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Let’s be honest about these workouts . . .
have become a little bit of a circus.
Talking about the private QB works that take place before the draft.
They offer little value.
SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Pat Kirwan calls them “The batting cage.”
Big story last week – Florida QB Anthony Richardson did a back flip at the end of his workout for Pro Scouts.
“The more Anthony Richardson displays his talent, the more superhuman he looks,” wrote a writer in the New York Post talking about the back flip.
What does a back flip have to do with being a successful NFL QB?
We all know that Richardson is a sensational athlete, but the last time I checked, back flips don’t come in handy in NFL games.
And many of the scripted throws, designed by the private QB coach who orchestrates the event, aren’t realistic and don’t provide much for the scout.
An example of this is from Zach Wilson’s workout in 2020 at BYU.
Remember that orchestrated 50-yard throw he made off balance at the end that wowed people?
“The goal today was to kind of show what makes me different, the type of throws I can make that I feel like other guys don’t practice and don’t try to do,” Wilson said afterward to the media. “That was the goal — to show what makes me different.”
“Wilson rolled to his left and threw across his body to lead his receiver, who was running to the right,” wrote somebody from USA Today after the workout. “The ball hit the receiver perfectly in stride. It’s a unique demonstration of arm strength, touch and accuracy. It’s one of the reasons why Wilson has rocketed up draft boards and is in play for the second overall pick, where the New York Jets pick.”
Not looking to pick on any of these writers. They have a lot of company, but this kind of stuff carries way too much water with people coming out of QB workouts before the draft.
When Wilson threw that crazy pass where he threw it 50 yards against this body, the first thing I thought was, “When is that ever going to happen in a game?”
And now that we have seen him play the last two years, was there ever a scenario where he made this throw as a New York Jet?
Will Levis executed the same throw at his Kentucky pro day.
Some would argue, the only legit stuff you get out of these orchestrated QB workouts, throwing against air, is personality-based.
Meaning, you see how the kid interact with people, the college staff there, the scouts, his entourage and so forth. Maybe you learn a little something about his personality.
If teams are so misguided that they are going to be moved by this scripted sideshow with a QB throwing against no defense, that is on them.
I’m not saying that Wilson’s pro day influenced the Jets. It seemed like they were leaning towards him before that day.
Just pointing out that these QB pro days have turned into a joke.
Unless, maybe, we see Richardson do a backflip in the NFL the next few years.
April 5, 2022
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