Talking to Yourself about Iowa

Iowa is 12-0 and going to the B1G Championship with a shot to go the College Football Playoff. I know this sentence is 100% true, and yet, I still can't totally fathom it. I mean, I'm flying up to Indy to go to the game (scalpers willing) this weekend, and it still hasn't totally sunk in. I've watched every minute of every game, and it still doesn't feel totally right that Iowa is here. This season is too good, and my brain can't fully comprehend what is happening.

It's not that I've been influenced by the pundits either. I barely watch ESPN, so I really only hear about most of it secondhand. I remember hearing a throwaway joke on the Solid Verbal about talking to your kids about Iowa, laughed, moved on, and then watched it take off a become a thing. That's still funny to me, and shockingly fitting, because I can't totally explain Iowa to a child; I can't even fully explain Iowa to myself.

Don't get me wrong. This is fun. This is really, really, fun.

Think about this season for Iowa, and try to name players who performed below expectations. The only ones are, through no fault of their own, Drew Ott and Jake Duzey. Ott played with a robo arm for a few weeks and was still causing havoc before having season ending knee surgery. Duzey got hurt before the season, and because the other two tight ends were playing great, hasn't really had a chance to put himself back in the rotation.

Who has even only played to expectations? I guess I'd go with Tevaun Smith, who has been a weapon in the passing game but has not set the world on fire. Greg Mabin, who continues to show flashes of greatness but still hasn't quite gotten the consistency that would make him an absolute monster as a corner. That's basically it. Those guys just did as good as we expected them to.

Everyone else has exceeded expectations, and there are some guys who exceeded past my wildest fantasies. The one that stands out is Desmond King, who I was excited about when Iowa got him right before National Signing Day. He just sounded like a guy who just made plays, and wouldn't you know it? Making plays in football is a pretty damn valuable skill. Still, this is beyond even my wildest expectations. He probably deserves the Thorpe Award, as he has legitimately been the best corner in the league. It's been incredible.

Probably the most surprising success story is the entire offensive line. Sure, Austin Blythe was good, but he's become dominant, and everyone has far exceeded my expectations. I thought it would be their achilles heel on the way to a 4-8 season, and instead, they have become a huge strength in keeping the quarterback upright while opening up huge holes for a bevvy of running backs.

And speaking of running backs, holy shit, how did Mark Weisman start for this team? Nothing against Weisman, who always worked hard and did his best, but Jordan Canzeri is the truth, Wadley has moves on moves, Derrick Mitchell is somehow just a great pass blocker for third down situations, and when LeShun Daniels is on, he's the most unstoppable runner of the bunch. The running backs have taken a huge step forward, and it's been fun to watch.

But don't think I forgot about defenders outside of King Crunk, as it has been a great year for guys with double J initials. Jaleel Johnson has emerged as a monster in the middle of the line, destroying run games and collapsing pockets on the quarterback, he has helped make everyone else's job easier. Right behind him is Josey Jewell who has gone from looking lost last year to having nearly flawless instincts as he flies around and tackles everything in sight. With Jeff Jarrett starting Global Force Wrestling, it has been a great year for Double Js.

Somehow even crazier, I have talked about a ton of important factors about Iowa, and I haven't even mentioned that Kirk Ferentz has altered his offensive playbook, and all CJ Beathard does is win. There's simply too much wild shit happening this year to get to everything.

And here's the thing with not wrapping my head around this team. As the season has gone on, a part of me has hoped for a single loss and a Rose Bowl berth, because how cool would the Rose Bowl be (although a loss likely knocks them out of that at this point)? And that was seriously as high as my brain can dream up. Like, all they do is win, so who's to say they couldn't win the damn College Football Playoff? It's unlikely, but this season took nearly everything going right in the first place, why should that stop now? I don't know if my heart could take it.

Nearly everything has gone right this year, and I'm a very logical person, so I always assume if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. This season definitely seems too good to be true, so it almost doesn't feel real. The question I keep asking is when is that other shoe going to drop? I don't know, and I'm going to do my best to turn my brain off to not care either. I'm going to the B1G Championship next week, and who knows where I could be headed next to support the Hawkeyes?

This season has already been an incredible triumph, but it's not over yet, so it's time to say fuck logic and just enjoy the ride.

Go Hawks!

Chicago Bears 2015 Draft Breakdown: The Undrafted Free Agents

The Chicago Bears draft was a mixed bag. Although I would have liked to see them wait on wide receiver, I can understand them being excited about the potential of Kevin White. Eddie Goldman has a high ceiling as a nose tackle, but his inconsistent play is the reason he wasn't a first rounder. Hroniss Grasu is an athletic center that could start immediately. Jeremy Langford runs fast, but I don't see upside or need in the pick, so it was probably my least favorite. Adrian Amos is versatile, but tackling is not in the list of things he can do. Finally, Tayo Fabuluje is super big, surprisingly athletic, but he has a history of being out of shape which is worrisome, but it's a sixth round pick, so it's a nice bet on upside.

After the draft, the Bears signed a number of players, and although usually there wouldn't be enough there for me to break it down, the Bears made maybe my favorite undrafted free agent signing of any team, so I wanted to quickly highlight three of the players that have a shot at making this year's roster.

Shane Carden - QB - East Carolina
I'm not going to beat around the bush. This is my guy. After looking at the incoming crop of quarterbacks, I ranked Carden fourth behind the big two and Brett Hundley. The big knock on Carden is a lack of arm strength, but he was a good decision maker and knew how to read the field. Obviously, a certain level of arm strength is needed, but Carden's mechanics led to his legs being a non-factor in his delivery. If Adam Gase is the right coach to help him generate strength from his legs in his throws, the Bears could have the biggest steal in franchise history. You can check out my in-depth look at Carden here.

Levi Norwood - WR - Baylor
Norwood would have probably been drafted had he been able to flip his 2013 and 2014 seasons. Everything went right for him in 2013 as injuries opened up a spot in the slot where he excelled for the Baylor Bears. In 2014, he was at the opposite end of that injury spectrum where he got injured early and passed up on the depth chart by high upside younger players. The key to somebody like Norwood is his ability to play on special teams, as he will definitely start as the fifth or sixth receiver on the roster. If he can be valuable there, he will be given the time to mature into a threat in the slot.

Jacoby Glenn - CB - Central Florida
Glenn is a young guy who just made plays last year for UCF. In fact, he made so many plays that he was the AAC's co-defensive player of the year and a second team All-American. Coming out as a redshirt sophomore, he is still only 21 years-old, which means he fits into two of my favorite categories. Being young means there is greater room for improvement, and I will always like guys who have a nose for the ball, and his seven interceptions definitely prove that. So why did he fall? Mostly 40 time. It's not size, as he's 6'0" tall, but he did only run a 4.64, and honestly, he wasn't very good in any of the drills. Still, a guy who made plays in college is definitely somebody I want to bring into training camp.

The Bears obviously signed a lot more guys than just this, but I wanted to highlight some of the names I was more familiar with to show their potential to stick with the Bears despite not being drafted. The Bears are not a deep (or talented, for that matter) team, so there will be opportunities. It's up to these guys to go out and earn them.

