacks/Fumbles: 12/2 (3/0.5 per game)
Deflections/Pass Interference: 4/6 (1/1.5 per game)
Throwaways/INTs/Dropped INTs: 2/2/2 (0.5/0.5/0.5 per game)
Drops: 10 (2.5 per game)
Designed Runs/Scrambles: 4/3 (1/0.75 per game)
Success vs Blitz: 23/50 (46%)
Success vs Pressure: 31/65 (47.69%)
Footwork: A-
Pocket Presence: B
“Playmaking”: D
Short Throw Accuracy: A
Medium Throw Accuracy: A-
Intermediate Throw Accuracy: B
Deep Throw Accuracy: C
Throw on the Run: B
Success Against Pressure/Blitz: C+
Arm Strength: C+
Release: B-
Ball Security: C+
Top Starter Potential: C-
Strengths:
Really great touch on passes
Footwork
Throwing with anticipation
Pocket management
Great accuracy in key areas
Areas of Improvement:
Limited upside
Arm strength
Mobility
Throw on the run limitations
Success against pressure/blitz
Comp: Sam Bradford
One of the best stories in all of college football this past season was the sudden emergence of Indiana and Kurtis Rourke. While Rourke and Indiana had a sour end to their season, Rourke had a very good year and led one of the most statistically dominant offenses of the year. Rourke also has some of the most experience in this quarterback class and it definitely shows in his mechanics. He has a mostly clean dropback that has a regular rhythm, isn’t too heel-clicky, and almost always gets appropriate depth. Rourke also has good timing with his upper and lower body and does a good job maintaining his base even when under pressure. On the move, he doesn’t always have the arm to drive it downfield but has good footwork and consistently gets himself square with his target. His release is also very clean with an efficient path for his throwing motion with little to no dip. His release is very snappy and almost like a slingshot in the way he can get the snap and then load it quickly and then quickly throw it to his target. He also has a good understanding of release points to put great touch on throws. Rourke’s veteran experience also shows as a field general as he’s capable of making calls at the line of scrimmage and can read the full field. He also has good awareness of his checkdown to help keep the offense moving in the right direction. In the pocket, he’s tough and isn’t afraid to take a hit to deliver a throw through a hit. That being said, his toughness should already be obvious from him playing all season on a torn ACL. He also has veteran savviness in his pocket control capable of making subtle movements to extend his protection. There are definitely going to be questions about his ability to handle pressure and blitzes with the way Indiana’s season ended, but he actually was pretty respectable against pressure and blitzes outside of the Ohio State game (which to be honest there were a lot of times that his offensive line blew a block the moment the ball got snapped and gave Rourke zero chance). As a passer, Rourke is likely the best touch and back shoulder passer in this class. There were a lot of times when his pass catchers struggled to get separation but Rourke found a way to drop it in a bucket to a place where only his receiver could make a play on the ball. He’s also potentially the best quarterback at throwing with anticipation despite this being his first year on the team and knows how to lead his target to pick up extra yards. Also, while a lot of college quarterbacks shy away from the middle of the field, Rourke thrives in this area and isn’t afraid to attack it all game. While he definitely has limitations in the NFL, Rourke being able to attack the middle of the field and have the accuracy and touch that he has does give him a good chance at finding a role in some capacity with a team in the future.
As I mentioned though, Rourke is a fairly limited player who may already be at his ceiling. His arm strength is a clear limitation on most throws and if he weren’t as accurate with his touch passes, it likely would make it nearly impossible to make an NFL roster. As I mentioned before, Indiana’s pass catchers could struggle to get separation and this issue was compounded in their tough matchups when Rourke needed a strong arm to put some good velocity on the throw and fit it into a tight window. Unfortunately, with Rourke not having the arm to pull this off, he ended up having the pass broken up by the defender. That lack of arm strength also shows down the field since he can have a tendency to underthrow his target on deep shots. Thankfully he was great at back shoulder throws to compensate for this but not being able to consistently hit a target downfield will limit his viability as a starter in the NFL. He also had signs of his arm strength impacting his throw on the run ability as he often didn’t have the arm to drive it downfield and typically had a focus on the underneath passes when he was moved off his spot. Also, his lack of arm strength also shows in his release as it’s a bit slow developing despite having a good, clean motion. Obviously, Rourke having a torn ACL impacted his mobility, but it just made things much more difficult for him this season. If a defender ever got past his block or got a clean runway, the play was basically over. Now it’s fair to be optimistic that Rourke on a healthy knee would be a better mover as he wasn’t such a stone statue at Ohio. However, this is now the second torn ACL in the same right knee in the past 2 years which may get him red flagged by the teams’ medical personnel. Anyways, outside of the limited mobility, there were times when he was a bit delayed in recognizing pressure which compounded the issues against pressure/blitzes. That delay also sometimes caused a delay in Rourke stepping up in the pocket and his slower moving release further complicated things for him. Mechanically, there is a lot to like as I mentioned above but he did get a bit more bouncy in the pocket when he was pressed more against better competition. Also, he can sometimes cross his legs a bit during his dropback. Finally, he has a tendency to overstride on his deep throws due to needing to try to overcome his limited arm strength.
Kurtis Rourke may go undrafted due to his injury history, older age, and limited arm strength but I could see him being a reliable backup for an NFL team. He has the combination of intelligence, accuracy, and understanding of his own limitations that often translate to securing a backup role. If he ever were to be called into action, I think he could pull off a win for a team but would likely need help from his supporting cast since I think he’ll be too limited to lead a team. However, I don’t think he’ll likely lose the game for the team unless he goes to a team with a really poor offensive line and his mobility issues continue to be an issue. As for a comp, I have Sam Bradford as Kurtis Rourke’s comp. Admittedly, I got this from one of the broadcast play-by-play commentators but I think it’s a good callout and I couldn’t think of a better one. Both have good accuracy and touch on their throws. Both also are great at throwing with anticipation and can place a back shoulder throw where only their receiver can get to it. Both also have good fundamentals in their mechanics and can handle themselves at the line of scrimmage. Though Bradford was the first overall pick in his draft, both are limited in their arm strength and escapability which likely limits their ceilings to high-level backups. Also, both struggled against pressure and on the move as well. Both also had medical red flags that at least impacted Bradford during his NFL career. While Bradford was pushed into a starter role due to draft pedigree and teams wanting to take advantage of his accuracy, I’d expect Rourke to have lower expectations as he may go undrafted due to his injury history. If Rourke passes the medical exam by teams, I do think he could carve out a role as a backup and slowly rise to secure a long-term role with a team.