We take a look at the natural arm talent NFL Draft Prospect Feleipe Franks possesses.
For in-depth analysis on Franks & the rest of the 2021 QB class purchase the QB Film Room 2021 Draft Guide
We evaluate a single Trask throw that speaks to the highly nuanced system he played in while at UF.
For in-depth analysis on the 2021 QB Class, purchase our 2021 Draft Guide
We isolate a throw from Mac Jones 2nd start from 2020 that gives us insight into how quickly he makes decisions with the football.
For in-depth analysis on Jones & the entire 2021 QB Class, purchase our 2021 Draft Guide
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Derek Carr (7th Year) 6’3″ 218
The Raiders have continued to stick with Carr as
their QB largely because he showed such promise early in his career & due to how much money the club has allocated to him. The team has given him every opportunity to regain his early high potential form. He was a more productive player in 2019 from both a statistical & performance standpoint yet is still in a make or break year in 2020. The organization needs to see him win games consistently & put the team in position to compete for an AFC title in order to extend the relationship with Carr beyond this season.
2019 Production
4,054 Yards 70.4 CMP% 21 TD 8 INT. 361 completions 513 attempts.
Note
Carr has started 94 games for the Raiders since entering the league in 2014. After going 12-3 in 2016 he has not produced a winning season since. 6-9 (2017) 4-12 (2018) 7-9 (2019)
Marcus Mariota (6th Year) 6’4″ 224
Mariota signed a two year deal with Las Vegas this offseason as a prized free agent & will receive 7.5 million in guaranteed money. Mariota showed flashes during his time in Tennessee, particularly early on (2015-17) Mariota fell out of favor with the team in 2019 & was benched for Ryan Tannehill. His time in Nashville was not a failure however. He showed elements of becoming an elite quarterback at times & the Raiders hope he can re-build himself in their program.
2019 Production
1.203 Yards 59.4 CMP % 7 TD 2 INT. 95 completions 160 attempts.
Note
Mariota started 61 games for Tennessee (2015-19) and has played in five playoff games. He has thrown for over 13,000 yards 76 TD’s & 44 INT.
Nathan Peterman (4th Year) 6’2″ 225
Peterman is a favorite of Jon Gruden. He will be the third quarterback again in 2020 for the team. He has the athletic instincts, mobility & toughness that Gruden loves at the position. In his two career starts, Peterman has underwhelmed but still is considered a player with potential to develop into a solid backup player.
2019 Production
Preseason
Note
Peterman performed well during 2019 preseason action & will most likely make the 53 man roster again in 2020.
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Player – #17 Philip Rivers (QB)
1st Quarter
1st Chargers Possession
On the first play of the game Rivers was late throwing a wheel route into the right side hole (Cover 2) as he took multiple extra hitches resulting in pass being batted down.
Two plays later on 3rd & 8 Rivers made an excellent touch throw on a deep corner route to Hunter Henry out of trips bunch vs man to man coverage.
On 2nd & 12 from just inside the fifty, Rivers was high on a deep over to Keenan Allen. Play-Action to his right with a pre-snap two high shell but SS rolled down into box post snap & Rivers quickly ID’d where to go with the ball (away from SS rotation to deep over, but his release point was low & ball sailed on him.
On 4th & 2 from the -31 Chargers elect to go for it & Rivers pass falls short in left flat as pressure negatively impacted play result.
Drive Result – Turnover on downs.
2nd Chargers Possession
Rivers erratic with his throw and late with eyes on under route from shotgun.
He takes Melvin Gordon on check-down over the ball vs Tampa 2 sink.
Great throw to Keenan Allen using his eyes to fold FS hard to right and fire a bullet to Allen running a seam from the slot (Trips) 1st & 10
Screen play sniffed out by Titans D.
Big time throw against a single high look on 3rd and long. Rivers stood firm in pocket & delivered with anticipation & quick release to Allen over the Middle from -28 to -12.
1st & 10 Rivers late to skinny post to his left from -12 out of 10 2×2 pers look. Incompletion.
3rd & 10 throw to Melvin Gordon to left flat (field) almost intercepted but Gordon was the only option for Rivers.