Chicago Bears 2015 Draft Breakdown: Tayo Fabuluje

With the Bears final pick, they selected Tayo Fabuluje, a giant offensive tackle out of TCU and BYU, and back to TCU again. He is massive, and that's good, but he has struggled with his massivity (no way that's a real word). But the Bears definitely could use some help on the offensive line, so I watched his game against Oklahoma to see how he might be able to impact the Bears.

So, yeah, on tape, the first thing that jumps out is this guy is huge. Excellent massivity. It seemed like sometimes pass rushers wouldn't give a real rush, because it was just going to take too long to get around him. I feel like he used his size better in pass protection than he did in run blocking. He was able to set and use his power on pass rushers, but often didn't do a good job of getting good angles and pushing guys in the right direction on run plays. His weakness as a pass rusher is that he got comfortable setting up to the outside, so any move towards the inside often left him reaching for the defender.

Despite his size, he was actually fairly light on his feet. He looked like a good athlete. Overall, I was more impressed than I expected to be for a sixth round pick. With his size and mobility, I would have thought that he was a more highly touted prospect.

Despite those raw skills, there are still issues. The first is his love of football, as his weight has been an option, and he has transferred repeatedly between TCU and BYU. Still, there are factors outside of football that may have influenced those decisions, and I'm not one to hold a huge grudge against people in their early 20s for making decisions that may not make sense in the long run.

On the field, his size can become an issue with his endurance. Towards the end of drives, he seemed to lack explosiveness and just seemed worn down in the second half of the game where he was much heavier on his feet and that led to him occasionally getting thrown around despite his significant size advantage.

Overall, I like the thinking in this pick. It's definitely a risk as this is a guy who may get cut before training camp is over. Still, it comes with some excellent upside, as he has excellent size and nice mobility for a man his size. These are the types of picks teams should be going for late in the draft. Welcome aboard, Tayo.

Chicago Bears 2015 Draft Breakdown: Adrian Amos

With their pick in the fifth round, the Chicago Bears took Adrian Amos, a safety out of Penn State. I was fairly bitter at this point, so I mentioned that Amos had been an honorable mention for All B1G the last three years, which basically just means that he played in a lot of games and showed a baseline competence. Not the sexiest accomplishment out there. But I'd be lying if I said I had ever focused on Amos's game, so I decided to watch his games against Ohio State and Indiana and see what I could figure out about the Bears new defensive back.

Watching his game against Indiana, I was initially taken aback by how little balance he seemed to have on contact. He got put on skates when blocked, and he seemed to trip over his own feet when trying to make a tackle when the quarterback broke free.

And if you are expecting a big, hard-hitting safety, you are sure to be disappointed by Amos. He not only does not provide any sort of big hits, he seems to actively avoid contact. He's no thumper, and even being a humper would be a huge step up in the way that he finds ways to get blocked as opposed to making open-field tackles.

The most appealing trait that Amos has is his versatility. It is tough to judge a safety in his coverages, but he seemed to be in the right area at the right times. Where he really impressed was when he came up to the line of scrimmage and played press-man coverage successfully against larger receiving targets.

Overall, I'm not sure if that versatility makes up for the fact that he doesn't shine in any one area and is a below average tackler. Having a safety that can come down and cover a slower wide receiver is great, but having a safety who doesn't tackle well means that you just have a replacement level corner. Coverage is something that is very difficult to judge from the sideline camera, so maybe the Bears were able to see something I wasn't, but from what I saw on film, I don't see anything more than depth at the safety position. 

Chicago Bears 2015 Draft Breakdown: Kevin White

Kevin White is a big, physical, super athletic receiver. Those are all very good things. I lambasted the draft pick on Twitter when it was made, but I do believe that the best draft strategy is taking the best player available and only drafting for need when you see two prospects as very closely rated. Personally, I would have gone with Vic Beasley, but the Bears clearly thought very high of Kevin White, and if he was their top dude, then it was the right decision, even if there will be receiver options much later in this draft (Side note: All teams should try to get one spot ahead of the Bears. Last year, Aaron Donald, and this year, Leonard Williams. I really need to stop getting my hopes up and just take my dog for a long walk or something during the draft). Anyway, I admittedly didn't do a ton of research on the top receivers, so I wanted to take a deeper look at Kevin White and see exactly just what the Bears got with the seventh overall pick.

One thing that is undeniable about Kevin White is that he is an explosive athlete. He shows that on this play against Oklahoma where he does a stutter and go, and the Oklahoma cornerback is helpless.

It's a stutter step to the outside and OU's corner makes one false step before White breaks up the field and is gone at that point. He gets about five yards of separation and Trickett throws a nice ball out there, but he has the type of raw physical tools that are going to make him a tough cover at the next level. And just for fun, here's the end zone view of the play.

When you have speed like White, it can really open things up, and this player later in the Oklahoma game shows that.

He has the cornerback so scared of him going deep that he is still three yards away when he catches the ball on a quick curl. That gives him space to make things happen, and he is able to evade the corner and pick up a first down on what is a very simple route and throw. The impressive thing about his game against Oklahoma is how bad he made Zack Sanchez look in this game. Sanchez is a pretty decent NFL prospect for 2016 (if he declares), and he looked totally outmatched at times against White. Competition is something that gets overlooked too often, so this was an incredibly impressive display by White.

When he gets in the open field, he is a guy that creates yards with his strength more than with his quickness. He looks to bull guys over, as he isn't great at making guys miss with the ball in his hands. If he goes up against a corner who isn't very physical, White is likely going to eat his lunch.

Another thing I like about White is that he is always putting his hands away from his body to catch the ball. He is not a body catcher, which is a skill that will not translate to the NFL. Here, he does an excellent job of high-pointing the football and attacking it with his hands to make the touchdown catch.

You can't do it much better than that. And here's another angle for funsies.

If you think it's a fluke, this may help change your mind.

Dude really doesn't like Alabama.

I also looked at his athletic traits using Mock Draftable's excellent web graphs to show where guys rank at their position. Basically, he's big, strong, and fast, but he's not going to beat people with his quickness.

He also had a very interesting top comparison in Braylon Edwards. Edwards is seen as more of a bust now, but he was really good early on until his inability to catch the ball finally caught up with him. Still, a Braylon Edwards that can catch is a pretty valuable asset and somebody who can immediately pay dividends in the red zone. Although I would have liked to see the defense get a boost, Kevin White probably has the highest ceiling of any receiver in this draft. It's tough to be too mad about that.

The Most Overrated Players in the 2015 NFL Draft

Yesterday, I showed my positive side by looking at the most underrated prospects in the 2015 NFL Draft. But with every yin, there must be a balancing yang, and today is that balance of negativity as I look at the most overrated prospects in the upcoming draft.

QB - Bryce Petty - Baylor
Here is my in-depth look at Petty; I've also seen a lot of love for Garrett Grayson, and he was another guy that I just couldn't get behind.

RB - Melvin Gordon - Wisconsin
I don't think Gordon is a bad runing back, but I also don't think he's worthy of a first round pick. The people saying that it's close between Gordon and Gurley have definitely watched those two guys play and are basing that purely off statistics. Melvin Gordon is the best running back to come out of Wisconsin in recent years, but is that really that great of an accomplishment? Every Wisconsin back has put up impressive numbers, but considering the success of Ron Dayne, John Clay, Montee Ball, and James White (although I am still a James White believer), it's tough to say how great of a back Gordon really is. What I'll say is I think he's good, but I'm not sure if he's any better than the second tier of running backs, so I would hold off instead of using a high pick on Gordon.

