NFL Combine Quarterbacks 2014

The QB class of 2014 entering this year's NFL draft in May brought arguably more interest than any in recent years, especially with Johnny Manziel participating in the on-filed events except the throwing portion.
Teddy Bridgewater, still thought by many to be the most ready for the NFL, was in Indianapolis for the events as a bystander for the field events, but the other QB getting lots of attention was the lesser known quarterback from the University of Central Florida Blake Bortles.  Unlike Manziel and Bridgewater, Bortles has a prototypical NFL QB body and has a lot of athleticism to go along with it.  The biggest knock is that he didn't play against top-notch competition week in and week out in the American Athletic Conference.
I became a fan of his play as UCF found its way onto the television more often as the season progressed and he certainly showed well for himself in beating Baylor in his bowl game.
I don't think there are any questions with him and his abilities moving onto the highest level.  He is big, strong and athletic.  HIs arm strength is not a question, but his mechanics might be.  Looking at the photo from his combine throwing, he certainly takes the ball way too deep behind his head!  I haven't studied him enough to know if he does this all the time or just certain throws when he doesn't have his legs underneath him.  It can be fixed, but the QB coach that he lands with will need to know how to do it.
For our purposes here, know that the BEST way to throw the football is to keep the forearm vertical to the ground with the throwing hand directly on top of the elbow until the last second when the hand snaps toward the target, more like a boxer throwing a punch than reaching deep behind the head with the football.  This makes it much more difficult to get the ball's nose far enough around to fly properly.  Also, with a helmet and shoulder pads on, it makes it more difficult all around.  This "mistake" in his mechanics wouldn't be enough to stop me from drafting him, but it is a place for him to improve from now until his pro day!

LUCK WITH LUCK

Andrew Luck has been the consensus #1 overall pick in the NFL draft for more than a year now. Last year he decided to do the college thing one more time and Cam Newton took the top spot and the millions that go with it. With the NFL's new CBA following the long lockout, Newton's millions were far less than the previous number one's for quite a few years, so Luck didn't miss out on nearly as much as usual.
He didn't disappoint in the college ranks and continues to be way out in the lead as the front-runner for the Indianapolis Colts come April.
With Newton's success, the mania surrounding Tim Tebow's ascension in Denver and Robert Griffin's Heisman Trophy win, some wonder about changes to the long-held model of the prototype NFL quarterback. While there may be a subtle shift to more athletic QB's at the game's highest level, passers will remain the most coveted, especially as less and less pro style QB's are being developed from Pee Wee to college.
Next to the Manning brothers, Andrew Luck looks to be the most well prepared player to successfully transition to the NFL. Cam Newton may be the most exciting player to watch over the next decade and very well may make the Carolina Panthers a very successful team on the way, but Luck's demeanor and understanding of the game should make him a super solid performer and probably less likely to get injured during the same time frame.

Combine: From Secret to Circus

When I got an invitation to the NFL combine, I only had a small idea of what to expect. My agent sent me a "super-secret" VHS copy of another QB's performance.
The NFL Combine was once one of the greatest secrets around. All the teams were there to see the results of the bench press, 40 times, jumps and shuttles, so there was no real need to keep these tangibles under lock and key.
Today, since the NFL has to try and keep fresh programming on its own TV network, it has been made into a spectacle. The NFL Draft and the NFL Combine are two hot pieces of media that keep the fans going between seasons. No other sports league has anything even in the stratosphere of off-season interest like the NFL.
I was on the other side of the field when Deion Sanders ran his infamous 40 yard dash. Roomed with Troy Aikman, who didn't throw routes with the other guys and it didn't hurt his draft status.
If you are in the top pick area, it is a good idea to wait for your pro day. Throwing routes to guys you've never said hello to is tough to be good throw after throw. My biggest regret was not throwing the deep ball far enough. You want the receivers to get their chance to make catches and you don't know how fast they are, but looking back, I should have launched my deep balls past everybody, instead of allowing the receivers to slow down a bit and get the reception.
The 300+ players that spent last week in Indianapolis have put themselves on tape now. Some small school players have now been on national television. Some bigger school guys may have been exposed in the strength and explosiveness tests. The NFL teams that just measured and interviewed these players will narrow that field and make personal trips to campuses across the country for more one-on-one events and for pro days as the fans get ready for late April and the wall-to-wall NFL Draft coverage coming our way.