Drive Result – FG
3rd Chargers Possession (2nd Quarter)
1st & 10 2×2 back shoulder throw (slot fade) vs man to man. Pinpoint placement & timing on throw.
2 & 9 from +31 corner route completed to Mike Williams from 2 x 2 formation vs two high safety pure cover 2 zone. Rivers sped up release & setup against outside pressure. Great catch by Williams to drag 2nd foot.
2nd & 7 takes Ekeler on the check down as Titans play coverage and zone underneath .
3rd & 2 on time & accurate (shotgun) to quick out to left (3×1) from -25
2nd & 9 Big time throw to Keenan Allen (3×1) backside out (11-15 yards) Great timing & anticipation by Rivers. Single coverage.
Chargers attempt to run ball inside the five multiple times from shotgun with wr motion window dressing.
3rd & 1 from -1 (23 pers, motion double TE over RT) play action right, flair Tailback out to left for easy Swing Pass TD)
Drive Result – Touchdown (Pass)
First Half Summary (Rivers)
-Really got into a groove when facing man coverage. Regularly made throws with anticipation vs this type of look (in breaking seams, deep corner.
-Pressure affected Rivers negatively when it came to him fast. Made him throw quicker than he would like resulted in passes falling short of the intended target.
– Showed the ability in the first half to diagnose coverages very quickly (single high off man, pure cover 2 & even rolling SS down into box post snap.
-Each Chargers first half drive was sustainable.
3rd Quarter
4th Chargers possession (3rd Quarter)
1st & 10 – Sacked. Titans four deep defenders, zone under. No where to go with ball.
3rd and long – Rivers forces a ball to deep over in congested coverage. Under was open but pressure made him guess.
Drive Result – Punt
5th Chargers possession (3rd Quarter)
2nd & 8 Pressure immediate & coverage tight forces Rivers to throw early and high and outside.
3rd & 8 tight coverage pass interference throws out to boundary.
1st & 10 shot play under center play action, Rivers throws over to Allen, id’s man coverage on outside. Anticipates window, dropped.
3rd & 8 out and up from shotgun to Keenan Allen (single coverage, single high safety) pressure gets to rivers, has to reset and throw to spot. Ball wobbles, incomplete.
Drive Result – Punt
6th Chargers possession (4th Quarter)
1st & 10 under center, corner – post Rivers slides left and throws with touch to Henry on corner route for big gain.
1st & 10 under center 21 pers play action, hits Henry on dig route over ball for 23 yards.
2nd & 8 from -27 12 pers boot right send Allen on comeback and go for shot play off play action. Rivers over shoots, good coverage.
3rd & 8 3×1 shotgun looks to hit Henry on deep over out of trips bunch (arena style play vs man to man) pressure is there quickly, overshoots, tight coverage.
Drive Result – FG
7th Chargers possession (4th Quarter)
1st & 10 Rivers hits underneath option vs coverage
2nd & 7 empty gun Rivers finds Henry underneath against tampa 2 deep zone under
1st & 10 – midfield Rivers finds Henry underneath against dropping coverage.
1st & 10 -41 5 wide empty gun again, vs single high safety, Ekeler split out wide, Rivers finds him deep for score holding FS with eyes hitting ekeler on deep hitch and go fade for TD.
Drive Result – TD
8th Chargers possession (4th Quarter, 2:35 left in game, down 23-20)
1st & 10 from +48. 5 wide gun, slant to Ekeler wide right was open, ball at targets feet & without great zip.
2nd & 10 5 wide gun underneath throw against two high sink.
3rd & 4 5 wide trips hits under route for conversion (man beater trips)
1st & 10 5 wide, hits ekeler on slant (trips side) vs two high coverage. Completion
1st & 10 from -16 5 wide, inside release fade to Allen, incomplete, good coverage. Good ball. Back shoulder
2nd & 10 gun trips bunch right, Rivers hits Ekeler on texas route for big gain to -1 (2 high safety LB’s affected by trips routes vertical.
1st & goal from -1 shotgun motion wr run stuffed. False start penalty brings it back to -6.
1st & goal from -6. Picks right side to go with back shoulder fade to left, pass broken up. Good read. (defensive PI)
Ist & goal from -1 run shotgun to Gordon, -1 run to Gordon (right, stuffed, fumbled)
Drive Result – Fumble (Turnover)
2nd Half Summary (Rivers)
Rivers started off rather slow as pressure continually affected his placement & timing when Chargers threw out of run heavy looks or 10 personnel.