WR - Sammie Coates - Auburn
Yes, he's big, fast, and explosive as an athlete. But he can't catch, and that's, like, a really big deal for a wide receiver. There are certain things a coach can help with, but if Coates hasn't learned to reliably track a football and complete a catch at this point in his football career, it probably ain't happenin'.

Edge - Randy Gregory - Nebraska
Honestly, I think Gregory has fallen quite a ways with his failed drug test, but he was seen as a top-5 pick after the season, and I just never saw it. There's not a lot of power in him, so he's going to have to be a speed rusher, and I didn't see enough moves to give most offensive linemen trouble. Rushing is his biggest strength, and I'm not sure if it's enough to make him a full-time pass rusher.

CB - Trae Waynes - Michigan State
I don't get this guy at all. Okay, I guess I get him a little bit, he's very athletic, but there is no way this guy is a shutdown corner. I don't see him as a first round prospect, and I don't see how anybody who watched him against Baylor could think that he is. I have consistently seen receivers get open, and it's not that the receivers are doing anything special, but Waynes isn't physical and doesn't change direction very well. That's not a great combination for a cornerback.

SS - Landon Collins
I am leery of any Alabama safety. Just looking at their success at the NFL level, it seems like they are not a good bet. Safeties are really tough to scout from the sideline view, but there are already plenty of question marks about his ability to react to passes and how he will hold up in coverage. This is a weak draft for safeties, but even with the lack of top-tier talent, a first round pick is likely to be a mistake.

Prospects get hyped for different reasons, but I feel as if these guys hype far outweighs their future potential. Still, best of luck to them. They are all about to be a whole lot richer than me.

The Most Underrated Players in the 2015 NFL Draft

With the draft coming up this Thursday, it is a good time to look at the prospects that I like more than most people. Some of these guys aren't the deepest of sleepers, but I do feel they are being underrated by the general public/cornucopia of draft gurus. Ultimately, my goal is that my favorite team, the Chicago Bears, will see this list and follow my recommendations, but I would settle for the Buccaneers taking my recommendations as they are the team I live closest to these days.

QB - Shane Carden - East Carolina
I talked about him extensively here. Honorable mention for Brett Hundley.

RB - Todd Gurley - Georgia
Gurley is the best player in this draft. He needs to have a full recovery from his knee injury, but it looks like things are going well on that end. Now, even had he not injured the knee, he isn't worth the top pick in the draft despite being the best player. Running back is not as important of a position as it used to be, but Gurley is a guaranteed stud in a draft that really doesn't have another one. It would make zero sense for the Bears to draft him, and yet, I would actually be kind of pumped if they did. He's that good.

RB - David Cobb - Minnesota
He got downgraded because of an unimpressive 40 time, but 40 times are pretty worthless when it comes to running backs. This guy is just a good running back. He can punish defenses and grind out yards. People talk about this running back class being loaded and then talk about Gordon and Gurley at the top, but the depth is stupid good. I could have easily mentioned Tevin Coleman, Duke Johnson, David Johnson, Mike Davis, and probably some others. This is a good draft to take a running back.

WR - Stefon Diggs - Maryland
Maryland has had pretty poor quarterback play these last few years, so Diggs was never really given a chance to shine. Still, the skill-set is there, as the guy is smooth in and out of his breaks and knows how to get open and create after the catch. He will make a receiver-needy team very happy with a mid-round pick.

TE - AJ Derby - Arkansas
This is mostly a homer pick (former Iowa QB) as I only saw the big highlights from Derby's season, but there was enough there to dream on. He'll probably go undrafted, but the guy has good athleticism, he's big and strong, and he's shown enough potential in running routes and tracking the ball. This is a bet on athleticism, but that's the type of guy that is worth a flyer in the 7th round, or definitely as a free agent.

OT - Jake Fisher - Oregon
Fisher seems to be getting overlooked as a first round option, and I have to say I'd be pretty pumped if my favorite team was able to get him in round two. He's a very athletic lineman, and Oregon's offense ran much smoother when he was healthy. A guy like TJ Clemmings may have a higher ceiling, but Fisher offers a high ceiling with a reasonably high floor as well.

DT - Grady Jarrett - Clemson
Jarrett is a guy that I really like, but is made for the Bears old defense and not the new one. Still, he's a guy with Geno Atkins-level upside as all he did in college was make plays. He's not a nose, but he can cause havoc in the backfield as a three technique DT. He was really overlooked, but it seems like his stock has been rising in the media the past few weeks. We'll see if that carries over to his draft position.

OLB - Vic Beasley - Clemson
I am so ridiculously high on Vic Beasley for this year. I want the Bears to get him at number seven so badly. He'll probably be available, and the Bears will probably pass on him for Randy Gregory or something stupid like that, but man, Vic Beasley is fun to watch, and I'd really enjoy watching him on a team that I cheer for.

ILB - Eric Kendricks - UCLA
I talked about him yesterday, and the point stands. Inside linebackers are underrated right now on the whole, and if you have a chance to get a guy with the floor of a good player and the ceiling of a pro bowler, it is a no brainer to take advantage. This guy has great instincts, and he makes plays, which is the single best skill at translating to the next level.

CB - Senquez Golson - Ole Miss
I'll admit that I haven't done enough studying on later round guys to make any sort of proclamation, but I have heard some good things about Senquez Golson, who I will support since he is my height and had good college production (definitely supporting more for the former than the latter).

Tomorrow, we'll look at the opposite end of the spectrum with the most overrated players in this draft.

What Should The Chicago Bears Do In The 2015 NFL Draft?

Going into the draft, the Bears, as well as every other team outside of the Buccaneers have three options with their first pick. They can trade up, they can stay in their position and draft, or they can trade down. Let's break down those options and see what is the best move for the Bears with their first pick:

Trade Up
This is the least likely of the scenarios and for good reason. The Bears just have way too many holes on their team to be sacrificing draft picks. They basically need an entire defense, half of an offensive line, a quarterback, and another wide receiver. Outside of that, they're set. The only way I can see them trading up is if Lovie Smith wants to be reunited with Jay Cutler and agrees to trade down six picks for that privilege. Does anybody see that happening? So, yeah, I think the Bears should avoid trading up.

Stay and Draft
That brings us to our next option, stay at number 7 and make the pick. Honestly, there are four guys that I would love to see the Bears get at number 7. Four is a good number, but when there's six teams selecting in front of you, it's not a great number. Let's take a quick look at all four guys:

Jameis Winston 
I mean, it's not likely that he falls that far, but I'd be pretty dang excited if he did.

Marcus Mariota 
I mean, it's not likely that he falls that far, but I'd be pretty dang excited if he did.

Leonard Williams 
I don't see him as a can't miss stud, but I do really like him, and I admittedly have trouble scouting the talent in 3-4 defensive ends. There is a lot of subtlety that they bring on plays, and their responsibilities aren't as flashy as other positions. Still, if he falls for some reason, I would be incredibly pleased if the Bears could add an essential piece to their defense.

Dante Fowler Jr.
Twitchy. That is the first word that comes to mind when watching Dante Fowler Jr. Although it doesn't sound like a good thing, it is emblematic that this guy is just loaded with fast-twitch muscle fiber as he can explode into any movement. It can be frenetic, but this is a guy that could be successful in a variety of roles. He was never a full-time pass rusher, but I think he could do some serious damage if that was his primary role while also being effective holding up in the run and dropping into coverage. Even when he doesn't make the play, he finds ways to cause havoc.

