Grayson, Hundley, Petty, Carden etc. … the qbs this year

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/mannion-in-mix-of-top-qbs-at-senior-bowl/article_83980c34-c39b-5a9b-8b50-bddcbb8a4bbf.html

stltoday.com
Mannion in mix of top QBs at Senior Bowl
1 hour ago • By Jim Thomas

MOBILE, ALA. • In this hurry-up, no-huddle, spread-the-field craze that has become college football, Sean Mannion knows what it’s like to take a snap under center followed by a seven-step drop.

The Oregon State quarterback actually played in a pro-style offense in college — surprise! — so as he works with the North squad at the Senior Bowl, he actually knows what it’s like to call a play in a huddle.

“We were mostly under center,” Mannion said of his time with the Beavers. “We were a totally pro-style scheme. I loved the system. I feel like I’m a great fit for it.”

All things being equal, that experience could ease his transition into the NFL and make it easier to play early.

“I guess in some ways it might,” he said. “At the same time, I’m trying to develop every area of my game. In terms of being pro-ready early that’s certainly the goal, that’s certainly what I want to do. It’s all about just day-to-day improving and not really looking too far ahead. I want to be a better player tomorrow than I am today.”

Mannion, 6-5, 227, threw the ball a ton for the Beavers, including a whopping 603 attempts during the 2013 season. A four-year starter, he finished as the Pac-12’s career leader in yards passing (13,600), breaking Matt Barkley’s record.

In a memorable 2013 season, Mannion set the Pac-12 record for single-season passing yards (4,662) and a school single-season mark for touchdown passes (37). But he had wide receiver Brandin Cooks then, and a healthy offensive line.

He had neither in 2014, a season in which his numbers dipped to 3,164 yards passing and 15 touchdowns.

Given a third-round grade by the NFL draft advisory board after his junior season, Mannion decided to return to Oregon State for his senior year. Cooks, by the way, went to New Orleans in the first round of the 2014 draft — No. 20 overall.

So after that so-so senior season, Mannion undoubtedly has been asked the question a thousand times: Does he regret not turning pro after the 2013 season?

Mannion started answering even before the question was finished.

“Not at all,” he replied. “No regrets whatsoever. I certainly feel now that I’m a far better quarterback than I was at the end of my junior year. I think an event like this is the perfect time to kind of use all those lessons that I learned by playing an extra year. I feel it’s really helping me now.”

They were lessons learned through adversity.

“There were challenges,” Mannion said. “But I tried to just take that on and tried to overcome that. I think being a four-year starter, being a captain, being a leader on the team, you really try to lift everyone else around you up when things might not be as easy.”

UCLA’s Brett Hundley, at this point considered the third-best QB behind Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Florida State’s Jameis Winston, chose not to attend the Senior Bowl. As an underclassman, Winston is not eligible to participate here.

Mariota also came out early, but because he has earned his college degree he was in fact eligible to participate in Mobile. Senior Bowl officials tried to get Mariota to attend, but Mariota — apparently without an agent at this time — declined.

Which brings us back to Mannion, who for now is lumped in a group behind Mariota, Winston and Hundley. That group includes Baylor’s Bryce Petty, Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson and East Carolina’s Shane Carden who, like Mannion, all are competing at the Senior Bowl this week.

Draft analyst Russ Lande, the former Rams scout, calls the 2015 QB class “the worst class I can remember. I don’t think there’s anybody that you can look at and say, ‘OK, this is your Andrew Luck. This is your Peyton Manning. Or Tom Brady even.’

“That is, a definite guy you want to stake a claim to in the first round. Everybody, whether it’s Winston or Mariota, they all have major questions. And I’m not even talking off the field. I’m just talking on the field, that make me wonder if they can really be successful quarterbacks.”

In terms of Mannion, one veteran NFC quarterbacks coach, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he’s not sure about his arm strength and pointed out that Mannion has a bit of a long delivery.