In 4th Quarter, Chargers went shotgun five wide almost exclusively allowing Rivers to distribute the football and he consistently made good pre snap reads and was careful with his throws. Also was able to isolate deep options out of the five wide sets & give his receivers a chance. Moved ball on two minute drill effectively as well but drive stalled inside the -1 as team tried to run it in for win.
Player Stats (Rivers) 24 of 38 for 329 Yards 2 TD 0 INT
Drive Results (8 Total)
Player #17 Ryan Tannehill (QB)
1st Titans possession (1st Quarter)
1st & 10 Tannehill starts off firing a strike out of 21 pers to his TE on an over, placing ball behind trailing LB. great throw, under center play action.
Tannehill then made a pair of underneath throws, taking what the defensive was giving him underneath.
3rd & 5, incomplete on outside release hitch to right. Tight coverage.
Drive Result – FG
2nd Titans possession (2nd Quarter)
2nd & 5 play action half roll finds Corey Davis coming back to ball from opposite side of half roll. Great catch.
2nd & 8 12 pers play action, Tannehill moves left off script and makes a throw on the move to his left, first down.
3rd & 5 from shotgun 3×1 10 pers undercoverage good rolls right, throwaway.
Drive Result – Punt
3rd Titans possession (2nd Quarter)
1st & 10 under center play action throws to outside wr in twins right on slant. Completion
Under center 7 step drop drops ball down MOF to TE putting ball in a great spot for target to catch. Result- completion
Play action screen
2nd & 6 from -19 comeback to left from shotgun – completion
1st & 8 from -8 shotgun trips bunch right Tannehill makes anticipation window throw for TD between two defenders down middle of field.
Drive Result (TD Pass)
1st Half Summary (Tannehill)
Operated under center often with both pure drop back & play action. Showed great comfort in functioning in this manner, throwing on time with accuracy & timing. Making good throws. Forced to move at times and found targets off script. All in all a very efficient half of football from Tannehill.
4th Titans possession (3rd Quarter)
Sack (shotgun, coverage sack)
Hit underneath route.
Misfires on deep out to left vs single coverage.
Sack (shotgun) LA played zone under-coverage locking up all options.
Drive Result – Punt
5th Titans possession (3rd Quarter)
1st & 10 from -40 21 pers trips. Play action under center, RT beat and Tannehill arm hit on throw ball flies up in air, intercepted.
Drive Result – Interception
6th Titans possession (3rd Quarter)
Play action under center (Screen to right, incomplete)
2nd & 10 from shotgun Tannehill hits out to left against single coverage, result completion.
Finds underneath pivot route for completion underneath from shotgun.
3rd & 2 QB Sneak for 2 yards , first down.
1st & 10 play action boot from under center, hits WR on throw, may have been throwing to TE on weak-side over nonetheless a completion for first down.
Tannehill arm action impacted by DE, resulting in incompletion over the middle.
3rd & 11 Tannehill is patient and hits underneath option vs 2 high zone under for completion resulting in first down.
Tight window throw to TE on quick out of bunch trips, getting into a groove.
3rd & 5 (3×1) shotgun Tannehill takes backside hang slant vs 4 across look from -5. Trips receiver side ran slow under routes with backside hang slant open in which Tannehill found. Good read, resulting in TD.
7th Titans possession (4th Quarter)
Takes speed out for completion from under center, safe throw.
3rd & 5 Makes big time throw down the middle (shotgun) trips bunch 10 pers throwing with anticipation to in breaking dig route into tight window allowing for YAC for TE.
1st & 10 -28 Drop back from under center, play breaks down gains 6 yards on the ground.
Next three plays are runs as offense rides Derrick Henry to EZ.
Drive Result – TD (Run)
8th Titans possession (4th Quarter)
1st & 10 +25 Play Action boot (21 pers) finds underneath route for 9 yards rolling right.
3rd & 4 +30 Shotgun (5 wide) Hits underneath slant (pick) route to left for first down.