Vic Beasley 
Most mock drafts have Beasley falling well beyond the Bears selection at 7, so some may consider this a reach. This is not a reach, and I really hope that he makes it to 7, as this guy is the real deal. He's my favorite pass rushing prospect since Von Miller, and he does things like this that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I like that. This clip made me exclaim, "Holy shit," and that is just about the highest honor a prospect can get. The only thing higher is if he keeps doing ridiculous things to the point where I start laughing at how ridiculous the guy is. He is the most likely guy to be there when the Bears draft at seven, and I would be ecstatic if they took him to be a key piece in their transformation into a 3-4 defense.

Trade Down
The last option the Bears have in the draft is to trade down. Speculating on who they could trade with and what they could receive is a fool's errand, so I'm not even going to try. Still, I did want to go over a few options that could be targeted later in the first round.

Danny Shelton
The thing with Shelton is that he is a good nose guard, but he's not on the level of a guy like Haloti Ngata. I have heard quite a few Vince Wilfork comparisons, and I do like the comparison for a ceiling, but Wilfork was far better at shedding blocks and creating havoc in the backfield than Shelton is at this point. I have very little doubt that Shelton is an above average nose tackle, but I don't see him as the type of game changing talent that you need to be looking for with the seventh pick in the draft. He's the type of guy that if the Bears traded down and got him, I would be good with it. He has a good motor and makes some nice moves. At the same time, if they traded down and didn't get him, he's not a guy I'd be heartbroken on missing out on.

Brandon Scherff
This may be some Hawkeye bias shining through, but Scherff is a monster. I do question his ability to stay at tackle, but they could build one hell of an interior line if they had Scherff at one guard and Kyle Long at the other spot. Their defense should take precedent, but I will never be disappointed with a team that drafts a stud offensive lineman.

Eric Kendricks
I think this guy is going to be available late in the first round, and possibly even lasting until the second, but that seems pretty ludicrous to me. This guy is just a really good football player. Nobody seems to doubt this, and yet, the middle linebacker position has quietly become undervalued, even though I still think it is essential to a great defense. If he goes late in the first (or later), I feel like the worst case scenario is that people say it was a solid pick, but it still brings upside as the guy could be a pro bowler who captains your defense.

As I said before, the Bears have a lot of holes on their roster. This draft isn't going to turn them into a contender, but it can give a jump start to the rebuild. Nailing that first pick is essential. As for the later rounds in the draft, I will be posting my most underrated and overrated prospects in this draft the next couple days.

Marcus Mariota - 2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report

With the college football season over, the 2015 NFL Draft season immediately starts up to fill that void. I plan to take a look at all of the top quarterback prospects but will also be willing to take suggestions if there are prospects at other positions that you would like to see analyzed. But my bread and butter is quarterback play (a position I still feel is underrated in the draft). Today, I wrap up the series by taking a look at Oregon Ducks Quarterback, Marcus Mariota.

Statistically speaking, you cannot get much better than Mariota. He absolutely dominated during his final college season and led the Oregon Ducks to the National Championship game. Most casual football fans assumed that he would be the first quarterback taken, because Winston threw more interceptions and interceptions are bad. As I'm writing this, Winston has gained the edge, but I'm not really worried about consensus, I'm worried with how these guys produce. Courtesy of Draft Breakdown, I was able to take a look at his 2014 games against Michigan State, Florida State, and Ohio State.

Awareness
The first thing that people seem to bring up with Marcus Mariota is that his offense made him tough to evaluate. Honestly, I don't think scouting an Oregon player is more difficult than scouting an Alabama player. For Oregon, it is scheme that gives them an advantage, but Alabama brings in nothing but the best recruits so it is easier for a player to shine with all of that talent around them. With the efficiency in the design of Oregon's offense, I was worried that Mariota wouldn't have to go through progressions on throws. For the most part, this was true, but he did have plays where it was necessary, and he showed aptitude. This is a good example:

He looks to his left, but then works his eyes back towards the middle where he sees that his receiver has a step on the defender. Even with good coverage, there is not much you can do when a quarterback throws a ball like that.

Pocket Presence
If you give him a comfortable pocket, he can carve up a defense. Once the pressure comes crashing in, he takes a lot of sacks and will too often throw off his back foot. Here is a play where he sees pressure coming but has plenty of space to step up and make a throw.

Unfortunately, he throws off his back foot and misses a wide open receiver. He's going to have to learn to throw in tight pockets, so not being able to step into a throw like that is definitely worrisome.

This is another example of Mariota adjusting his throwing motion when the pocket closes in on him.

He likely has enough room to make that throw, but he hesitates on it, and then short arms the throw.

Still, it's not all bad, as he did show the ability to move well in the pocket on this play.

He starts by looking to his right, adeptly slips a rusher, sees that things are still crowded in front of him, so he looks up, spots an open receiver and makes a touchdown throw.

Wow Plays
Full disclosure: I take notes while I watch the games, and I pressed pause and wrote, "I keep saying that he is very good, but I never get the feeling of greatness." Then I watched the very next play and started laughing at my stupidity.

There is so much that is right with this play. First off, the throw is great, but that pales in comparison as to what he does mentally here. Marshall is his third option on this play, but he is so quick at going through his reads that it doesn't matter. His first option is the tight end, but the linebacker in zone takes away that, so he looks to his left but the receiver on the outside is not open, he works his eyes back to the middle and fires a great pass to his receiver who is streaking open.

The issue that people have with Mariota is the offense. He wasn't asked to do the same things that Winston was required to do. Still, he showed flashes of having any ability that an NFL team is looking for. The biggest question mark I am left with is whether he is willing to trust his arm and pull the trigger by throwing into tight coverage. The physical capabilities are there; it's just a matter of believing he can squeeze the ball into tight windows.

Overall
There is a reason that everybody puts Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston far ahead of all of hte other quarterbacks in this draft. Although I have found myself liking the skills that Brett Hundley brings to the table, he is a step below these two quarterbacks. But this is the (likely) the last guy I will be looking at, so who's #1? Well, it really depends on what you want.

Marcus Mariota gets really bad comparisons. He gets compared to Colin Kaepernick, but he has less arm strength but maintains a tighter delivery, makes more accurate throws, and is far better at reading a field. I have also heard Alex Smith, but I think he is a far more dangerous quarterback in every aspect than Smith. The guy I see is Randall Cunningham. He doesn't quite have the arm, but he makes up for it with his accuracy. Meanwhile, I see Winston as a non-athletic Andrew Luck. They both make stupid throws, but they also do incredible things when it matters, and they are guys who find ways to win.

When it comes down to it, the offense that you want your team to run should be the difference maker between the two prospects. Jameis Winston fits that bill for more teams than Marcus Mariota, but Mariota would be good in a Winston offense, while Winston drops off quite a bit if asked to do what Mariota does. In the end, I have Winston a hair ahead of Mariota, as Winston has consistently displayed the ability to stand tall under pressure and deliver passes while Mariota has only flashed it. Off the field, there are plenty of question marks, but on the field, Jameis is the best talent in this draft.

