Virginia Tech Football: This assessment of Kyron Drones is questionable

It has been five weeks since Virginia Tech named Baylor transfer Kyron Drones their quarterback following an ankle injury to starter Grant Wells in Week 2 against Purdue. Has everything gone smoothly for Drones and the Hokies? No, however, you can’t argue that he has been improving each week.

In his first three ACC games, the sophomore has looked good and yes, he didn’t play badly in their loss to Florida State. He played very well in the two conference games Virginia Tech won, but apparently, that hasn’t impressed anyone at The Athletic.

A reporter for The Athletic had an odd take on Kyron Drones

Grace Raynor of The Athletic (subscription required) teamed up with Manny Navarro for the Week 7 ACC power rankings. They have Virginia Tech 10th in the conference this week which is not surprising, but what Raynor said about Drones was a little strange. Raynor wrote, “Drones has been average before Saturday but he made Virginia Tech a whole lot more interesting as it heads into the idle week.”

I don’t disagree that things started shaky, actually really shaky, for Drones as his first two games were on the road at Rutgers and Marshall. Offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen and head coach Brent Pry were trying to learn on the fly about Drones, but he broke out against Pittsburgh.

In the 38-21 victory, Drones accounted for five touchdowns, three through the air and two on the ground. He was 12-for-19 through the air and picked up 41 yards on 21 carries. He kept the Panthers’ defense off balance and added in a running game with Bhayshul Tuten, it opened things up for Drones and took the pressure off of him.

Against Florida State, it wasn’t an easy afternoon for Drones, but he played better than expected against the then-fifth-ranked team on the road in a hostile environment. He was 14-for-27 for 104 yards passing and had 80 rushing yards on 14 carries including an impressive 40-yard run that nearly ended up in the end zone. In the second quarter, the Hokies faced three fourth downs on one drive and helped Tech pick up a first down on each play.

Last weekend against Wake Forest, he was impressive in tough weather conditions. He threw for 321 yards, and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard strike to Jaylin Lane. He also picked up 59 yards rushing on 15 carries. Through five games, he has thrown for 1,042 yards.

Has it been a smooth transition? No, but to say that Drones has been average, is a little bit of an understatement. Has he been perfect? No, but when Wells went down, the Hokies could be in a worse situation than 3-4 at the bye week than they currently are. Accounting for seven touchdowns in three conference games is a little better than average if you ask me.