3rd & 7 +44 Shotgun (10 pers Trips bunch left) Hits in breaking route vs man coverage falls a yard short of first down. Stands tall in pocket.
Drive Result – Punt
2nd Half Summary (Tannehill)
Opening 2nd half drive for him resulted in a punt as he took two sacks & misfired on a deep out.
Second drive resulted in an interception as his arm was hit due to his RT being beat.
Tannehill responded from the adversity on the next drive as he orchestrated a 14 play 85 yard masterpiece relying on his right arm. He consistently beat the Charger defense with sound decision making, timing, anticipation & placement while also taking underneath options when there. TD pass was pinpoint as he fit the ball between two defenders over the middle giving the Titans a 6 point lead.
On the 7th Titans drive, Tannehill made a key 3rd & 5 throw over the middle (dig route) as he remained poised in the pocket while delivering a strike. The play kept the drive alive and allowed the team to ride Derrick Henry to the end-zone to go up by 10 points in the 4th quarter.
Player stats (Tannehill) 23 of 29 for 312 Yards 2 TD 1 INT
Drive Results (8 Total)
Round 1
Round 2
5. James Morgan (36) Patriots trade with Giants
6. Jacob Eason (42) Jaguars
Round 3
None
Round 4
7. Jalen Hurts (123) Cowboys
8. Jake Luton (146) Eagles
Round 5
9. Jake Fromm (148) Panthers
10. Nate Stanley (160) Raiders
Round 6
11. Cole McDonald (194) Colts
11. Brian Lewerke (204) Saints
12. Nick Tiano (210) Packers
13. Bryce Perkins (215) Seahawks
Round 7
14. Khalil Tate (225) Titans
15. Kenji Bahar (234) Bears
For In-Depth Analysis on the 2020 QB Class, purchase our QB Film Room 2020 Draft Guide
Sample Report on San Diego Fleet QB Philip Nelson from our 2017 Draft Guide
Philip Nelson 6’2” 216 East Carolina
Overview
Philip Nelson started as a Redshirt Freshman/Sophomore at the University of Minnesota in 2012/2013. During this time Nelson showed flashes of promise but was playing in a run centric offense that saw him throw for 2,100 yards 17 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Nelson elected to transfer after the 2013 season and things only went downhill from there for him personally. Nelson was implicated in an assault case that put him in the national spotlight in a negative way. Nelson eventually got himself out of the legal mess and made his way to East Carolina as a walk on transfer. Nelson was named the starter for the 2016 season and for about a month and a half was the best passer statistically in all of college football as he opened the
Film Analysis – (2016) South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, NC State, Tulsa (2013) Nebraska
Natural thrower of the football who trusts his receivers to make plays for him. Consistently puts the ball in a preferable spot for his target on multiple types of routes. Generally accurate anticipation thrower who understands how and when to throw early. Somewhat far along in terms of being a nuanced passer coming out of college. Isolating a play from NC State contest where Nelson delivered a wheel route to his RB on time as he let the ball go before the back was into the last part of his stem demonstrating trust, anticipation and accuracy on his part. Not a finished product from an overall mechanical standpoint as his left arm has a tendency to flail out away from body after he releases ball and his down the field accuracy can be affected by this at times. Nelson does have a real knack for hitting his receivers in stride down the field versus man coverage as there were multiple times Good feel for throwing the football. Made some questionable decisions when confronted with immediate in his face type pressure. Quick feet both in setting up and responding to pressure as Nelson is able to get away from pressure well. Solid pre snap decision maker who routinely puts excellent touch on the football down the field. very quick release of ball with the ability to quickly get his feet in position to deliver in a hurry.does not deal with pressure with ease or comfort and can get rattled fairly easily from pressure May have the quickest release in the class. Consistently throws a catchable ball.
Projection – There is a high probability that Philip Nelson hears his name called at some during Day 3 of the Draft. Nelson is as natural of a passer as there is in the 2017 draft and put together a solid senior season at ECU. We believe that Nelson’s ceiling at the next level is as a starting quarterback. Nelson comes into the league further along than many of his peers in terms of understanding pro passing game concepts and he is seasoned as a thrower. We believe that Nelson has all of the tools necessary to become a starting quarterback at the next level but he will have to be in an offensive centric organization that believes in him order to receive that chance.
Trait Grades (Nelson)
Arm Talent (B+) Toughness (B) Anticipation (A-)
Arm Strength (B) Pocket Presence (C) Football IQ (A-)
Ball Placement/Accuracy (A-) Intangibles/Off-Field (B) Touch (B+)
Delivery/Mechanics (A-) Running Ability/Athleticism (C+) Throw on Run (B)
Bryan Trulen of QBFR takes a look at Missouri QB Drew Lock
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#14 Ryan Fitzpatrick 6’2” 224 13th Year, Harvard
Overview
After putting together the best season of his career in 2015 and setting the Jets single season TD pass record (4,905 Yards, 31 TD, 15 INT 60%) Ryan Fitzpatrick stonewalled the Jets as they stood pat in declining to offer him a long term contract. Fitzpatrick ended up signing a one year deal and would like to forget the abysmal year he had as starter minus one game against the Bills early in the year. For his career, Fitzpatrick has thrown for nearly 26,000 yards with 166 touchdowns against 133 interceptions for a career 79.7 rating while strategically capitalizing on his best years as he has been paid out in 2011, 2012 and 2016 for a combined total of 34 million dollars in those three years combined.
Analysis
Fitzpatrick is a cerebral, tough and athletic quarterback who has thrown with good arm strength as well as anticipation throughout his career. When he gets hot he can be as good of a pure
passer as there is in the league the problem is that when is not playing extremely well he ends up compounding his poor play with multiple mistakes in succession and gets himself into a rut of poor decision making, accuracy issues etc. This was a recurring theme in 2016 and turning over the football is something that has accompanied him throughout his entire career. Fitzpatrick relied upon both Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker during his time in New York and was able to develop great chemistry with both of them. When Decker went down early in the year Fitzpatrick was never the same. Fitzpatrick signed with Tampa Bay in May and will be called upon to be a resource for starter Jameis Winston. If forced into action Fitzpatrick should be able to right the ship due to his vast experience and high football IQ.
2017 Projection
Fitzpatrick is under no illusions in Tampa. He understands he is no longer competing for a starting job and is there to be a valuable resource for Winston. Fitzpatrick needs just 401 passing yards to surpass Jim Harbaugh for 65th best in the all time rankings. Our bet is that Fitzmagic plays some in 2017 passes Harbaugh on the all time yardage list.
2018 Update – Fitzpatrick has changed the plot just a little bit. After passing for over 400 yards & 4 TD’s in each of the Buccaneers first two games he has proven he is still can play at a high level in the NFL & is the clear cut starter at QB until proven otherwise.
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By Bryan Trulen
(Photo Credit-Daily Snark)
12. Alex Smith – Smith finished 2017 with a 104.7 passer rating as he threw for a career best 4,042 yards across 15 regular season starts. Smith was one of the top five quarterbacks last year from a week to week production & efficiency standpoint. Smith enters his 14th year with a new team & after spending five seasons with Andy Reid. It would be foolish to expect a seamless transition to Jay Gruden’s pure west coast based system although Smith is well versed both conceptually & verbiage wise in the WCO system. Expect Smith to continue to be solid but there will be some growing pains along the way in 2018.
13. Case Keenum – Keenum much like Smith in 2017, was a top five league quarterback week to week. Keenum was a main reason for multiple wins (Tampa, Chicago, Washington, Detroit, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Atlanta) & provided the team with the best quarterback play it has seen since Brett Favre in 2009. Transitioning to Denver (Bill Musgrave) and away from Pat Shurmur will be an adjustment but Keenum is doing everything he can to make the learning curve short and has experience doing so (2017). If Keenum can continue to play as he did in 2017 the Broncos will return to the post-season.
14. Jared Goff – Goff passed for over 3,800 yards 28 TD’s with only 7 INT in 2017 completing quite possibly the greatest single year improvement in performance we have ever seen in the history of the league at the QB position. Goff showed to be deft as a pure passer who understands the finer points of touch, anticipation & throwing on time. Expect more of the same in 2018 as he enters year 2 with Sean McVay.