Quarterback Prospect Rankings:
1. Jameis Winston - Florida State
2. Marcus Mariota - Oregon
3. Brett Hundley - UCLA
4. Shane Carden - East Carolina
5. Bryce Petty - Baylor
6. Sean Mannion - Oregon State
7. Garrett Grayson - Colorado State
8. Blake Sims - Alabama

Brett Hundley - 2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report

With the college football season over, the 2015 NFL Draft season immediately starts up to fill that void. I plan to take a look at all of the top quarterback prospects but will also be willing to take suggestions if there are prospects at other positions that you would like to see analyzed. But my bread and butter is quarterback play (a position I still feel is underrated in the draft). Today, I am taking a look at UCLA Bruins Quarterback, Brett Hundley.

Brett Hundley is the most interesting prospect who is generating the least amount of buzz. Almost all buzz is dedicated to Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, as they are universally regarded as the top two prospects in the draft. Still, there were plenty of times before this year where Hundley was also seen as a possible top pick in the draft. He didn't really regress during his final year at UCLA, but he also didn't progress much either, and it gave people plenty of time to find the holes in his skill-set. So now the questions become, has the scouting community gone too far, and could Hundley be the answer for teams looking for a quarterback who miss out on the big two? Thanks to Draft Breakdown, I was able to look at his 2014 games against Arizona, USC, and Utah. Unfortunately, Draft Breakdown changed how they do their videos, and since I'm not tech savvy, I can't get them to embed on the blog, so I'll try to be more colorful with my words to paint a beautiful picture of what Hundley does as a prospect. 

Reads
Hundley is able to read a field well, as he stays on his toes and bounces from one read to the next. He's very light on his feet, so he is able to bounce on his toes as he scans from one side of the field to the other. He showed the ability to scan the field and make the necessary throws when he recognizes an open receiver. For as low as people are on Hundley, I was shocked at how smooth he was in his progressions as that is one of the most common aspects that college quarterbacks struggle with. 

Pocket Presence

The Utah game stood out for all the wrong reasons when it came to pocket presence. He exhibited absolutely no feel for pressure, and he repeatedly stood in the pocket while he waited for a sack (the second play from the Utah game is a great example). It was inexplicable at times, as it looked like a video game where you accidentally drop the controller, and although you are scrambling to regain control, your quarterback on the screen just stands there and helplessly takes the sack. 

I have never seen a quarterback be more hesitant than Hundley was in the Utah game. He just held onto that ball like he was waiting for the sack to come. The only time he scrambled was when he slipped a pass rusher and just started to move forward from that. Otherwise, he just sat there, waiting for a single guy to get open before getting taken down. There was one time where Utah sent a double A gap blitz, and Hundley's body language clearly states, "Aw shit," as he just buries his head and takes what's coming to him.

The positive with Hundley is that the Utah game was only the second conference game where the USC game was near the end of the season, and he showed tremendous progress between those two games. Hundley admitted that he was purposely trying to stay in the pocket to display his skills to NFL scouts, but although it's not a good idea to always bail, he can't just stay there and take sacks either, so finding a balance will be essential.

He does display the ability to step up in the pocket and make throws, but even when he does that, he doesn't always work to the best possible place to make his throws as he'll step up but into a pretty tight area. A lot of times, he has just enough room to make his throw, but if he moves in a slightly different angle, he would have a much cleaner look.

If you want to see the most positive play from Hundley, you can find it at 5:35 of the game against USC. The throw is nothing special, but the way he is able to step up in the pocket to deliver the ball gives me that hope that he may be able to learn enough pocket presence to become a viable starting quarterback in the NFL. He actually probably should have had more room, but Leonard Williams put on a really slick spin move to go from outside to inside the offensive tackle, but Hundley was still able to fire the ball into his receiver without being disrupted.

Another positive factor is when he is able to work outside of the pocket, he can escape pressure while still keeping his eyes on targets down the field.

Ball Security
Another thing that I noticed was a consistent fumbling issue. It was only three games, but he struggled with taking snaps, handoffs, and holding onto the ball when running. It's not something I put a lot of stock in for quarterbacks, because I think all of these issues can be solved, but it is something to keep an eye on. 

Mobility
Brett Hundley is a very good athlete, but he is not a great scrambling quarterback as he has terrible vision as a runner.

Just runs into the defense instead of cutting up field to get a first down.

Arm
First off, he has the arm strength and enough accuracy to make all the necessary throws. I cannot imagine that anyone will be questioning his arm capabilities when evaluating him. With that said, he wasn't always able to show off his skill-set. UCLA's offense was not designed to take advantage of space over the middle as they were far more likely to attack the sidelines, but in the opportunities that he was given, Hundley does a nice job of putting the ball either in front of his receivers or away from defenders on his throws over the middle. This might be a hidden strength that he was not able to fully take advantage of during college because of scheme.

I mentioned his ability to read the field above, but something else that he does incredibly well is using his eyes to move defenders. There were multiple examples of him looking at one side of the field to move the safety over before bouncing to the other direction and throwing a deep ball to his receiver who was covered by a corner with no help over the top. That is an incredibly valuable skill that will transition well to the next level.

Overall
I'll admit to being down on him far before most people were, but it has gotten to the point where people are going too far in their criticisms of him. I will admit that I got angry as I watched him take sack after sack against Utah, but he also laid out two of the best deep balls you will ever see, one of which where the process was even better than the throw.

I'm about to drop the meanest comparison possible on him, so brace yourselves...he reminds me of Blaine Gabbert. They are very similar in build, athleticism, and their throwing capabilities. Now, I was incredibly low on Gabbert out of college, but I'm actually much higher on Hundley, because of a few key differences. The biggest one is that Gabbert never learned to scan a field. His entire offense was high-low reads, and he was in bad shape if that wasn't open. Hundley is very smooth in reading the field and also showed the ability to move safeties with his eyes. The latter is more subtle, but it is how they deal with pressure. They are both terrible at it, but in different ways. Hundley just lacks awareness when it comes to a rush but shows flashes of feeling things and moving away from pressure. Gabbert felt pressure but his instincts told him to bail and it led him to sprint backwards a lot of times. Obviously, Gabbert was a total bust, but Hundley has shown flashes of potential in his area of weakness. I don't know if pocket awareness is something that Brett Hundley can learn, but if it's the end of the first round and I need a quarterback, I'm probably going to be willing to find out.

Quarterback Prospect Rankings:
1. Jameis Winston - Florida State
2. Brett Hundley - UCLA
3. Shane Carden - East Carolina
4. Bryce Petty - Baylor
5. Sean Mannion - Oregon State
6. Garrett Grayson - Colorado State
7. Blake Sims - Alabama

Jameis Winston - 2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report

With the college football season over, the 2015 NFL Draft season immediately starts up to fill that void. I plan to take a look at all of the top quarterback prospects but will also be willing to take suggestions if there are prospects at other positions that you would like to see analyzed. But my bread and butter is quarterback play (a position I still feel is underrated in the draft). Today, I look at the most controversial player in the draft, Jameis Winston from the Florida State Seminoles.

Now, obviously, the biggest questions around Winston involve what he does off the field. You can read my thoughts about that by going here. Today, I just want to look at Jameis Winston the football player by watching his games (thanks to Draft Breakdown) against Notre Dame, Louisville, and Oregon.

