Utah State’s Jordan Love isn’t intimidated by NFL draft analysts’ lofty comparisons to reigning MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

“I like that comparison,” Love said at Senior Bowl practices last week in Mobile, Ala. “We’ve both got strong arms. [Mahomes] obviously makes ridiculous throws off schedule and stuff like that, some I’ve seen and tried to model my game to make throws like that. I hope to be on the same platform as him.”

Since declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft instead of transferring to a Power 5 program as many expected he would to bolster his stock, Love’s draft position has become a topic of both interest and contention. The 21-year old Aggie could be as high as a top-10 pick come April, or slip to as low as the third round. Some view him as a high-risk, inconsistent prospect, while others have drawn parallels to gunslingers like Mahomes, who elicited similar concerns three years ago before going to the Chiefs with the No. 10 pick.

“Are you betting on the talent?” one NFL scout told Yahoo Sports of Love. “It’s like an NBA evaluator looking at upside. The body of work this year wasn’t great. But he had a great [redshirt] sophomore year. It’s like the NBA looking at an underclassman. You see the body and the great arm strength.”

Love had an electric 2018 season as a redshirt sophomore, throwing for 3,567 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions. He thrived under head coach Matt Wells’ system, but failed to ignite the same chemistry with Gary Anderson, who took over the team in 2019.

Last season, he finished behind San Jose State’s Josh Love (no relation), who was named Mountain West Conference offensive player of the year, and Hawaii’s Cole McDonald, who finished second-team All-Mountain West. In his final season at Utah State, Love tallied 3,402 yards, 20 touchdowns and nearly tripled his interceptions with 17, which he referred to as “17 learning moments” he hopes to get better from.

“You need to know the context around this Utah State team. Love lost his top five pass-catchers from his breakout 2018, along with a few starters along the offensive line. The Aggies just didn’t have the offensive talent around him to compete,” ESPN’s draft expert Mel Kiper said on Friday. “He could be a first-round pick with a strong pre-draft process, which started in Mobile, Alabama, at the Senior Bowl.”

“We lost a lot of dudes,” Love told reporters last Monday.

Kiper projects Love to be taken by the New Orleans Saints with the 24th overall pick in his most recent mock draft.

Standing at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, advocates for Love cite his “ideal” frame and undeniable talent. Love’s poise and personality in interviews have also been received highly in comparison to more sheepish prospects such as Oregon’s Justin Herbert, according to Yahoo.

“I think people are worried about leadership and me being a pretty quiet guy,” Herbert told the Sun-Sentinel.  “But I would say I’m not too quiet. I’ll talk your ear off. So there are these things I want to be transparent with and give a good representation of myself.”

LSU’s Joe Burrow is the presumptive No. 1 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, but the quarterback pecking order after Burrow remains murky.

Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa’s stock took a devastating blow after he injured his hip against Mississippi State on Nov. 16, which raised questions about his long-term health. Tagovailoa is still projected as a top quarterback prospect, along with Love, Herbert and Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts.