The coaching staff of the Washington Redskins has been tasked with leading the South team in the 2012 Senior Bowl, to be played on January 28. In doing so, Redskins’ head coach Mike Shanahan will have a unique opportunity to get to know the quarterbacks playing in this bowl game. That, in turn, should help him when it’s time to choose a franchise quarterback for his team, whether it be via the draft or free agency.
According to the Senior Bowl’s official roster, the six college quarterbacks that were originally invited to play in the pre-draft, pre-combine event are Kellen Moore (Boise State), Russell Wilson (Wisconsin), Nick Foles (Arizona), Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma State), Ryan Lindley (San Diego State) and Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M). Tannehill will not be able to participate because of an injury. While not official yet (the Senior Bowl website is notoriously slow to update), as I write this, Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins may take his place.
Of those six QBs, Weeden, Foles and Lindley have been announced to the South roster and, while Shanahan will likely meet most of the players, these are the guys that the head coach and his staff will be coaching.
With the Redskins having the sixth pick in this upcoming 2012 NFL draft’s first round, being able to get to know these young men to the extent that Shanahan will is extremely useful. As much as I would love for Baylor’s Robert Griffin, III (RG3) to become the next Redskins quarterback, it would be surprising if the Heisman Trophy Winner was still around when the Redskins make their selection. Even if the Indianapolis Colts choose Andrew Luck out of Stanford at their number one spot, one of the next three or four teams (the St. Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns or Tampa Bay Buccaneers – all in need of a franchise QB) could and probably will take RG3. Shanahan would likely have to move heaven and earth to acquire Griffin and I’m not sure he will do this because of some of the other quarterback talent that will be available. Here is a brief look at the guys (alphabetically, for simplicity’s sake) he’ll be coaching in a few weeks.
Nick Foles, Arizona, Born January 20, 1989 (Age: 22)
Height: 6’5”, Weight: 235 lbs.
Projected draft round: 2nd – 3rd
Notable stats: Started for three years – Honorable Mention All-Pac 12 2011 – Arizona’s first career 10,000-yard passer as well as most single-season (4,334 yards) and career passing records for the Wildcats – 28 touchdowns (14 interceptions) – broke the Arizona record for attempts (560) and completions (387) – finished the year with a 69.1 completion percentage – ranked in the top five in most major passing categories: completions per game (32.3 – 2nd), passing yards per game (361.2 – 3rd), total offense per game (352.6 – 4th) and total passing yards (4,334 – 5th) – Wildcat’s all-time leading passer with 10,011 yards – tied for the lead on the school’s all-time list with 67 touchdown passes – holds the school record for career attempts (1,369), completions (933) and total offense (9,722).
I love this kid’s physical attributes. He is tall and lean but not slight with a strong arm. What a bonus it would be to have a quarterback as tall as this Wildcat is. He is a big strong kid that isn’t afraid to throw the ball deep and can see over the players in his face to do it. Some scouting reports out there indicate that he’s not very mobile but I watched his highlights and he can move around in and out of the pocket. At 6’5”, he certainly does not have to move around as much as a smaller guy to see down the field. Of course, he was throwing to wide receiver Juron Criner much of the time (some insist he threw to him too much) and that made Foles’ job a bit easier – Criner is a tall receiver (6’4”) that could go up and get balls.
Arizona was one of the better PAC-12 pass-heavy offenses this season and the experts are saying that to succeed in this league, you have to pass the ball. Foles had a quick release in the offense he knew well. With Foles’ size and some coaching (to teach him not to lock onto his first option), he will succeed in the NFL.
Ryan Lindley, San Diego State, Born June 22, 1989 (Age: 22)
Height: 6’4”, Weight: 240 lbs.,
Projected draft round: 5th – 6th
Notable stats: First player in Mountain West history to pass for more than 12,000 yards for his career – Offensive Player of the Year in 2010 – most consecutive starts by a signal caller with 31 and counting at beginning of 2011 campaign – passed for over 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons in first three years – career passing yards (11,690), completions (961), attempts (1,732), TDs (90) – average completion percentage of 55.5 – tabbed as the 2011 preseason MWC Offensive Player of the Year, as having the “strongest arm” in the MWC for the second consecutive season, and rated the sixth-best quarterback nationally by Lindy’s – average QB rating over four years of 128.8.
Even though he is 6’4”, some scouts say that Lindley has short arms and this contributes to his inconsistency in throwing accuracy. He has plenty of arm strength but has an inconsistent release and ball aim; and he improperly sets his feet. The Aztec sees the defense coverages well but is inconsistent at seeing backside pressure so that blitzers can easily get to him. He throws interceptions when under duress. He needs to develop his pocket presence but has a quick release and that helps offset the pocket problems.
Lindley’s throwing style has been compared to San Diego Chargers’ Philip Rivers, releasing the ball from close to his ear, and that can lead to a bad trajectory which gives the defensive front line the ability to knock it down. But he is a good leader, able to make whatever throw is required due to his arm strength and ran a pro-style offense after SDU moved to it in 2011. He is a tough player, missing only one game in his four years.
Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State, Born October 14, 1983 (Age: 28)
Height: 6’4”, Weight: 220 lbs.
Projected draft round: 4th – 5th
Notable stats: 2011 Honors = Second-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches), Second-Team All-Big 12 (Associated Press), Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award semifinalist, Manning Award finalist, First-Team Academic All-Big 12 – leaves Oklahoma State with nearly every major school passing record – former professional baseball player who joined the Cowboys in 2007 – OSU’s all-time leader in passing yards (9,260), attempts (1,102), completions (766) and touchdown passes (75) – holds the school mark for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (24) and passing yards in a game (502) – 16 career 300-yard passing games and seven 400-yard games and 23-3 as a starter.
The reason Weeden did not get to college until he was 26 is because he was drafted in the second round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees to pitch for them. He then spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Kansas City Royals before attending OSU in 2007.
Some of Weeden’s claim to fame and hindrance in this draft is his age. He is 28 years old. But he has a strong, accurate arm and good passing skills. Although many might remember him for a rough OSU – Iowa State upset game that killed any hope of OSU playing in the BCS National Championship, in the Fiesta Bowl he threw for 399 yards and three touchdowns against a good Stanford defense. It is too bad that he is considered “old” in the NFL. His excellent pocket presence and good decision-making skills could, in part, be a result of that maturity.
Weeden keeps his eyes moving through progressions. While not an extraordinarily mobile quarterback, the aforementioned pocket acumen helps him sense pressure so he can get to an open area and make his throw. At 6’5”, he is a great size for a quarterback.
Besides his age, the fact that he only has two years in the college ranks playing OSU’s spread offense with good weapons will keep teams from taking chances on him. His talent dictates he go higher than the fourth or fifth round but he I don’t think he will. If I were making the decisions though, I would have to consider that, since he has already played in a professional sport as s a minor league baseball player, he has that experience under his belt. Transitioning from the college atmosphere to the NFL should not be as difficult for him as some of his younger counterparts. He is said to be a team leader in practice and during games.
Mike Shanahan was a magician last year in the draft starting with six picks and walking away with 12. After his first two years, this upcoming event will be very important, especially with regard to the offense and the quarterback position. He certainly will look at all of the signal callers in the draft and if he were to choose one of those that was on the Senior Bowl South team, at least we will know that he had a good look at them.
Hail.