AUBURN, Alabama — Turns out Jarrett Stidham could have left Auburn in January and earned some big money after all.

The Auburn quarterback briefly flirted with the idea of leaving Auburn after only one year as the starter, but the rising junior instead decided to return to the Tigers for a second stint. But what if he had left? Well, turns out he would have fit right in with the heavy quarterback class in the upcoming NFL Draft, according to one analyst.

"You have to compare him to the other guys there," Lance Zierlein of NFL.com said Tuesday on "3 Man Front" on WJOX-FM. "I think his football make-up would have checked above (UCLA quarterback Josh) Rosen's. I think he probably would have fit behind (Wyoming's) Josh Allen from a size and arm talent — and I'm talking about where ultimately they get drafted. I think he would have fit ahead of (Louisville's) Lamar Jackson and ahead of (Oklahoma State's) Mason Rudolph, for sure. My guess would have been that he would have had a chance to work his way up, potentially, ahead of Rosen, who I think is sliding a little bit. My guess would be, worst-case scenario, he would be the fifth quarterback off the board, back end of the first (round). Best case scenario he could have moved his way into the middle of the first round."

You heard that correctly: if Stidham left Auburn after throwing for 3,158 yards and leading the Tigers to the SEC Championship game in 2017, he could have been a first-round draft pick. Luckily for Auburn, Stidham instead decided to stay in school. He underwent surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left, non-throwing shoulder in late January and did not participate in 11-on-11 drills during the spring.

So, what stands out about Stidham as he heads into the 2018 season?

"Jarrett Stidham has football intelligence, he has size, he has accuracy, he has some mobility," Zierlein said. "There's nothing that is going to stand out as a great big checkmark for Stidham but when you start checking off the boxes, and you say: 'You know, he doesn't have a lot of minuses here,' that's the kind of guy that starts to get pushed up the board. I think somebody might have dipped into the late part of the first round and worst case scenario he would have been a second round pick.

"But with all that said I think if he goes and does what he's capable of doing at Auburn, we're talking about him being a top 10 pick next year."

Stidham is the first quarterback in Auburn history to return for a second season after throwing for 3,000 yards. Auburn's top five receivers from last season return, through two of them underwent major knee surgery to repair torn anterior cruciate ligaments (Eli Stove and Will Hastings) in March.

The NFL Draft begins April 26. No Auburn player is currently projected by most draft analysts to be selected in the first round, though half a dozen former Tigers could be selected.

Auburn opens the 2018 season Sept. 1 against Washington inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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