Dynasty Draftnik

All-Star Games: NFLPA Game and College Gridiron Showcase.

Positives: Great height for the position. Excellent bulk for the position. Built like a tight end, and has huge hands. As a passer, he shows some ability to anticipate and will throw passes before the receiver makes his break. Though his speed is a little below average for the position, it is adequate for his size.

Negatives: On crossing patterns and intermediate patterns over the middle, he throws with below-average accuracy. He needs to learn to vary his velocity – especially on fade routes, which come out a little flat. It seems like everything he does takes too much time. He scans the field very slowly and also has a very deliberate delivery. This, combined with his tendency to lock onto receivers, will get him picked off consistently in the NFL. He is also hesitant in the pocket. Had trouble taking snaps from center in NFLPA Bowl practices. He doesn’t look comfortable setting up inside the pocket, and needs a lot of footwork coaching. Generally poor explosiveness and lateral/directional quickness in Pro Day measures.

Projection: UDFA. Unfortunately, I don’t see a lot of NFL success in his future.

Transferred from Oregon in 2013.

All-Star Games: Was invited to the College Gridiron Showcase, but was invited to the Senior Bowl as a late replacement.

Positives: Is a multipurpose runner and passer with some solid athleticism. Has above-average height and bulk for the position. Throws the ball with adequate arm strength and above-average velocity. He is a very effective runner with above-average speed and quickness. On the run, he keeps his eyes downfield and throws with adequate accuracy on the move. Is a pretty fair improviser under pressure to allow him to get the ball away. Though he is less effective as a pocket passer, he does show pretty good escapability and athleticism there. Knows when to slide as a runner to protect himself. Though he is a spread quarterback, he does have some experience taking snaps from center.

Negatives: He comes out of a spread offense with read option aspects as well as some under-center plays. His accuracy is generally below-average on deep passes – where he tends to underthrow receivers – as well as on passes from inside the pocket. He eyeballs receivers too much and is easy for defensive backs to read, and he will throw it directly to defenders. Holds ball too long. Overall, his decision-making is suspect, but especially in the red zone. Under pressure, he tends to just throw the ball up for grabs. Though his accuracy on the move isn’t bad, he will throw the ball across his body at times for easy interceptions. Needs work on his dropback footwork, since, in college, he usually just caught the snap and released. He needs to work on getting better touch and accuracy on fade routes.

Projection: UDFA. I don’t expect him to have much success in the NFL, but he could stick around as a practice squad player.

All-Star Games: Medal of Honor Bowl.

Positives: Has a solid build, with adequate height and above-average bulk for the position. Though he didn’t run a pro-style offense in college, he did operate at a high tempo, forcing him to make quick decisions. He throws with adequate arm strength and velocity. He also throws with enough accuracy on short routes and timing patterns, and his accuracy on passes down the seam has improved over the years. His footwork has also improved. Seems tough – though he broke his right arm in November 2013, he still started that year’s bowl game. Under outside pressure, he can step up in the pocket and deliver the pass. Good play fakes. On the run, he keeps his eyes downfield looking for receivers, and, when he takes off running, he seems to know when to slide. Also as a runner, he shows good speed and open-field vision. Is willing to dive for extra yards and the first down.

Negatives: He is a much better runner than passer. He didn’t run a pro-style offense in college, but ran a high-tempo read-option offense. Generally throws with below-average accuracy on medium and deep passes, and his accuracy on the run also needs work. His performance under pressure is possibly his biggest liability, and he will often just Chuck the ball up under pressure. He also needs to learn to throw the ball away on the run instead of taking big losses trying to make something out of nothing. He generally shows below-average mechanics, has a long windup – on deeper passes, it looks like he has to torque his body way too much. On deep passes, he tends to throw the ball into coverage. Also has a strange punch-like throwing motion with a hitch. Inconsistent touch on medium passes. Eyeballs receivers. Though he has good speed, it seems to take him a while to accelerate to it. Below-average ball security on the run and he needs to learn to switch hands to the sidelines side on outside runs. Doesn’t follow his blockers particularly well. Broke right forearm in November 2013 and required surgery. Injured his index finger early in the Medal of Honor Bowl and didn’t play the rest of the game.