15. Derek Carr – Carr boasted an 86.4 rating in 2017 as he was forced to muddy through a Todd Downing led offensive attack in Oakland. If 2015 & 2016 were gold for Carr, 2017 was bronze as he threw a career high 13 interceptions. Carr still has one of the better arms in the league & his quick release allows him to make throws that only a handful of starters in league can. If the Carr/Gruden marriage goes as planned we could see the Raiders run away with the AFC West.
16. Jimmy Garoppolo – We saw flashes of his potential during 2016 as he made a pair of starts for the Patriots. Garoppolo went 5-0 as a starter in 2017 and completed 67 % of his throws. The sample size is still small but it looks like the 49ers are in good hands with Jimmy G at the controls entering 2018 and beyond. Has one of the quickest releases if not the quickest in NFL & consistently throws receivers open.
17. Sam Bradford – In his lone start of 2017, Bradford went 32-43 for for 382 yards with 3 TD’s and 0 INT. One of the most instinctually accurate QB’s in league who if he can remain healthy will make the Cardinals competitive in the NFC West.
18. Deshaun Watson – An injury shorted 2017 is the only reason Watson is this low on list. Watson earned NFL Player Of The Month For October (2017) Watson proved to be as advertised as he brought electricity, playmaking ability & deep ball prowess to the fold throughout his first seven NFL starts.
19. Dak Prescott – Prescott struggled in 2017. Some of the reasons were out of his control (OL Play, Receiving Talent, Lack Of Run Game) but other reasons were due to his lack of consistent and smooth footwork and accuracy issues that accompanied this. He is in dire need of a great year 3 and will be poised to have a bounce back year.
20. Blake Bortles – Bortles passed for 3,600 yards 21TD & 13 INT in 2017. He played some of the best football of his career in 2017 & played well against both the Steelers & Patriots in AFC playoffs. Bortles got his confidence back in a large way last year and should continue to play well in 2018.
21. Eli Manning – Eli finished 2017 with 19 TD’s and 13 INT’s playing in a dysfunctional organization. Manning was excellent in 2016 so the prognosis under new coach Pat Shurmur has to be at least luke-warm as Manning enters his 15th year in the league. The tape however shows a quarterback who physically is on the decline. That’s not to say Shurmur won’t be able to squeeze one more solid year out of him with all of the offensive weapons at his disposal.
22. Tyrod Taylor – During his three years as the Bills starter, Taylor completed nearly 63% of his passes and rarely turned the ball over while producing big time throws down the field and playing the position with an electric style. Taylor has limitations as an anticipatory passer but he should do well in Cleveland relying on his experience in the league & ability to improvise.
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By Bryan Trulen
A new NFL season is upon us & once again we rank all 32 league starters.
Photo Credit – (USA Today)
1. Tom Brady – Brady delivered another “Brady like” season in 2017 that culminated in him throwing for a Super Bowl record 505 yards with 3 touchdowns but having the Patriot defense give up 41 points to Philly. Brady threw for 32 TD’s 8 Ints and over 4,500 yards in the regular season. Even as he ages it is hard to knock him off from the top spot but with an influx of new receivers and turmoil in New England it would not be shocking to see a slight dip in production in 2018
2. Aaron Rodgers – An injury cut Rodgers season short in 2017 but the Packers have re-tooled their receiving core and added more weapons for Rodgers. Expect Rodgers to pick up where he left off as he put together a tremendous month of September for the Packers.
3. Matthew Stafford – Stafford went for 4,400 29 TD’s against 10 INT in 2017 and continues to perform at an All-Pro level for Detroit. Expect Detroit to be much improved defensively this season. If the dice finally roll the Lions way in 2018 they may end up being a dark horse Super Bowl contender.
4. Carson Wentz – Wentz put together an MVP caliber season during his 2nd year as he made tremendous strides in multiple areas. Keeping a close eye on how he performs coming off an ACL injury will be telling on if he can pick up where he left off in 2017.
5. Drew Brees – Brees played second fiddle at times due to the strong ground game the Saints employed last season but when it mattered most he delivered. Brees is surrounded by young talent across the board and put together one of the better playoff performances in recent memory against Minnesota. Keeping himself in top physical condition along with his intense mental preparation should allow for continued success in 2018.
