as always, amateur thoughts with no personal training in football evaluation are provided free of charge. I'm still catching up on practically every position, but let's get this started.

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It should be noted that my evaluations of this position are historically terrible. I watched about a dozen games per each of the top guys (intently), spread over the 2011-12 seasons, so I feel informed...but will still probably fuck these up.

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I still like him. This was one of those seasons were everything snowballed, and a lot of his mistakes were him overcompensating for team flaws. Probably learned a lot from it, and his decision errors are correctable.

Mechanically, he's extremely thorough: footwork and drops are tight, he squares his shoulders on the move, and he's got a short, high release. Height and arm strength are not idealistic, although both are NFL-quality and his deep ball looked stronger than ever. Mentally, he's mature at reading progressions (although he will have lapses with locking on), is fearless in the pocket and knows how to position defenders with his eyes.

He may not be a savior, but I see him working hard enough to be a high-level caretaker who can make plays when needed.

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Overhyped, coddled, Hollywood media machine bullshit.

Thanks for the continued LULZ, Trojans!

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But hell, what do I know?

Their track record the last 10-12 years has been awful

*Jews you*

"this is okp tho, reading is completely optional" (c) desus

Proceed with caution. I am overtly racist.

<-- In Pigpen we trust

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He ran really hot or cold this year. It may be a similar issue to Barkley, where the team's collapse had him trying to do too much. Either way, he's got NFL ability and no grave deficiencies. He isn't frayed by a collapsing pocket and steps up very well, although he can be oblivious to backside pressure and is careless securing the ball. Release, footwork and arm strength are all fine. He's a surgeon when throwing down the seams; a NFL tight end would do him wonders.

His deep ball can be strangely erratic though -- as in, "different zip code" erratic. West Virginia didn't move the pocket much, but he does throw well on the run. However, don't confuse that with attacking mobility: he can leg out a run to the sticks, but that's about it. I'd say his biggest issue is staying with his first read. College defenders started getting huge jumps on his throws because of that (NFL players will house those).

Not a superlative prospect, but a good one who has not yet maximized his talent.

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drop off the second half of the season.

It seems that opposing teams figured something out about WVU's O, and they never really adjusted. Or was it a deficiency on the QBs part? I tend to think the former, simply because of how big the drop-off was.

I could be wrong tho

he had the rough two-game stretch against Texas Tech and Kansas State, but after that it was business as usual in the Big 12 (minus the winning, because the defense was even worse).

him locking onto the first read was a serious problem tho. even if defenses have figured out tendencies, you can't stare a guy open -- move on or get rid of it. he's got to fix that, his sideline accuracy on deep passes and his awareness of backside pressure (Syracuse got two safeties from his obliviousness).

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Right now, he projects as a poor man's Jay Cutler. His main problem is a lack of anticipation; he needs to "see it" before he throws. That's a concern when NFL passing windows are open for a second or less, and why he makes a lot of mistakes against disguised coverages. He's got a strong arm but trusts it too much, a problem compounded by his Stafford-esque throwing slot. Although he had protection and weapons (Tennessee might have six NFL players from the 2012 offense), to his credit he's tough in the pocket and will stand and deliver.

Immature for the position, both in experience and attitude, but with a competitive drive and the skills to eventually start.

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No empathy for white misery (c) BDot

"root for everybody black haters say that's crazy, wow..."

coming back was the right choice. he's an imposing, Cam/Luck physical presence who stands tall under pressure...while that doesn't completely mitigate his awful season, he's talented enough to repair his stock (a lot).

plus, Virginia Tech has been a retardant school for offensive skill position players. nobody gets developed there. so although Scot Loeffler has some shaky resume stops, he can't be much worse than past offensive coaches.

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More Nick Foles than Matt Ryan. He's largely a rhythm passer, and is best in a no-huddle, shotgun offense where he can keep firing rapidly. Good, not great, arm, but throws an extremely catchable ball. I'm a bit shocked at the six drops per game his receivers had, because his touch is mostly excellent.

His foremost problem, and it's a big one in the NFL, is how he degrades against pressure. He actually has the ability to sidestep and reset, but once he takes that *big* hit (or makes an awful decision), he'll feel ghosts for the rest of the game. That also contributes to how he reads progressions, which are often low-to-high instead of high-to-low. I realize he's a great intermediate passer, but seems too quick to check-down instead of seeing something develop behind it.

His inconsistent footwork and reads can be coached up, but his upside is limited to being a "system quarterback", one who is reliant on a certain type of offense and level of personnel to succeed (opposed to those who elevate their surroundings). meh.

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I wonder if he'll be picked in the 1st round, I see at least 8 picks that could go QB!


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Many scary habits, but he's more talented than every other quarterback in this draft. Great arm, perfect size, threatening mobility and plenty of experience (31 starts) *should* indicate a first round prospect, yet his projections vary wildly.

To me, his style of play is negatively unpredictable. At times he's robotic, trying to be over-precise with a simple throw or settling for pointless dump-offs. The next series he'll be off-kilter, abandoning his progressions to scramble wildly or forcing a throw into a dead read.

Accuracy-wise, his numbers are fantastic but he misses high too much (especially deep). Against pressure, he can make all the throws in a collapsed pocket -- the problem is when he's the one stepping into rushers. In general he could use his legs more wisely; there's a ton of scramble drill yardage he leaves on the field when he runs.

Talented guy, but he felt like less than the sum of his parts when watching him in college. If he can harness all his skills, consistently, he might be special. That's the second round gamble.

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we're gonna have to call Jimbo Fisher "The QB Whisperer".

And if Trickett gets drafted PERIOD, then Jimbo is the QB-BasedGod. That being said I hate Trickett.