Accuracy
The first thing that stands out about Winston is his ability to lead his receivers to maximize their ability to make plays after the catch. Too many people look at completion percentage to judge the accuracy of quarterbacks, but even though Winston had a lower completion percentage than some of the other quarterbacks in this draft, there is nobody that matches his ability to hit his receivers in stride. Here are back-to-back plays that show this.

The receiver catches the ball in stride. He does have to reach out for the pass, but it is not so far out that he cannot maintain his steps and continue moving forward. It is close enough where the receiver can slow down to bring the ball in after the catch without taking a big hit from the safety. The second play does not require as impressive as a throw as the receiver is wide open, but that doesn't mean that the ball from Winston is not just as impressive. Even had there been a defender in sight, it would have taken an immaculate effort to stop this from being a completion.

Winston's accuracy is most valuable in the short-to-intermediate game, but he also knows how to lay out a nice deep ball when the opportunity arises.

This is about as easy as it gets for a quarterback, and Winston is able to take full advantage of his receiver running free.

Mobility
It is time to address the elephant in the room. Jameis Winston is a black quarterback, but no, that does not mean he is a running quarterback. Still, the guy can move as demonstrated here.

Although he can move, it would be silly to make it a habit. If a team drafts him and starts doing a bunch of read option plays, they are setting him up for failure.

What is more important about Jameis Winston is his pocket presence. He makes subtle movements to maximize his time to make plays. Here, he steps up into a crowded pocket to deliver a touchdown pass.

Anybody can see that this is a great throw, but we've been over the throws. What is more impressive is that Winston can see that there is a big blitz coming and he is not going to have much time to throw. However, he doesn't panic, and he steps into his throw despite his offensive lineman being pushed into him as he releases the ball. It's not a complex read as if Notre Dame is true to what they're showing presnap, he has the slant, but he steps up and delivers a great ball despite not having a rapidly closing pocket.

Decision Making
Sometimes, Winston tries to do too much with the ball. Part of the reason his interception total was so high is that he was always trying to make a play no matter what the situation was. Learning when to push his luck and when to throw the ball away to live another down will be an essential part of his development. Sometimes you can get lucky, but this first example is not one of those times.

Honestly, I really like Winston as a prospect, but you cannot make a dumber pass than that. He throws this ball into a crowd off of his back foot. This is what the big question with Winston is, because he tries to make plays when there is no play there to make. That is a big reason his interception total was so high.

On the previous throw, the pressure was obvious in how it affected what Winston did on his throw. On this throw, it is not as blatant, but it is still very harmful to Winston's accuracy.

The good news for Winston is that he stays solid in the pocket and uses his legs to drive the throw. Unfortunately, he gets sloppy with his upper body mechanics in that he doesn't turn his shoulders to aim his throw. That leaves the ball behind the wide receiver, which gives the defender the chance to undercut the route and make the interception.

Trying to make a play all the time can lead to costly turnovers. However, there is a reason that it has become a habit for Winston -- sometimes it works.

Here, Winston gets pressured up the middle, gets engulfed in a crowd of Louisville defenders but manages to give himself just enough room to flip the ball out to his running back who runs for a first down. These plays remind me a lot of Andrew Luck, another guy who gets grief for trying to make plays when he would be better off throwing the ball away to live another day, but who can also shut up critics when he turns nothing into something amazing.

Along with his decision making is his ability to scan the field quickly on throws. This is something that he will occasionally struggle with, but at times, he can make it look effortless. The following gif is one of the most subtle reads of the field you will see, but it is incredibly effective.

In just a short period of time, he is able to look at the outside wide receiver, realize nothing is there, transition to his tight end who appears to be faking an outside cut before going up the seam (possibly an option route), and then finally checking down to his back who finds space in the middle of the field.

With the way he places the ball, he was consistenly able to carve up man coverage, but he did show consistent struggles with recognizing underneath defenders as shown on this pass against Louisville.

From the sideline view, it looks like that safety is playing the robber technique to break in front of the route and make a play, but this is an area where I did see struggles. I also saw him wisely place balls as he recognized where the holes in the zone were, so I believe that he will become better handling zone defenses with experience. Early on, I think he will struggle against zone blitzes.

Mechanics
Jameis Winston is very solid in his fundamentals. He sets his feet, has his shoulders aimed at his target, and has a quick delivery of the ball. What is even more impressive is how good he manages to keep his mechanics while on the move. This touchdown pass is an excellent example.

This takes amazing work from Winston as he rolls away from the pressure but is still able to flip his shoulders on his final step to make an accurate throw to his receiver. Out of the prospects in this draft, nobody can manage his feel for the game.

NFL Throws
People talk about the lack of NFL throws Marcus Mariota has had to make and how many NFL throws Jameis Winston has to make in his offense. This is an example of what they are talking about.

That is a tight window, and Winston threads the needle and delivers a catchable ball for his receiver. It's not necessarily a bad drop, as there was tight coverage, but it's a ball that you would expect a pro receiver to catch. You can't throw a better ball than that, and the fact that scouts have seen Winston make these throws are the reason that some have him rated as the top quarterback in the draft.

Composure
Jameis Winston may have concerns with his lack of composure and maturity off the field, but he has those traits in abundance on the field.

A lot of people made a big deal out of him yelling at Jimbo Fisher, and Fisher threatening to bench him if he didn't cool it. Some looked at that situation and saw a lack of maturity, but it was a guy who was angry that his team was losing, because he wanted to do everything he could to win. It is basically exactly what Tom Brady does anytime that the Patriots struggle in a game.

My ultimate concern with Jameis Winston is not his actions on the football field, but how his actions are interpreted. Perception is reality, and actions that would be tolerated from most young players will be scrutinized because of his past. There's a fine line between a fiery competitor and someone acting like a baby. It may not be fair, but it's also not totally undeserved.

Conclusion
I mentioned Andrew Luck earlier, but the comparison I keep coming back to is the ol' gunslinger, Brett Favre. They both have the arm strength to make any throw on the field. They are not running quarterbacks, but they are mobile enough to make plays with their feet. Let's not forget that before the controversies started with Winston, he seemed like a kid just having fun out there. And finally, they make unbelievable plays, some unbelievably good, and just as memorable are the ones that are unbelievably bad. If a team feels confident in the off-the-field behavior, he's without a doubt a top-5 pick.

Quarterback Prospect Rankings:
1. Jameis Winston - Florida State
2. Shane Carden - East Carolina
4. Garrett Grayson - Colorado State
5. Blake Sims - Alabama

Blake Sims - 2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report

With the college football season over, the 2015 NFL Draft season immediately starts up to fill that void. I plan to take a look at all of the top quarterback prospects but will also be willing to take suggestions if there are prospects at other positions that you would like to see analyzed. But my bread and butter is quarterback play (a position that teams should always be drafting). Today, I am taking a look at Blake Sims from the University of Alabama.

Blake Sims came from out of nowhere to surprisingly beat out Jacob Coker for the starting quarterback job for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Once he won the job, he did not disappoint, as he led Alabama to the first College Football Playoff before losing to Ohio State in the semifinals. So is this a guy who will only be known for one nice year with one of the best programs in the nation, or can he carve out a career at the next level? Thanks to Draft Breakdown, I was able to look at his games against LSU and Tennessee.

Blake Sims is a guy with strength, but his biggest strength is his speed, as he is always a threat to do damage running the ball.

