John Paddock (American football)

John Paddock
Personal information
Born:	March 27, 2000 (age 24); Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:	Bloomfield Hills High School
College:	Ball State (2018–2022); Illinois (2023)
Position:	Quarterback
Undrafted:	2024
Career history
	Atlanta Falcons (2024)*;
	* Offseason and/or practice squad member only

John Paddock (born March 27, 2000)^[1] is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Ball State and Illinois.

Early life and high school

Paddock was born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he attended Bloomfield Hills High School. Coming out of high school, Paddock was rated as a two star quarterback. Paddock committed to play college football at the Ball State University.^[2]^[3]

College career

Ball State

In Paddock's first four seasons with Ball State, he appeared in only four games as a backup quarterback. In those four games, Paddock completed 24 of his 32 passes for 180 yards and an interception.^[4]^[5] In 2022, Paddock earned the starting quarterback job heading into week one.^[6] In week three of the 2022 season, Paddock completed 27 of his 44 passing attempts for 227 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception, as he got his first win as a starter shuting out Murray State.^[7] Paddock finished the 2022 season completing 286 of his 480 pass attempts for 2,719 yards and 18 touchdowns, with 14 interceptions, going 5-7 as a starter.^[8] After the conclusion of the 2022 season, Paddock decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal.^[9]

Illinois

Paddock transfer to the University of Illinois as a walk on to play the final season of his college career.^[10]^[11] In week nine of the 2023 season, Paddock entered the game in the fourth quarter down by one score after starter Luke Altmyer went down with an injury. Paddock completed all three of his passes for 85 yards including the game winning touchdown, as he helped Illinois beat Minnesota 27-26.^[12] Paddock started the following week, throwing for 507 yards and four touchdowns with one interception and leading the Fighting Illini to a win in overtime over Indiana, 48–45.^[13]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump
5 ft 11+1⁄4 in (1.81 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	29+3⁄8 in (0.75 m)	9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m)	4.95 s	1.68 s	2.88 s	4.50 s	7.46 s	28.0 in (0.71 m)	9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)
All values from Pro Day^[14]