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that write up gives me pause

but this team is basically "all new". I have no idea what Chip-ball will be.

uber talented underachiever

Who is clearly NFL starter material

He'll be fine

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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

Remember when he was a top ten pick? While projections don't always coincide with reality, his game hasn't really changed much. He's the same guy he was before, he just got dissected over three years instead of three months.

My biggest problem with him is how long he takes to process defenses. A lot of his career was spent throwing quick-hitters and screens, as directed by the sideline call. When he actually has to drop back and read through coverages, however, things fall apart. He doesn't anticipate well, his footwork is sloppy when moving around the pocket, and by the time he's realized his first option isn't available, he's got a defender breathing on him -- forcing him to throw up another lowlight-reel decision.

Even when he sets and throws in rhythm, a different flaw shows up: scattered accuracy. He leaves a ton of yards on the field by not hitting receivers in stride, and some of his uglier completions will be batted down or intercepted with NFL corners closing.

Now, there are successful NFL quarterbacks who have the same delay issues in the pocket, but they have other qualities to compensate. Elite arm strength (to force late throws into closing windows) or the mobility to escape. Jones has neither, with his arm being very much average and his deep ball dying on arrival. An elongated motion doesn't help.

So yeah, I'm not a big fan. Mid-rounds as a back-up on a good offense. Should he be forced into a spot start, he'll need weapons and protection.

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Have for quite a while.

Don't disagree with any of this.

i still blame hip-hop.

I don't like this guy either. Firstly, his footwork is miserable -- he floats into drops and short-steps most his throws. It's as if his upper and lower body are working independent of each other, leading to predictably sporadic accuracy. Decreases his velocity too.

That can be fixed, though. More troubling is how unsettled he became in the pocket. He's shotgun-reliant, and when pressure started closing in, he wasn't able to step around it. Dump-off or duck and run time. He was actually a bit better in 2011, and *does* stand and deliver against free rushers, but overall I didn't see much ability to slide around the tempestuous NFL pocket.

What also ended up happening, was he settled for a lot of shallow routes. I understand that Arkansas was running shorter concepts -- rubs, short outs and the like -- but even when given time, he left big plays on the field for a six-yard completion.

Some of those throws also had me questioning his vision. He doesn't disengage safeties, and sees the levels in progressions with very narrow vision. Basically, he can go high-med-low with the ball, but often to just one section of the field. I've seen safeties break from the far hash as soon as his head turns at the snap, because they know he won't come back to their side.

I guess if you're giving Matt Barkley a mulligan, Wilson deserves one for playing injured amid the absurdity of Arkansas' season. But I don't think he's a great prospect in the best conditions -- he needs a lot of development and has decent, not special, physical tools. Third or fourth round.

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After getting over the shock that he was considered a legitimate prospect, there's actually plenty to like. His release is very quick, and his anticipation is great -- he puts the ball on receivers immediately out of their breaks. He also knows how to move defenders; his head fakes and stare-offs when scanning the field are impressive.

While he throws well in tight spaces, his movement in the pocket is a bit frenetic. Happy feet and double clutches. He steps up nicely under pressure, but his mechanics get sloppy when sliding to reset. Inconsistent accuracy when rolling outside the pocket.

His biggest and most limiting issue, though, is his arm strength. It's quite average, and several of his deep throws (especially to the sideline) have little velocity. Overall his arm is good enough to play, but he'll have trouble throwing into tight downfield windows.

Possible starter, but with low upside. Second or third round.

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He's fun to watch, with some projectable NFL skills amid his deficiencies. Very intriguing arm talent; his deep passes sail a bit, but he'll complete intermediate throws into shoebox windows. I'm not sure if he just trusts his arm that much, or doesn't know any better. His accuracy is not as impressive, however -- receivers are constantly adjusting to his simplest throws, preventing a ton of YAC.

Pocket presence is OK; he stands in against free rushers but the offense he played in was heavy on shotgun, quick throws and rollouts. Oh, and that'll be another issue -- Rich Rodriguez's system has produced Woody Dantzler, Pat White and Denard Robinson. His mobility is also curtailed by a rail-thin build; I'd be surprised if he played above 200 pounds last fall. You can't put him in the open field against NFL defenders, as the hits he takes in the pocket are scary enough.

Plenty to critique (he only started one season), but that's true for nearly any prospect at his position. As a developmental back-up though, he has more upside than most. Middle rounds (and trending higher).

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He can look really good and equally as bad, averaging out to development prospect status. His arm can play in the NFL, and he spins a well-arcing, catch-friendly deep ball. The height and size are there, he's comfortable rolling out to either side, and he keeps his head up when moving around the pocket.

He's *long* on his first read, though. Slow to recognize later progressions, eventually forcing throws that account for his worst decisions. He also plays with heavy feet. Three-step, five-step drop and he's good -- he throws pinpoint lasers over the middle. Not as pretty when he's resetting, or turning back around off play-action.

With his arm talent and ability to extend plays (right now, for better or worse), I see him in the fourth or fifth round. A stash that may become a viable back-up or low upside starter.

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Really weak year on paper, but maybe a couple guys to surprise. I think running back production is really based on opportunity these days, as most elite offenses treat hand-offs as a quota obligation.

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he's already declared.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2013/story/_/id/8746488/north-carolina-tar-heels-rb-giovani-bernard-declares-nfl-draft

thoughts?

<--- Big Baller World Order

Cut-and-go runner who finishes with surprising power. There's not much you can really critique about him; his all-around game is quite balanced and he's an asset in all three phases of running back duties (rushing, receiving and protection). Very smooth in everything he does, whether it's setting up angles on screens or picking through trash and making that extra cutback.

I don't think he'll have an amazing track time, and there will be questions about his size despite being solidly built. A potential lead horse in a committee and at worst, a third down ace.

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