On this zone read play, he does a good job of reading the play, finding the seam and then making a nice cut in front of the safety in the open field to get a few extra yards.

Now, although he is fast, his pocket mobility is not an impressive trait. He doesn't know how to take advantage of extra space in the pocket and will not avoid rushers with movement within the pocket.

He has a beautiful pocket with plenty of room to step into, but instead he makes it to the end of his drop and stands there. He has to fall backwards while throwing the ball to avoid the pressure from the single defender who could cause him even the slightest bit of grief. If he steps up, he can complete the pass and keep the ball moving forward. Instead, the pass never has a chance.

Blake Sims was 23rd in the nation in completion percentage. Looking at that, you would say that he was an accurate passer. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as he consistently struggles with accuracy, although the talent around him did do a good job of bailing him out.

This is a very troublesome pass, as he throws a drag route a few yards in front of the line of scrimmage, but he still puts it behind his receiver who has to adjust to catch the ball behind them which slowed their momentum. Now, the receiver was wide open, so he was still able to get quite a bit of yards after the catch, but that is an easy throw with a clean pocket that Sims needs to give his receiver an easy catch to maximize the yards they are able to gain.

This is another example of Blake Sims simply not helping out his receiver by underthrowing a ball that should have led the receiver to the sideline.

His tight end is running to the outside, but has to turn back towards the defender and duck to avoid getting annihilated by the LSU player. If he leads OJ Howard on this route, he not only doesn't have to worry about being concussed, but he can likely gain a decent amount of yards after the catch.

Now, there was a reason he was able to have success this season, and it was not all due to his supporting cast. This may be my favorite throw from him.

He throws a perfect ball all around as it is not only perfectly placed, but it is perfectly timed. Still, the thought I am left with after watching this throw is my own personal experience playing bags (or cornhole for them fancy folk). I am bad at bags. I barely pay attention, as it's pretty boring, and even when I do, I'm still not all that good. Still, I put some in the hole, sometimes I put a few in the hole in a single turn. This doesn't make me a good bags player, but just by throwing them enough, I manage to throw some good ones. This is Blake Sims in a nutshell, as he's not accurate, but much like me finding the hole, even an inaccurate quarterback can make a beautiful throw.

Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough of those throws for me to have any confidence in him having enough accuracy to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. This was a quarterback who was greatly helped by the talent around him, and I just don't see anything on tape that makes me think he could be a successful NFL quarterback. He had a nice year, helped Alabama get to the College Football Playoff, but I think that will be the peak of his football career unless he goes down under to learn the nuances of Aussie Rules.

Quarterback Prospect Rankings:
1. Shane Carden - East Carolina
2. Garrett Grayson - Colorado State
3. Blake Sims - Alabama

Shane Carden - 2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report

With the college football season over, the 2015 NFL Draft season immediately starts up to fill that void. I plan to take a look at all of the top quarterback prospects but will also be willing to take suggestions if there are prospects at other positions that you would like to see analyzed. But my bread and butter is quarterback play (a position that is still underrated in the draft). Today, I am taking a look at Shane Carden from East Carolina University.

Playing in a small conference, Shane Carden is not a guy that I have watched very much of, but he has had some decent buzz as possibly the best quarterback that is not coming from one of the five major conferences. Thanks to Draft Breakdown and College Football Dude, I was able to take a look at his games against South Florida, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina.

Mobility
I would say that Carden has good mobility but is not a threat with his feet. Here is an example of where a quarterback can have good mobility without elite athleticism.

I like that he stays in the pocket until the rush forces him out instead of fleeing early. Also, as he scrambles to his right, he continues to look down the field. He can't quite make a good enough throw on the run, but there is a lot more positive on this play than negative.

On that one, he had to eventually bail out, but this next play, he utilizes subtle movement to give himself some space to make a play.

He does a really nice job of feeling pressure and making subtle movement within the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield. A lot of quarterbacks will either bail out of the pocket or put their eyes on the rush and try to run the ball, but he does a nice job of keeping calm and making a short pass that allows his receiver to turn it into a first down.

Awareness
One of his issues is that he would stare down a receiver waiting for them to get open instead of moving on to another option. He waited and waited, which showed good patience, but he cannot depend on an excessive amount of time. Still, there was an outlier that could show his ultimate potential in reading the field.

This may look like a simple throw, but it is actually a reason to be excited about Carden's potential. He takes the snap and looks to the left side of the field where he has a high-low read. Both options are covered fairly well, so he looks to the middle of the field and quickly gets rid of the ball to hit his other receiver in stride who is crossing the middle of the field. Even with good coverage, the defender really has no chance to break up the play. This play is a good sign in that he does have the ability to quickly scan the field, so it may be a lack of experience where he just needs to fine tune the skill.

Mechanics
On the negative side of things, his mechanics are a mess. He really only generates power from his hips up as his feet are too narrow so his legs do not extend to help him drive ball on his throws. A lot of his throws are just winged out there, but he can only generate below average velocity on his passes with that form. Nearly every deep ball he threw hung in the air, and at best, his receiver was forced to slow down to make a play on the ball. If he improved his footwork, it could make him a much more dangerous passer.

This is a good example of him not using his legs so he is unable to drive the pass and allows a defender to make a play on the ball. If this ball is driven, the corner would not have enough time to adjust and time his jump to deflect the ball, but that extra half second almost leads to an interception after the deflection.

Even with the poor mechanics, he does show a nice touch on his passes.

This one was especially impressive, as he throws the ball in the only place that his receiver can make a play on it. The defender has good coverage, but the receiver is able to high-point the ball and get a foot in bounds to make the touchdown grab.

Overall
When I first started watching Shane Carden, the mechanics immediately turned me off. He just wasn't generating enough velocity on his throws to be successful at the NFL level. But then I kept seeing glimpses of great attritbutes. He has good pocket awareness, he can scan a field and make quick decisions, and even with poor mechanics, he shows some nice touch on his passes. But it still comes down to this: If his mechanics do not change, he will not be a successful NFL Quarterback. But the flipside is that if he can alter his mechanics to generate strength from his lower half, he's a really interesting quarterback. The question for teams comes down to whether their offensive coaches are confident in being able to alter his delivery so he gains velocity without losing any of his other attributes that help make him interesting. So where does that put him? As an outsider, I would put him in the 4th-5th round range (I don't think I could pull the trigger until the 5th), but this is a case where seeing him at the combine, in private workouts, and interviewing him to get a better feel for him is going to be incredibly valuable. With what he flashes, he could be a steal, but if those mechanics don't change, he's likely just a wasted pick.

Quarterback Prospect Rankings:
1. Shane Carden - East Carolina
2. Garrett Grayson - Colorado State

Garrett Grayson - 2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report

And so it begins. With the college football season over, the 2015 NFL Draft season immediately starts up to fill that void. I plan to take a look at all of the top quarterback prospects but will also be willing to take suggestions if there are prospects at other positions that you would like to see analyzed. But my bread and butter is quarterback play (a position I still feel is undervalued in the draft). Today, I am taking a look at Garrett Grayson from Colorado State University.

Garrett Grayson is, admittedly, not a quarterback prospect I have had much chance to watch this season, but with the strength of Colorado State this season, clearly, their quarterback was doing something right. I took a look at his games against Wyoming and San Jose State. Thanks as always to DraftBreakdown.com for making the cut-up videos that make this possible.

