A very tall, lean quarterback prospect who possesses the size to easily see over the line of scrimmage. Possesses a high, over-the-top release and will never have a problem getting the ball knocked down at the line of scrimmage. Gets the ball out of his hands with ease and is a really natural thrower of the football. Displays an elite-level arm and will be one
of the strongest-armed quarterbacks in the NFL from day one. Has the ability to make all the throws with ease and showcases the ability to really spin the football and quickly put it on receivers in the intermediate pass game. Showcases good accuracy and touch down the field when he has time to set his feet and is able to complete some throws that not many quarterbacks in the NFL are capable of making. Maintains balance well when asked to stride into his target and displays above-average touch on buck throws down the field as well.
However, isn't a nimble athlete and looks really lethargic with his footwork in the pocket. Struggles to quickly reset his feet when trying to find a secondary option and stride toward his target. Too often is forced to throw with only his arm — which he has the strength to do so. However, it dramatically affects his accuracy, causing passes to sail on him down the field or nosedive on him underneath. Has picked up some bad habits because of his arm, not re-setting his feet even when he has time, throwing flat footed and simply trying to force the big play with his strong arm. Lacks great touch and ball placement in the underneath pass game, consistently getting lazy with his feet and throwing either slightly behind or right at his target, causing them to slow down and not run through the football. Also, possesses questionable ball placement in the intermediate
pass game at times, but was able to get away with it because of the massive throwing windows there were against college defenses. Does a nice job at times moving his eyes initially off the snap, manipulating safeties and quickly working his way back across the field. However, gets away with staring down his initial read a lot because of his strong
arm, fitting the ball into some areas he won't be able to get away with in the NFL. And even if he does locate a secondary target, he too often struggles to quickly get his feet around and make an accurate throw.
Is coming from a Bobby Petrino offense that has yet to produce a real effective NFL starter in the NFL and has some character concerns ranging from his attitude, work habits and off-the-field character.
Impression: A strong-armed pocket passer who will force opposing defenses to cover the entire field. However, struggles with accuracy and ball placement and if you make him move his feet he fails to consistently make the throw. Has some character concerns as well and is a real boom or bust pick who I wouldn't feel confident taking early in the
draft.