Sam Wyche Makes Bold Prediction For Tebow

Former NFL quarterback Sam Wyche, more known for his NFL coaching days and probably best known for his antics as a coach, has gone way out on a limb for Tim Tebow.
Wyche once coached both Joe Montana and Boomer Esiason and says Tim Tebow will be in that class of elite NFL QB.
That isn't a hard bet to take. Being an elite QB is difficult enough. Many were thought to have that kind of potential and failed, some miserably and some just never lived up to the hype. Timmy Tebow, on the other hand, has very little in the way of expectation, so if he becomes a good quarterback at the next level, Sam Wyche gets a little justification in his bold prediction. I guess it comes down to what Sam's definition of "elite" really is.
It is the prediction here that Tebow will not become an elite QB, nor will any other QB coming out in this year's draft. Not that they don't have that potential, it's just any easy bet to say that they won't. See, elite means elite. That is very few by the way. Trying to say Tebow, with all of his issues going in to the NFL (slow delivery, bad balance, lack of experience under center, style of offense at Florida), the likelihood of achieving an elite level is extremely small. Tebow has a handful of QB coaches trying to remake his delivery in a very short time, but isn't that what Scott Loeffler tried to do over months last off-season?
He will not throw at this week's combine, but is scheduled to do so at the Gators' pro day in April.

2010 Draft Class: Weak

When the best QB prospect in the NFL draft only played a handful of plays during his junior year and is coming off an injury to his throwing shoulder, you know there is trouble brewing for the entire class.
That is the state of the potential quarterbacks for the April draft that are currently preparing to show their stuff at the annual combine coming up soon.
Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay, ESPN's resident draft gurus slate Sam Bradford as the top pick at the most important position in sports, followed by either Jimmy Clausen or Colt McCoy, with Tim Tebow finishing #5 on both boards.
Compared with recent years, this seems to be one of the weakest QB classes in some time. None of the top names will sell any more season tickets for their teams, but they may land on decent football teams, since they probably won't go near the top, even though there are plenty of teams in need of a long-term signal caller.
I too would put Sam Bradford at the top of the board, if his shoulder is deemed sound. I've always liked Colt McCoy as a player, but the injury in the BCS Title Game was a little scary and mysterious. He says he is just about ready to throw at the combine, but will leave that up to his advisors.
I have written in this column before that I don't have a good feeling about Jimmy Clausen's mechanics and I just don't see him endearing himself to an NFL team or town.
Obviously Tim Tebow is the crowd favorite, but I agree with the masses, that his "unique" mechanics will not allow him to be successful as an every down QB at the top level. He is working with a couple coaches to "fix" his throwing motion, but I doubt we will see a difference at the combine or in mini-camps with whatever team takes the chance on him.

NFL Combine and the Quarterback

I went to the NFL Combine in 1989 to show my skills to the powers-that-be in the NFL. I roomed with Troy Aikman who came to get a physical and go home. The combine has grown in popularity over the years and access from a fan's standpoint has increased incredibly. It was top-secret stuff back in the day. Getting to see someone's film to see the drills that they did was Iron Curtain stuff (that is an old reference to the Russia during the Cold War).
Matt Stafford is thought to be the top QB in this year's draft and is not going to be participating in the on-field throwing, running, etc. Hearing executives say things about being scared to compete with the other participants is not the issue for most, I would guess. The issue is that everything is graded and examined and throwing to unknown receivers that you aren't familiar with is not easy and could cost a kid millions. Guys like me that are from small schools and trying to establish themselves have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Matt Stafford, like Troy Aikman and every other top prospect since, should control their environment to guarantee the best showing possible. Not throwing at the 1989 combine didn't drop Aikman's status as his contract was negotiated before the draft began and he was the #1 pick and now in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. I don't think Matt Stafford is worthy of the #1 overall pick, but he is certainly making the right decision not to participate in February in Indianapolis, Indiana.