Accuracy
Let's start with a positive and show his ability to throw the ball accurately and hit his receiver in stride.

This is probably his best pass that I saw from him in that he drives the ball down the middle of the field and hits his receiver in stride to help him keep running after the pass for an easy touchdown. His arm strength is not great, but throws like this can make evaluators believe it is good enough to succeed.

Next is a pass that shows his best and possibly worst traits all in one play.

He has great touch on this ball, and places it perfectly into his receiver's hands for a touchdown. His accuracy is something that consistently shows up as he throws some nice balls that allow his receivers to make plays. However, there is bad to this play, as he stares down the wheel route the entire time. He is just waiting for it to get open, which works here, but that is not the sort of habit that will lead to success in the future.

Awareness
Now he does occasionally scan the field when that receiver is not a reasonable option, but it's a little slow when he does do it. Staring down receivers may work against most Mountain West teams, but it is not going to work in the NFL.

Because of this, he was lucky in that he did not face pressure often, but when he did, he left a lot to be desired.

He shows some feel for how to move in the pocket as he moves to the open space, but he's not a great athlete, so all he did was delay the inevitable. I never saw him avoid pressure and make a play.

Arm Strength
As I mentioned before, his arm strength is definitely a question mark.

This is not a huge throw, but the ball floats out there, and the defender is able to blow up the play. Leaving a ball in the air that long on an out route is a great way to throw a touchdown. Unfortunately, it will be the defense scoring it.

How's his deep ball? I'm glad you asked.

Yeah, not good. There were limited opportunities to see true deep balls, but they were underthrown when he did try. This is the most egregious example as he has all the time in the world and decides to just throw up a prayer and hope for a flag.

Overall
I'm just not excited about Grayson. He has some nice touch, which is nice but it's not exciting. He put up good numbers in a very quarterback friendly system while not facing top notch competition. There is a difference between college open and pro open. Grayson took advantage of guys that were college open, but was never forced to throw into tight windows which will be a necessity at the next level. On top of that, anytime he felt pressure, bad things happened. He's fine, but I wouldn't give him a grade higher than an undrafted free agent, because I see a limited ceiling and honestly he needs to take some big steps forward in handling pressure just to be an adequate backup.

The good news is that he is the first quarterback I have taken a look at, which gets him the #1 spot on my board so far.

Quarterback Prospect Rankings:
1. Garrett Grayson - Colorado State

Join The Gym Before The New Year

Now that we are in the New Year, my gym is much more crowded. Since I am a gym curmudgeon who just wants to get his swoll on, this bothers me. Now, don't get me wrong, I think it's great that people are taking care of their bodies. Being healthy is an essential part to happiness, so good for them. This year, they really haven't gotten in my way, but I feel bad that they don't know what they are doing and look like they are going to hurt themselves. Stay safe out there, little buddies and buddettes.

Still, none of these people make me feel as uncomfortable the 60-year-old dude who wears toe shoes, black spandex shorts, a wife beater, headband, and workout gloves every day. Every single day. Dude is the Superman of bad workout fashion. Just visualize that...(shudders).

Um, what was the point of this? Oh yeah, join the gym before the new year so you can feel an air of superiority over your fellow gymgoer. That's really what the gym is all about. An exercise in vanity. Trust me, it's an incredibly satisfying feeling to know that you've been in the gym, putting in the work well before these people showed up.

Just imagine dropping pithy one-liners like this one, "It's clear that Santa got him a gym membership for Christmas."

Or, "Weird, I don't remember seeing that guy in 2015." You'll get mad chuckles.

Also, if you join in November, you can make hilarious remarks about the election. "Yo bro, did it really take Hulk Hogan (or whoever else might win the election) to encourage you to get in the gym?" It really sucks, but yes, you must use bro in your sentences, brah or braj are also acceptable.

Another good one is, "Clearly, all these people needed was a real American as president to encourage them to turn their life around. #Nobama #NoHope (and yes, you will have to say hashtag out loud for this to work)."

So for the sake of year-round gym goers, don't join in January. Beat the rush. That way the people like me won't look down on you as if we should have a private gym for our $10 Planet Fitness monthly fees. And even more importantly, stay away from spandex.

Tennessee vs. Iowa: My Experience at the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl

I'll admit this post is a little late, but the sort of game that Iowa played against Tennessee takes a little while to recover from, especially being there in person. But don't worry, Hawkeye fans, this post will not focus on the game as much as the experience surrounding it.

Since Iowa was playing in Jacksonville which is only about 3.5 hours away, I figured I had to make the jaunt up north to go to the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl. It was not the normal Iowa gameday experience. I think this is the first time I have gone to an Iowa game sober (I had one beer, but I'm a bit of a heavyweight so I know how to handle myself, no big deal), and it was also the first time I took my wife. These both proved to be wise decisions, as alcohol most certainly would not have added any fun to my experience.

Iowa did not have its usual representation as fans have become disenchanted with the team. Expectations were high, results were low, and it seems like Iowa goes to Florida every year, so there wasn't that much appeal to making the trip. Also, it's the TaxSlayer Bowl, so it would take an extremely desperate and dedicated fanbase to get excited for that.

Tennessee was that fanbase.

I was surrounded by orange. My wife and I were literally the only two people supporting the Hawkeyes in our section. There was another Iowa fan a section over and about ten rows back who kept spelling Fuck Kirk, so despite running into 100 Tennessee fans and 5 Iowa fans, Iowa produced the worst fans of the game. Congratulations, Hawkeyes. I would like to talk trash about Tennessee fans, but outside of them loving cigarettes, they were actually very pleasant people to be around.

I cannot stress this enough: Tennessee fans were SO PUMPED to be there. Their excitement was not sarcastic, it was as legit as it gets. They hadn't been to a bowl game in a while, and they are excited where Butch Jones is taking the team. One of my favorite things in this world is when middle-aged people where shirts designed for teenagers, so I was really happy to see a 50-year-old man wearing a "Butch Please" shirt for the game. Overall thought, they were just incredibly positive people. They have a chant where they just go, "It's great...to be...a Tennessee Vol." How pleasant and quaint of them.

As for the game, thank God I have other things that I care about in this world more than Iowa football (like my dog...and Iowa wrestling...oh yeah, and my wife too). Sports don't mean as much to me; there are still times where a heartbreaking loss will kill my mood, but ass kickings like the one Iowa received don't really matter as much to me. I can be angry at my team, or I can just laugh at how awful they are. I chose the latter and filled the game with pithy one liners that impressed the people around me.

The Hawkeyes lost 45-28, and the game was not nearly that close, yet I still had a good time. I spent some time with the old lady, hung out with some friendly people who cheered for the opposing side, and most importantly, I got to see a whole lot of CJ Beathard. It wasn't great, but having Beathard was enough for me to stay late to watch the final two touchdowns, both of which were really nice throws.

I am an eternal optimist. Beathard gives the Hawkeyes a look they need on offense to not be competent but actually be dangerous. If the Hawkeyes brought in a new offensive coordinator (Ken O'Keefe is available), it would give them the offense necessary to accentuate their strengths. Right now, everybody is down on Iowa football, and it's just a really negative atmosphere. I can understand it, but it's still way more fun to focus on the positives and just have a good time watching football...

Maybe I should have gone to Tennessee.