Neither is something you’d necessarily call a career killer, but they are traits that every quarterback-needy team will look at as they study Mannion, who’s from Pleasanton, Calif. Another thing to keep in mind in dissecting Mannion is that he threw 54 interceptions in college, which is a high number even for his high amount of attempts.

Does that speak to his decision-making or recognition? Did he have coaches who encouraged him to take chances? Unreliable receivers (other than Cooks)? Or did he simply throw more deep balls than safer dump-offs and short stuff?

In their search to bring in somebody “from outside the building” to compete with Sam Bradford — as coach Jeff Fisher said at his season-ending news conference — the Rams will seek answers to such questions.

For his part, Mannion wants to erase any doubts this week.

“I felt like this was a great opportunity for me to come out and show what I can do and compete with the other quarterbacks,” he said. “And frankly try to be the best guy. Be the best player here. That’s something I really am striving for.”

I only saw Petty once but his deep ball was deadly accurate. His arm is more than strong enough for the NFL.

But he definitely is not the most mobile guy–especially compared to Hundley but he’s got decent size and a good arm. He will take time, of course. He does remind me of Bradford a little bit.

I would absolutely draft him in round #3.

If the QBs start to fall I’d consider taking him in round #2. But that’s a bit more of a reach.

None of these guys seem to stand out much over the other one. You will have to get lucky and all these guys need time so it is not any immediate fix.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by PA Ram.

I think I heard somewhere that the Rams are interested in Mannion.

It wouldn’t surprise me AT ALL if the Rams did something like this…

Trade down in the 1st…

If we traded down just from 10 to 14… with Miami. Per the Draft Chart, our 1st would be worth their 1st and 3rd.

That would give us picks at 14, 42, 74 and 78 where the meat of this draft is.

I have a feeling that Mannion will SKYROCKET up the draft boards because he’s got 4 years in a pro system.

So, I could see us going Mannion at 14, OG at 42 and BPA at 74 and 78. Wouldn’t surprise me at all to see us go OG/OT or OL/LB

EDIT: Upon further consideration… I think Mannion will remain a 2-3rd rounder.

Presuming Snead is interested in him, then they’d use that 2nd on him.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by Mackeyser.

NFP Prospect Focus: Garrett Grayson

Colorado State’s QB is getting higher on draft boards.

Greg Gabriel

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/NFP-Prospect-Focus-Garrett-Grayson.html

One of the more interesting players in this year’s NFL Draft is quarterback Garrett Grayson form Colorado State. After watching Garrett at the Senior Bowl this week and viewing tape, I’m convinced that he will be a good NFL quarterback. Yes, he still needs some seasoning and technique work, but he has a lot going for him, and I highly doubt he gets past the second round.
Grayson is a fourth-year senior and started a total of 36 games while at Colorado State. He showed improvement every year with 2014 being his best year statistically. For the season, he completed 270 of 420 passes for 4006 yards, 32 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. For his career, he completed 609 of 980 throws for 7930 yards, 54 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. His completion percentage went up every year with Garrett completing 66% of his throws this year and a little over 62% for his career.

Grayson has good size at 6022 – 215. He has the frame to easily carry another 5 to 10 pounds. He is very athletic with quick feet, good change of direction, and good speed. I would estimate that he will run the 40 in the 4.70 range and maybe even a little faster.

I feel he needs a little work on his throwing mechanics. While he has a quick release, he has a tendency to drop the ball down before he goes through his throwing motion. His delivery is also a bit wide instead of straight over the top. Still, once he makes a decision, he gets the ball out of his hand very quickly. He has good-to-very-good arm strength and, for the most part, throws a tight ball. Part of that can be attributed to his very big hands. His hands measured 10 ¼ at the senior bowl.
At Colorado State, Grayson usually played from a spread offense, but there were some plays when he took snaps and threw while playing from under center. With his quick feet, he can set up quickly and shows poise and patience in the pocket. In the Colorado State offense, he shows he can go through a full progression. While there are some half field plays, he shows he can be productive when having to see the whole field.

