"I think the kids are coming in more prepared" - NFL's UK head of football development Will Bryce
Tuesday 3 March 2020 11:14, UK
Quarterback discussion has circled LSU's likely No 1 overall pick Joe Burrow and Alabama's multi-talented Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, but with neither taking part in on-field drills at the NFL Scouting Combine, there was an opportunity to turn the microscope towards their fellow signal-callers.
Standing at 6ft 6in and 236 pounds, Oregon's Justin Herbert showcased his deep-ball talent on Thursday night as well as running an impressive 4.68 in the 40-yard dash and ranking tied-second among quarterbacks in the vertical jump.
His efforts added to a resume that also includes victory over Wisconsin at the Rose Bowl and 32 touchdown passes with just six interceptions in 2019.
Utah State's Jordan Love loomed as another fascinating case study, producing a steady throwing session amid questions stemming from contrasting seasons across which he threw 32 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2018 followed by 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 2019.
Then there was Jalen Hurts, who finished last season 237 of 340 passing for 3,851 yards and 32 touchdowns, as well as rushing for 1,298 yards and 20 touchdowns having transferred to Oklahoma following three years at Alabama. His talent on the ground was evidenced by a 4.59 in the 40-yard dash.
NFL's UK head of football development Will Bryce was meanwhile keeping a watchful eye on Washington quarterback Jacob Eason. The 22-year-old transferred from Georgia in January 2018 after seeing Jake Fromm, a fellow 2020 draft prospect, take over as starter during his recovery from a knee injury in 2017.
"He's a player that went to Georgia and then he transferred and went to Washington, someone like him intrigues me because he has that size that teams want and he has a lot of arm talent," said Bryce.
"My question would be why he left Georgia? Did he want to compete? Did he not want to compete for that starting position? He would have to compete every day at quarterback.
"That guy intrigues me to know more about. That's what's been on my mind. If I was on a team that's what I would want to know."
Having completed his transfer, Eason had to sit out the 2018 season due to NCAA transfer eligibility rules, before throwing 260 passes (64.2 completion percentage) for 3,132 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2019.
As with quarterbacks, defensive assets are typically high on the agenda for several teams as they seek to bolster their pass rush.
Bryce added: "I think the way the game has changed, you have to be able to get to the quarterback so I think it's a position that's going to be highly-valued if you can find players like that.
"When you look at some guys, there's a pass rusher K'Lavon Chaisson from LSU, he's been put in the first-round discussion. It will be interesting to see how he does having seen him train for the last four weeks.
"There are obviously the Alabama players who do well and have been well coached, Raekwon Davis the Alabama D tackle, it will be interesting to see how he tests and runs and how fluid he moves.
"The pass rusher from Ohio State Chase Young, he's not working out this week, he's right up there in terms of potentially having a good career. Obviously he's been behind (San Francisco 49ers defensive end) Nick Bosa who has come into the league and had success so I'm sure he's learned from him.
"I'd like to think he's picked his brains in terms of what's going to help him transition into the league.
"We'll see when they get on the field, maybe there are a couple of guys that intrigue clubs and out-perform maybe what they put on film whilst they're at college."
This year's wide receiver class has been widely-deemed one of the most talented and deepest in recent memory.
Oklahoma's Ceedee Lamb and Alabama duo Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III are among the leading first-round prospects, collectively threatening everything from yards-after-catch ability to ankle-twisting route-running and electrifying speed.
"Whatever you want you can get," said Bryce. "If you want a bigger body guy on the outside, if you want a smaller quicker player, if you want someone in between, if you want someone that can return kicks and punts that also plays receiver."
"You look at the way college football is played, it's spread, it's fast-paced and no-huddle most of the time.
"Receivers have to compete a lot more, they get thrown a lot more balls, so potentially the coaching at that level maybe gets a lot better or what you're finding is kids coming out of high school that are really big and athletic are choosing that position because it's maybe an easier transition than a defensive end or tight end.
"I think the kids are coming in more prepared."
Ruggs caught the eye on Thursday as he clocked in at 4.27 in the 40-yard dash, while Notre Dame's 6ft 4 in, 238-pound wideout Chase Claypool defied his size with a superb 4.42.
From the change in speed to the superior strength of opponents, the transition from college football to the NFL for offensive linemen has proven to be one of the toughest.
With quarterback money continuing to rise, Bryce highlighted the value in identifying rare reliable pass protection in the scouting process.
"There's not a lot of quality depth at the offensive line in the NFL, so any player who can play multiple positions for a club across the offensive line is going to be someone who you're going to really want to see if they can be that for your team," he said.
"It's critical because you're paying the quarterback a lot of money, you better be able to protect him. I would be looking at who can be moved around, that's the guy I want to see.
"The tackle from Alabama Jedrick Wills, he's going to be fine. You look at the colleges that consistently produce quality players at certain positions.
"You can say about South Carolina and Deebo Samuel who came out last year. They produce receivers, Alshon Jeffery, those kinds of guys. LSU produce corners and safeties.
"You're going to keep going to that pipeline I think for certain position groups because you have trust there. That's the big thing with the NFL, that there's trust because of the investment you're going to make."
The combine's on-field drills opened with the tight ends, quarterbacks and wide receivers on Thursday and will continue with the place kickers, special teams, offensive linemen, and running backs on Friday.
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