Dynasty Draftnik

UDFA. Signed by Dolphins as UDFA but released in August. Has enough athleticism, poise, experience, and passing ability to find a spot in the NFL as a backup. The comparably lower level of competition in the FCS means he may have more of a learning curve ahead of him, and is best viewed as a long-term development QB.

All-Star Games: Invited to South Carolina College All-Star Bowl, but declined for unknown reason.

Positives: Adequate height and good bulk for the position. Above-average hand size. Above-average track speed and vertical leap for the position. Has experience running a pro-style offense, so he should be more ready for an NFL offense. Throws with above-average arm strength and touch. Fair accuracy on medium and deep routes. Improved his deep passing accuracy and touch over his college career. Steps up in the pocket under pressure and shows a little bit of escapability. Agile enough to sidestep pass rushers. Is willing to run, and sacrifices his body for extra yards. Runs with above-average speed and adequate quickness. Strong enough runner on short-yardage situations. Follows his blockers well as a runner.

Negatives: Below-average accuracy on the move and on timing routes. Inconsistent progressions and tends to eyeball targets. Misses wide-open reads down the middle. Forces passes into coverage often. Below-average velocity. Below-average throwing mechanics – throws off back foot without pressure. Under pressure, tends to just throw the ball up for grabs. Doesn’t sense the rush up the middle. Takes too many chances in the red zone and needs to learn to throw the ball away. Throws a little bit of a wobbly pass.

Projection: He is not someone to pay attention to in fantasy football, but he could help an NFL team as a developmental prospect.

Positives: Throws with adequate arm strength and velocity. Adequate accuracy on short passes. Above-average accuracy on rollouts, and he keeps his eyes downfield on the run. Decision making improved by his senior season. Nice play fakes. Runs with above-average speed and quickness. Is a strong runner with good mobility inside and outside of the pocket. Good peripheral vision and sets up blockers well in open field.

Negatives: Not as strong of a passer as a runner. Below-average accuracy on medium and deep routes. Tends to lock onto receivers and not go through his progressions. He tends to panic when rush comes at him up the middle. At times, he throws off of his back foot for no reason. Is indecisive and holds the ball too long at times. Runs a little off balance, and can be knocked off his feet fairly easily after contact.

Projection: UDFA. At best, he’s a long-term development project, but the improvement he showed over his college career may point to a higher-than-expected ceiling. Not worth drafting in dynasty rookie drafts.

Titans, Round 6. He showed some skills as a passer in college, but his lack of mobility – which may be even worse after his knee injury – will probably keep him from being consistently successful in the NFL. After his injury, he began throwing again in early February 2014. He won’t be ready for any off-season activities, and may not even be ready for the 2014 NFL season, but this will give him a chance to sit on the Titans bench and learn the game.

All-Star Games: None.Invited to the Senior Bowl but declined due to injury.

Positives: great height and good bulk for the position. Above-average hand size. Has experience running a pro-style offense, so he should be fairly ready to run an NFL offense. Adequate arm strength and throws with good velocity. Can vary his release point and throw with touch when needed. Is able to throw with above-average accuracy and touch on intermediate passes when he has a clean pocket to throw in. Seems tough, and doesn’t get rattled under pressure. Though he is nowhere near mobile, he is able to step up in the pocket under outside rush. Knows when to throw the ball away.

Negatives: Inconsistent accuracy, and below average when he is on the move or otherwise unable to set his feet. Lacks mobility, and doesn’t move well inside the pocket. Below-average speed. Below-average ball security when in pocket. Often looks to check down to short and medium passes. Fairly indecisive. Tends to overthrow on the run. Doesn’t sense pocket collapsing. Tore left ACL in November 2013, missed the rest of the season, and had surgery in January 2014, but worked out at April pro day. Incident at bar in 2010 and was released from Georgia and then transferred to LSU. Gave a diluted urine sample for his Combine drug test.

Projection: He is not worth drafting in fantasy rookie drafts, but keep an eye on him next year to see how he improves with more NFL coaching. I see a Ryan Lindley-like NFL career ahead of him – and I was a fan of Lindley.

Chiefs, Round 5. On the Chiefs, he should be a solid backup to Alex Smith with the potential to be a solid starter if need be. He needs to clean up his mechanics and improve his reading of defenses a bit, but he has the skills to be a solid backup in the NFL.

All-Star Games: None. Was invited to the Senior Bowl but declined due to injury.

Positives: Though his height and bulk are below average, he is built solidly. Adequate hand size. Has experience running a pro-style offense, so he should be more ready to run an NFL offense.Throws with adequate arm strength and velocity. Shows good accuracy and touch on intermediate passes. Above-average deep accuracy, especially on deep out patterns. Recognizes and exploits single coverage well on the outside. Runs with above-average speed and quickness. Fair pocket presence, and can step up in the pocket under outside pressure.

Negatives: Below-average height and bulk for the position. Seems to have some trouble reading defenses over the middle of the field – especially the deep safety – and will throw passes into coverage. Tends to hold the ball too long and needs to learn when to just throw it away. Though he was able to hit the deep pass well in college, he will need to throw with a steeper trajectory in the pros to keep deep passes away from defenders. Doesn’t throw with much touch, and will often throw it too hard for receivers to catch. Not consistently effective passing on the run, and will often throw into coverage. Below-average throwing mechanics when he is on the run, and he doesn’t set feet to pass, resulting in passes that die and negatively impacting his accuracy. Also seems to have some trouble throwing passes to running backs in the flat. Tends to tighten up in the pocket, throwing off his throwing motion. Tore left ACL in November 2013 and had surgery, missing the rest of the season, returning to throw at his April pro day.

Projection: There is probably no reason to draft him in fantasy rookie drafts, but keep an eye on him in the preseason to see how he improves with NFL coaching.

Bengals, Round 5. I expected him to go in Round 2, and thought he had third-round skills, but he went a lot later than I, and probably he, expected. On the Bengals, he’ll make a solid backup to Andy Dalton and could develop into a solid backup for years to come. Probably wouldn’t even hurt many teams starting for them.

All-Star Games: None. Was invited to the Senior Bowl, but declined.

Positives: Good height and above-average bulk for the position. Above-average hand size. Has experience running a pro-style offense. Throws with adequate arm strength and velocity. Okay velocity. Throws with nice touch and accuracy on intermediate throws and shows above-average anticipation on timing routes, hitting receivers as they come out of their breaks. Above-average deep accuracy. Shows some patience, and goes through his progressions around half the time. As a result, he spreads the ball around fairly well. Is effective throwing back-shoulder passes. Outside of the pocket, he shows good accuracy and patience, and knows when to just throw ball away. Tough – played with dislocated ribs for second half of 2012. Was also the holder on field goals.

Negatives: Below-average track speed, explosiveness, change of direction ability, and lateral quickness. Indecisive and holds the ball too long at times – even when a checkdown is obviously available. Release point varies from three-quarter to sidearm at times. Eyeballs receivers fairly often. Doesn’t consistently read deep safety on long passes, resulting in long interceptions. His field of vision narrows considerably when he’s on the run, and he won’t see open receivers. Even in the pocket, he will miss better reads over the middle. Looks uncomfortable moving around in pocket. He doesn’t sense outside rushers very well and needs to learn when to step up in the pocket under outside pressure. Below-average ball security on the run, and runs with the ball away from his body in one hand. There are some questions about his dedication since he has decided to forego both the Senior Bowl and potentially even the Combine.

Projection: He’s not draftable in dynasty rookie leagues, but feel free to in super-deep leagues. Probably won’t ever be a fantasy factor.