6. Philip Rivers – 2017 was all about the “Rivers Revival” in Los Angeles as he carried the Chargers week in and week out as the team relied upon Rivers to keep them in games and win them in the fourth quarter. 2016 was a down for Philip but he put up some staggering numbers in 2017 (4,500 yards 28 TD 10 INT) Duplicating 2017 will be tough to do with Hunter Henry out for the year but if he can remain hot the Chargers will be in prime position to win the AFC West and secure a playoff berth. From there, anything is possible.
7. Ben Roethlisberger – Another aging signal caller who continued to shine in 2017. Big Ben had a few rough outings early but got hot late in the year and threw for 469 yards and 5 TD’s in the Divisional round game against Jacksonville. Adjusting to a new OC will be something to watch early on this year.
8. Matt Ryan – Ryan went through growing pains in 2017 as Steve Sarkisian was tasked with taking over for one of the better play callers in football. Ryan did not match his production from the Super Bowl run the year prior but he delivered in the playoffs and played well enough for the team to beat the Eagles. Expect Ryan to continue to play at an elite level in 2018.
9. Russell Wilson – Wilson threw for a career best 34 touchdowns against 11 INT while continuing to deploy his playmaking brand of football. The Hawks were not their usual selves from a defensive standpoint and unless they can bolster the pieces around Russell he may have to put the team on his back yet again in 2018 operating under a new offensive coordinator for the first time in his NFL career.
10. Cam Newton – Newton continued to tease us in 2017 and at times looked like his MVP self from 2015. His numbers were inconsistent as he turned the ball over 16 times through the air however. Newton delivered against New Orleans in the Wild Card Round and reminded us of the electric player we have come to expect of him. Norv Turner is the new coordinator in Charlotte and if he can harness Newton we could see the Panthers run away with the NFC South.
11. Kirk Cousins – Cousins threw for over 4,000 yards 27 TD’s to 13 INT’s in 2017 but the Redskins endured multiple injuries along the way to key weapons surrounding him. Jay Gruden’s system fit Cousins very well but the Redskins ultimately elected to let him walk as Cousins was a hot commodity on the free agent market. How well he Adjusts to new teammates and a relatively inexperienced play-caller in John DeFelippo will determine how successful he performs in 2018. The pressure & stakes are sky high and Cousins excitable personality must not get the best of him in his first year as a Viking in order to reach expectations in Minneapolis.
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An example report on Giants QB Davis Webb. For additional reports like this visit our sales page where you can find all of our analysis products
Davis Webb, California 6’5” 229
Overview
Davis Webb enjoyed one of the best seasons statistically in Cal history in 2016 as he threw for nearly 4,300 yards and 37 touchdowns. Webb played early at Texas Tech as well throwing for over 5,000 yards and 44 touchdowns combined as a freshman and sophomore. Webb is a classic pocket passer with touch ingrained into his DNA as a passer. Webb clearly is one of the better deep ball throwers in the class with an easy, natural throwing motion. Webb will get a system label due to his lack of pliability in terms of reacting to pressure and making things work outside the structure of the Air-Raid system.
Analysis (2016) Stanford, UCLA, Oregon, USC, Utah, (2013) WVU
Davis Webb is an easy thrower who innately puts touch on the ball no matter the type of pass he is throwing. By doing this, he consistently is able to throw a catchable football, making life easy for his receivers. Webb is a refined passer who understand eye manipulation and throwing receiving targets open. Confident thrower. Cover 2 hole shot in the rain against UCLA was a prime example of Webb at work. He first changed the play at the LOS, manipulated the SS with his eyes while putting himself in a position to deliver the ball in the window between the SS and CB with pro level velocity and trajectory. A pure thrower of the football with movement limitations. Not tremendously gifted yet still adequate at throwing on the move in a dead sprint. Also good at throwing off platform or fading away. Throws a great deep ball. May throw the best deep ball/ fade in the entire class, although Deshaun Watson may have something to say about that. Consistently drops the ball into the bucket on fades. Webb is a long strider which can lead to a lack of immediacy in getting himself ready to throw on the move. Will be forced to adjust to more of a pro-style offense after playing in the Sonny Dykes air raid at Texas Tech and Cal. This may prove to be an issue but he is a slightly more talented prospect than Jared Goff was coming out. He is an anticipation thrower by nature who does not have to exert much energy when getting rid of the ball. His release hovers in the 3/4 range and this is something that is not ideal for him even at 6’5”.
