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Position
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QB
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Height
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6’4
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School
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Oklahoma State
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Weight
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221
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Class
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Senior
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40 Time
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4.90
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Grade
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3rd Round
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Arm Strength:
Has the arm strength necessary to make all the throws. Does not have a great arm though. Still floats too many passes and some of his passes simply lack zip. He lacks the arm strength to stick throws unless his footwork is perfect, and it often isn’t. Doesn’t throw a great deep ball either as it tends to hang quite a bit. However, he does do a good job of zipping passes when he has to and shows good touch on shorter throws.
Grade: 2.5
Accuracy:
Accuracy is fairly average. He can hit the open man but he lacks pin-point accuracy. He’ll throw some nice intermediate balls but then he’ll follow it up by throwing it behind his receiver or sailing it over their head. Most comfortable on shorter passes. Struggles to throw the deep ball with good rhythm, as the ball is often too far ahead or behind his receiver.
Grade: 2.5
Mobility:
More athletic than most quarterbacks. Doesn’t elect to run very often but his mobility helps him get out of trouble in the pocket. Not a guy who can beat you with his legs or gain a lot of ground in the open field.
Grade: 3.0
Decision Making:
Looks very impressive when he has a clean pocket. Is calm and is able to side step the rush while keeping his eyes down-field. Will go through his progressions and does a good job of finding the open man. Is always aware of where his checkdown is if he gets in trouble. However, under pressure he’s a completely different player. He’ll force a lot of throws. He will throw without setting his feet and rarely throws the ball away. Instead, he tries to force a pass into coverage that leads interceptions. I worry about how he will hold up behind a poor offensive line in the NFL if he doesn’t learn to A. make quicker decisions and B. throw the ball away if nothings there.
Grade: 2.0
Mechanics:
Played minor league baseball for 5 years and it shows in his release. Not a conventional one and it still looks like he’s throwing a baseball. Doesn’t drop back from under center a lot at OSU so he’ll have to perfect his drops in the NFL. Gets sloppy with his footwork. Won’t drive through the throw and ends up sailing passes. Will need some coaching to sharpen up the fundamentals.
Grade: 2.0
Pocket Awareness:
Calm and keeps his poise in the pocket. Can look like a field general if given time. Can side-step rushers or step up in the pocket and maintains his poise. Senses pressure pretty well and does a good job of getting the ball out. However, his decision making when pressured is poor.
Grade: 3.0
Intangibles:
A 2 year starter who spent 5 years playing minor league baseball. Is going to be 29 years old during his rookie season. Ended his baseball career due to a torn labrum and also suffered a ruptured tendon in his throwing hand in 2010. Praised for his leadership qualities and is regarded as a high character guy. Has no known off-field issues. Didn’t play in an offense that translates very well to the NFL.
Grade: 3.0
Outlook:
People love to debate over Weeden’s age but it’s not much of a factor to me at all. He still has the opportunity to play long enough to make an impact with a team so it doesn’t hurt his value much. At the same time it doesn’t help either. Those who think that because he’s older he’s much better than most quarterbacks in some areas are wrong. He’s not a better decision maker and he still makes the same mistakes any other young and inexperienced quarterback would make. He does have starters upside, but I don’t believe he’d be a top 10 pick if it wasn’t for age. He still needs coaching, and I worry about how he’ll fare playing for a team that doesn’t have many offensive pieces. Especially on a team with a poor line. He gets rattled under pressure and makes bad decisions and if he plays behind a bad line long enough he could get a case of the David Carr/Joey Harrington syndrome.