Projection: UDFA. Though he has improved over his college career as a quarterback, he still has a long way to go to be a contributor in the pros. But his athleticism – and the fact that he HAS improved over time – may earn him a spot on a practice squad. But he does have a lot of negatives to work on.

All-Star Games: Shrine Game.

Positives: Though he lacks height, he has above-average bulk for the position with a solid build – more like a running back. He also has adequate hand size. His best attributes are in his toughness and athleticism. As a runner, he shows above-average speed and a willingness to fight for yards. Consistently falls forward as a runner. Is also able to improvise and keep plays alive with his feet. He doesn’t seem to panic under pressure, and is able to step up in the pocket under outside pressure. He also throws with nice touch on short passes. Under pressure and on the run, he will keep his eyes downfield to look for receivers and knows when to throw the ball away.

Negatives: Slightly below-average height for the position. He comes out of a pistol offense with a lot of option aspects, so he may not be ready to take on an NFL offense. He throws with below-average accuracy at all levels. He also has below-average velocity and his passes will wobble a lot when he tries to drive them. He locks onto his receivers consistently. His mechanics need some work – especially his throwing mechanics on the move. Even without pressure, he will fall backwards while throwing and lose a lot of velocity. Below-average ball security on the move and will hold the ball in one hand away from his body. He is also hesitant, and holds the ball too long at times in the pocket or getting sacked for big losses trying to extend plays with his feet. He also tends to overthrow receivers when he steps up in the pocket.

Projection: UDFA. His athleticism is probably enough to get him into at least a rookie camp, and probably a training camp, but his arm talent isn’t high enough for a team to keep him on the roster.

All-Star Games: Shrine Game.

Positives: Has enough bulk and good enough hand size for the position. Throws with above-average arm strength and velocity. Coming out of a spread offense, he is very accurate on short and medium passes, and shows adequate accuracy when moving to the right. He scans the field well and doesn’t seem to lock onto receivers. He is able to find receivers both in zone coverage and has the anticipation to be able to hit his receivers in stride on crossing patterns. Though he takes most of his snaps away from center, he does show pretty good footwork when he drops back. He is also an athletic quarterback who moves around well in the pocket and is very elusive – is able to get away from heavy pressure and get rid of the ball, and improvise on the move. He runs with above-average speed and good explosiveness and lateral/directional quickness. Isn’t afraid to take off, but is also willing to throw the ball away to avoid sacks. Knows when to slide as a runner. Good play fakes. Is also an adequate punter. Won 2012 Walter Payton Award for the best offense of player in FCS football, before the team moved up to the FBS ranks.

Negatives: Below-average height for the position. He ran a spread offense in college, so he may not be ready to take on some NFL offenses right away. Though he has pretty good arm strength, his deep accuracy is just below average. He will also rely too much on short and medium passes, though that’s partly a result of the offense he ran. He tends to be indecisive and hold the ball too long, and, though he is able to escape pressure and is willing to throw the ball away, he will too often just fall backwards under pressure and let them pass fly off of his back foot. Will throw it into double coverage under pressure. He will also sometimes pass up opportunities to move around in the pocket to buy extra time. He throws with a bit of a long windup, and his feet sometimes get out of sync with his upper body during his throwing motion. Despite his ability to scan the field when given time, he will also eyeball receivers too much. At times, his release will tighten up and he will overthrow. Though his anticipation is generally adequate, it isn’t exceptional – and he will wait until receivers are fully opened at times.

Projection: Round 5. He is probably not the kind of quarterback who will be a starter or consistently win games if pressed into duty, but he can be a solid caretaker quarterback because of his athleticism and accuracy.