Mostly, he is a good decision maker who does a good job finding the open receiver. He shows he can look off one receiver and come back to another. He is not the type to force many throws into traffic. The Colorado State offense is a quickly paced offense, and many of his throws are of the shorter variety with bubble screens and short crossing routes being a staple of the offense. Still, when given the opportunity, he is a good downfield passer who shows both good accuracy and ball placement. He has the arm strength to easily complete a 50 yard plus throw.

I really like Grayson’s athleticism. He can buy time in the pocket with his feet and is capable if he has to take off and run. He has good run skills, and with his speed and agility is capable of getting some long runs. He has a good feel for pass rushers and shows good escape pass rusher. Still, he takes his fair share of sacks.

Grayson is an intriguing prospect. I liked the way he handled himself at the senior bowl practices. He showed he had the intangibles to lead. From what I have seen, it wouldn’t surprise me if a team drafted Grayson in the first round, but I would feel more comfortable taking him in the second. Derek Carr from Fresno was a second round pick a year ago and was the best rookie quarterback in this past class. If Grayson had played at a football power like Oregon, USC or Alabama, he would have a lot more notoriety than he has now.

His hands measured 10 ¼ at the senior bowl.

i’m gonna keep an eye on this guy…

hahahaha!!!

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by InvaderRam.

wv wrote:

Rambill
—————————
Jim Thomas ‏@jthom1

Food for thought? Jeff Garcia has worked w/East Carolina QB Shane Carden, whom Rams talked to at Senior Bowl.

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ACC Insider

Carden makes most of limited Senior Bowl opportunity

Saturday, January 24, 2015

http://acc.blogs.starnewsonline.com/45999/carden-makes-most-of-limited-senior-bowl-opportunity/

Shane Carden didn’t get much of an opportunity to show what he could do at the Senior Bowl on Saturday. But at least he made the most of his three second half possessions.

The East Carolina quarterback, who split time under center with Baylor’s Bryce Petty and Oregon State’s Sean Mannion, completed four of nine passes for 70 yards while rushing once for six yards and a first down to help the North team to a 34-13 victory at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

Carden needed a strong showing to salvage his draft prospects after an unimpressive week of practice. Although his action was limited, he did lead his team to a touchdown, a field goal and a field goal attempt while amassing an efficiency rating of 141.1 rating — the highest of any quarterback on either team.

Doubtful Rams Draft Brett Hundley as QB Insurance

by Anthony Stalter

http://www.101sports.com/2015/02/17/doubtful-rams-draft-brett-hundley-qb-insurance/

One look at the size, arm strength, and dual-threat capabilities of Brett Hundley, and immediately one considers his potential and upside. But, as excited as some fans are about the possibility that the UCLA quarterback could become a Ram in a few months, I just don’t see how he’s a fit.

Hundley has ideal size for the position at 6’3″ and 227 pounds. He’s also athletic, can make all throws (including the pivotal 20-yard out), and showed improvement in key areas from his sophomore to junior seasons. But get beyond the surface traits and that’s where the concerns lie.

The system that he ran at UCLA allowed him to make one read and then get the ball out of his hand quickly. Too many times he would lock onto his primary receiver and if the pressure forced him to take his eyes down, they never came back up to look for open targets.

Much like Seattle’s Russell Wilson, Hundley uses his athleticism to extend plays and often wound up on highlight reels this past fall. But unlike Wilson, Hundley will use that athleticism as a runner instead of buying himself more time to find open receivers. Wilson is constantly looking to make a play with his arm and uses his legs as a last-ditch effort to gain yardage. Hundley is the opposite.