Does not show particularly good feet dropping back with his drops becoming lazy and undisciplined. Will need to be worked with on the elements of his drop because often at Cal and Texas Tech Webb would take a hitch in the pocket as opposed to just planting his back foot and firing the ball. Raw from an overall feet perspective but still possesses high end balance and mechanics while transferring weight during throws. Might throw with best touch in class. His deep balls do lose energy on the end. Can be a push thrower at times. Not a natural full throwing motion. Tendency to drop his arm slot on intermediate to deep level touch throws.
Has tendency to bounce in the pocket which makes him less efficient in throwing on time. He does have high end arm talent in the sense that he can get rid of the ball in very smooth order while making a variety of throws. Timing and rhythm thrower who has a place in the league as a backup.
Weaknesses
Webb does not consistently drive off his back leg which affects his overall velocity on certain throws. Sloppy, freelance type feet in the pocket. Un-disciplined from a footwork standpoint. Is going to need a re-tool of drop back mechanics at next level. Not crisp with his feet. Lazy Feet (at times), not a great mover. Would prefer to throw with touch rather than anticipating windows although he still can do that.
Played in a very quarterback friendly system. Not the most graceful of movers.
Not nearly as quick twitched or athletic as you would like, comes across as raw from a pure footwork perspective. In shotgun 100 percent of time, somewhat lackadaisical from the time he catches snap until ball comes out of hand. Very in control as thrower just does not generate adequate torque which causes passes to lose steam on back end. Has a tendency to not get his lower half involved in his throws ie throwing without a solid base mechanically and often fades away off his back foot.
Projection
Davis Webb has excited during the pre draft process with his football intelligence, character and off the field polish. This coupled with his senior season tape has generated a decent amount buzz surrounding him. We feel though based on where he is at currently as a player that he has a decent road ahead in terms of developing into a starting quarterback. Webb has flashed his arm talent but needs mechanical work as he transitions to the pro level. Look for Webb to stick in the league as a developmental backup for some time with the potential to
Part 1 (Reaction & Cousins Scouting Report)
Mike Zimmer & Rick Spielman flat out looking the other way during the lead up to free agency has put the team in Kirk Cousins or bust mode heading into 2018. Kirk Cousins is a fine young quarterback who has established himself as an elite passer in this league that can’t be denied. Kirk has developed into one of the better touch throwers in the league and has sneaky athleticism to go with a super clean role model like image off the field. Kirk’s career record as a starter hovers around the 500 mark. Unlike Case Keenum, reacting to pressure with a sense of calm and coolness is something that is not in Kirk’s DNA as evidenced by tape over the last three years. Kirk is indeed Brady like in the pre-snap recognition phase but Kirk will trust his arm a bit too much too often which results in ill timed interceptions. The Vikings are getting a solid quarterback who had the benefit of playing in THE most QB friendly system in the league again THE MOST QB FRIENDLY SYSTEM IN THE LEAGUE. Jay Gruden played QB Professionally for years before getting into coaching & he crafted a system that would make his Quarterbacks life easy.
Why they Turned Away from Case?
From the outset, Vikings Management seemed to go out of their way to not give Keenum praise from the moment he took the reigns as Quarterback. Keenum had a key hand in eight of the teams wins in 2017 & he was forced to play under the gun every week due to the Staff’s reluctance to embrace him as their guy EVEN THOUGH he was playing as good as any Quarterback in the league. It was almost as if the team was forced to play their 2nd Insurance Policy and were Having the best season in years due to some “random” Quarterback they did not pick to lead their team. Spielman & Company proved that Egos still do exist in Pro Football Management Circles.
Neglecting Bradford?
When Bradford has been healthy he has been a top ten QB in league. Sam’s knee kept him out of action for a large part of 2017 but after surgery, rehab & rest his knee was ready to go as of January 2018 for the playoffs. With Bradford apparently having a clean bill of health entering free agency the Vikings still balked at signing him to a deal to be their starter in 2018 & beyond.
We take a look at Allen leaving the pocket at the first sign of distress.
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Louisville QB Lamar Jackson shows off his speed on this designed run play.
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