Quarterback Dwayne HaskinsAssociated Press
Each year, the NFL allows a select handful of reporters (whoever responds to the email on time) to watch, in person, one of the quarterback passing sessions at the combine. I was part of that exclusive group this year. Here are my notes on most of the big-name quarterbacks who threw on Saturday.
Warning: What I saw wasn’t pretty.
Daniel Jones (Duke) had the best overall session. He was mechanically smooth and sound, his ball placement was very good, and he demonstrated plenty of arm strength on deeper throws.
Ryan Finley (North Carolina State) may have helped himself more than any other quarterback in the session. His well-placed throws on deep fly and post-corner routes were some of the highlights of a mostly dreary set of drills.
It should be noted that Finley is exactly the type of tall pocket passer who looks great against air with no pass-rushers to worry about.
Drew Lock (Missouri) was erratic. His arm strength is obvious, but his delivery is inconsistent (he three-quarter arms and even sidearms some throws), leading to scattershot placement.
Jake Browning (Washington) helped himself a little bit by avoiding any “whoops” or “OMG” moments. If you are looking for a clean delivery instead of greatness and Finley doesn’t do it for you for some reason, Browning’s your guy.
Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State) had a rough session but recovered late. His slants were perfectly placed and had zip, and he fired off some accurate post-corner throws in the final drill, but many of his deep balls hung and tailed, and he missed a few receivers by miles, even on relatively easy routes.
Haskins had a chance to establish himself as the top quarterback in this class with an impressive session today. Chalk this up as a missed opportunity.
Will Grier (West Virginia) has strange footwork, an extra-wide stance and a hitch when opening up to throw to the sidelines. He struggled throughout the session.
Trace McSorley (Penn State) is the kind of small, mobile pepperpot who can’t show off what he does best in drills that reward pinpoint throws. McSorley sprayed the ball on shorter passes and lacked the arm strength to drive the ball downfield on the fly and post-corner drills.
Tyree Jackson (Buffalo) never throws a ball the same way twice. Sometimes he looks like a baseball pitcher or shot-putter moonlighting at quarterback. When his mechanics were smooth, he zipped on-target throws. But his mechanics were rarely smooth.
Bottom Line
This was a great session for Kyler Murray to skip. Haskins raised more questions than he answered, Lock didn’t stand out, and Jones only confirmed that he’s Mr. Safe Pick, which is the opposite of Murray.
Finley and Browning are worth a second look at the film as Day 3 picks (early, in Finley’s case).
Jackson would be a fun quarterback to stash on the scout team; he’s so big and fast that he could play both the opposing quarterback and Jadeveon Clowney in drills while coaches start from scratch on his delivery.
McSorley is a feisty try-hard to bring to camp on a flier. Grier is an acquired taste.
Secret Star of the Session
Receiver Mecole Harmon (Georgia), fresh off a 4.33-second 40 and some impressive drill work, did an excellent job chasing down and hauling in off-target throws throughout the session, ending the day by twisting and pit-patting his feet inbounds after catching one of Jackson’s random heaves.
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