Pro quarterbacks have a lot to compute during a given play: Will my protection hold up based on the look I’m receiving from the defense? Where is my “hot” receiver? What type of adjustment will my primary and secondary receivers need to make based on the coverage? Is the middle of the field closed (Cover 3 or Cover 1), or is it open (Cover 2 or Cover 4)? What coverage did they show me post-snap? What is my progression based on the coverage?

It’s not Hundley’s fault that he wasn’t asked to run a pro-style offense with the Bruins. But his limited experience reading defenses could hinder his ability to play right away in the NFL. His learning curve will be steeper than that of former Louisville signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater, who the Vikings selected in the first round of last year’s draft and who ran a pro-style offense in college. This isn’t unlike Johnny Manziel, Bryce Petty or any other young signal-caller trying to make the leap from college to the NFL.

Think about what it was like for you the first few months at a new job: You’re lost, you’re confused, you’re overwhelmed and everyone is moving at top speed compared to you. But over time you have a better understanding of your responsibilities and you become more efficient in accomplishing day-to-day tasks. Your confidence also grows and you start acting instead of thinking through every move.

Hundley has the raw tools in order to succeed but it may take him a few years to get comfortable running a pro-style offense. If he winds up in Philadelphia running Chip Kelly’s system, his learning curve lessens because of Kelly’s use of “packaged plays” and “college” concepts. But if Hundley is drafted into a pro-style system, it’s going to take him time to adjust. And the fact that he ran a “college” system at UCLA, it makes it difficult to evaluate how he’ll transition to the pro game.
Sam Bradford

The Rams have expressed commitment to have Sam Bradford under center in 2015.

Quarterbacks like Hundley that operated mostly out of the shotgun in college struggle taking snaps from under center in the pros. It’s not the physical act of taking the snap but rather getting out from under center with urgency, having a proper drop, and timing footwork and throwing mechanics to hit receivers on time. Hundley already struggles with ball placement in the intermediate game and that’s not something that will improve until he has a firm grasp of the mechanics of taking a snap from center. Again, this isn’t something he’ll never be good at, but it could take time.

This is where the Rams come in. They don’t have time to groom a quarterback. They should have selected a QB in the middle rounds last year because that player would have likely had an opportunity to gain experience once Sam Bradford was injured again in preseason. Now they have a defense built to win and the pressure to end a decade’s worth of losing, but they have questions at the most impactful position in all of sports.

The Rams have never wavered from their desire to bring Bradford back in 2015.

After Jeff Fisher met with Bradford to discuss hiring Frank Cignetti as offensive coordinator, it’s clear that the team is committed to running a pro-style offense. If Bradford were to be injured again, it would be nice to see the Rams have the option to turn to a youngster that has a mix of both upside and at least an understanding of pro-style passing concepts. That’s not Hundley.

Unfortunately for the Rams and other quarterback-starved teams, this is a weak class for signal-callers. Hundley might be an attractive option based on his raw skill set, but he isn’t going to be ready to play right away. Over the next few months I’ll discuss other options for the Rams at quarterback, but their margin for error will still be miniscule.

wv wrote:

I think i read Russell Wilson went to
Wisconsin or wherever in part cause
it would help prep him for the Pros.

w
v

Yep, it’s true, Wilson did that.

Also, that was one of the reasons Georgia pursued Schott. Recruiting device. Hey look, pro offense.

I have to say that if the report on Hundley is accurate that he cannot ever keep his eyes downfield to follow progressions, then that’s a killer to me. I don’t like the chances of a guy learning to do that if he couldn’t ever do it in college. The NFL is bigger, faster, and more painful. That’s a guy who needed to do some Kill Kurt drills a long time ago, and I fear it’s too late now.

You know what’s ironic? Our QB project from last year, Garrett Gilbert is sitting at home with a shiny new Super Bowl ring. Isn’t that just a bite in da ass

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Herzog.

from off the net

—

alyoshamucci

I don’t know if there’s a better fit for us than Carden.

He’s tough, he’s willing, and he’s a gamer.

Justin hardy has the most EVER receptions in college football. Almost all of those were from Carden.

He throws into right windows. He trusts his recievers. He makes the best of his blocking.
Donte Fowler sacked him three times and hurried him a few others, and Cardens fourth quarter against the gators was spectacular.

I don’t know how much psychology and attitude really play into the game for certain, but if it’s anywhere near where I think he’s worth a late first or second round pick, and getting him in the third would be a real steal.

I said about the same thing about cousins though and he went in the 4th. So who knows. Carden is more athletic.

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Shane Carden among QBs staking claim as diamonds in the rough

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Shane-Carden-among-QBs-staking-claim-as-diamonds-in-the-rough-/a5d81d93-3fae-4165-bce8-5b199fec7cde

INDIANAPOLIS – When Shane Carden arrived at East Carolina University, his teammates and coaches nicknamed him Brett Favre.

Everything about Carden screamed No.4 from the Green Bay Packers: His boyish southern drawl, his rugged Wrangler look and his desperado quarterbacking style on the football field.

“The things he was able to do outside the pocket, I’ve been told sometimes the plays that I make are similar to him,” Carden said with a wide smile.

Carden was among a handful of lesser known quarterbacks who spoke to the media Wednesday — one day before projected first-rounders Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston take the stage in the Lucas Oil Stadium media room — and he impressed with a mixture of quick wit, intelligence and a confidence in his who he is as a quarterback.

While starting for the Pirates for the past three seasons, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder shattered David Garrard’s school records and was the face of a program that grew tremendously in the national spotlight. Once a sputtering team, East Carolina climbed all the way up to No. 14 in the national rankings with Carden leading a shotgun-spread passing attack.

Longtime media members covering ECU pegged Carden as the best player in school history – over running backs Earnest Byner and Chris Johnson and quarterbacks Garrard and Jeff Blake – and not because of all of the numbers.

Carden’s been knocked for his throwing delivery and athleticism but he has unteachable traits — pocket poise, guts to take a big hit and an arm to thread the needle in the middle of the field.

“I think I can compete with any of the guys here,” he said.

Carden’s been working hand-in-hand with former Florida State Heisman-winning quarterback Chris Weinke at IMG academy in Florida. Weinke is fast becoming a guru in the pre-draft process. He most recently mentored Cam Newton, Russell Wilson and Ryan Tannehill, refining their games and prepping the players for the combine.

Weinke’s biggest focus? Shedding the label that Carden is simply a system quarterback who piled up inflated stats with the Pirates. Carden knows he’ll have to answer that question to every NFL team that talks to him, and he’s ready for it.

“For whatever reason, ECU’s offense has been thought of as some single-read offense – which is very far from the truth,” Carden said. “Certain play-actions are quick reads. But there are a lot of progression reads. There’s safety reads. There’s a lot of different things in talking with these coaches, I’ve realized kind of the complexity of the offense.

“As far as [being a system quarterback], you can’t worry about all that. I feel confident in the offense I ran. I was given the offense and I mastered the offense. I can’t help that it wasn’t pro-style. There’s plenty of who were in pro-style offenses that have had trouble in the NFL.”

Along with the work he’s done with Weinke, Carden implemented something outside of the box. Carden spent a chunk of time with ECU’s baseball strength coach in the weight room, in hopes of further improving his arm strength. Carden dove into workout routines that the Pirates’ starting pitchers went through and the quarterback said the techniques helped.

By the time Carden left East Carolina, he had shed the Favre label and earned a new nickname: Captain Carden. His personality won over media members Wednesday. Intertwine his track record for making big-time throws at ECU and it’s easy to believe a team will gobble up the quarterback as a long-term project in the draft’s later rounds.

for what it’s worth.

carden measured in at 6’2″ 218 33 1/4 9 3/4. not bad at all. the quarterbacks are throwing right now.

Dak wrote:

I saw some of the Combine, and it’s just obvious that Carden has a weak arm for the NFL.

Noted.