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Is Connor Shaw an NFL QB?
January, 15, 2014
By Todd McShay and Kevin Weidl | ESPN.com
We attended the first day of practices Tuesday of the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl, a showcase event for aspiring 2014 NFL draft prospects. The event is only in its third season, and the talent level still has plenty of room to grow -- eight players who attended last year’s game were drafted, while 11 were on opening-day rosters and 12 more were on opening-day practice squads, but those numbers could come close to doubling this year -- but there are still some interesting prospects to keep an eye on (practices continue on Wednesday and Thursday on ESPNU, and the game is on Saturday on ESPN2).
Perhaps the most intriguing prospect -- or at least the one with the most name recognition among college football fans -- is South Carolina Gamecocks QB Connor Shaw. He’s currently one of several potential late-round quarterbacks hoping to impress an NFL team enough to land a backup spot in 2014.
The all-star game setup isn’t really the ideal setting for Shaw to shine, as many of his most impressive qualities -- toughness, competitiveness, finding ways to get first downs and doing all the little things right -- are on display in game situations. But we thought he threw the ball well in practices Tuesday. His two big weaknesses as a passer right now are his deep-ball accuracy and overall arm strength. His arm strength is adequate, not great. He’s gotten better with his tempo, timing and ball placement on intermediate to longer throws, and as long as he’s within 35 yards, he’s pretty good. Beyond that is when his accuracy really dips, so that’s something he needs to work on with his lower-body mechanics.
The other challenge he’s going to face is his size -- he measured out here at 6-foot, 209 pounds. There are NFL QBs who have overcome a similar lack of size, however, and if he’s drafted, he’ll be drafted late to be a great No. 3 QB at first and maybe develop into a No. 2. His ability to move around and make plays with his legs is a huge asset as a backup quarterback, and he’s your classic coach’s son, a guy who does all the little things right and will know everything about his team’s offense and what he needs to do if called upon to play.
He had a good practice Tuesday, and we thought he was the most consistent of all the QBs out here. His goal for this week needs to be for scouts to walk away thinking that he was the best quarterback at this event all week long.
Shaw is one of several quarterback prospects who currently carry late-round grades. Here are the other QBs who -- at this point in the process, at least -- figure to be in the late-round or undrafted mix:
Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
Aaron Murray, Georgia
Stephen Morris, Miami
Brett Smith, Wyoming
Tajh Boyd, Clemson
David Fales, San Jose State
Tom Savage, Pittsburgh
Bryn Renner, North Carolina
Jeff Mathews, Cornell
Keith Wenning, Ball State
We won’t be hearing about these guys as much as some of the top QB prospects in this year’s draft class, but several could end up providing a lot of value to teams as backups -- and the list of past late-round and undrafted quarterbacks who have found success in the league as starters includes Kurt Warner, Tony Romo and Tom Brady.
Practice standouts
Here are a few players who stood out in Tuesday’s practices:
Dustin Vaughan, QB, West Texas A&M: Outside of Shaw, Vaughan was the steadiest QB on Tuesday. He has a live arm and a smooth stroke, and unlike some of the other QBs, it didn’t look like the game was moving too fast for him. You’d think he might have been a little overwhelmed given the step up in competition, but that wasn’t the case. We’re intrigued to see how he handles himself this week.
Isaiah Burse, WR, Fresno State: Burse was a highly productive player for the Bulldogs as one of QB Derek Carr’s top targets. He is a classic slot receiver and return specialist who is really good with the ball in his hands. He stood out as the quickest and most polished among the receivers when it came to plucking the ball and then getting upfield. He showed really quick feet and hands.
Eric Thomas, WR, Troy: Like Burse, Thomas plays like a slot receiver, but he’s a little bigger at 6-foot, 214 pounds with big hands. Also like Burse, he was able to transition upfield after the catch quicker than the rest of the receivers we saw Tuesday. Doing so puts both players in position to create after the catch.
Jonotthan Harrison-Nelson, C, Florida: The former Gator showed nice flexibility in his lower half, with the ability to bend and play with leverage. He could afford to get a little tougher, which is something that stands out about his game on tape.
Trey Hopkins, G, Texas: There are a lot of similarities between Hopkins and Harrison-Nelson, in that Hopkins also has good lower-half flexibility and needs to show more toughness. Another area he could improve upon is his strength, but overall he performed well on Tuesday.
Karim Barton, G, Morgan State: Barton has good size and a powerful upper body. It’s clear he has some improving to do in terms of his technique, as he’s a little raw right now as he attempts to make a big step up in competition, but the positive news is that he’s got the tools to do it.
Jimmy Staten, DT, Middle Tennessee State: He has very good size at 6-3, 311 pounds, and good power in terms of coming off the ball. He made a lot of disruptive plays in Tuesday’s practice, playing both inside and when he moved outside to defensive end. He got off to a strong start, which is key for a small-school trenches player like him. This is his opportunity to shine in front of NFL scouts.
January, 15, 2014
By Todd McShay and Kevin Weidl | ESPN.com
We attended the first day of practices Tuesday of the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl, a showcase event for aspiring 2014 NFL draft prospects. The event is only in its third season, and the talent level still has plenty of room to grow -- eight players who attended last year’s game were drafted, while 11 were on opening-day rosters and 12 more were on opening-day practice squads, but those numbers could come close to doubling this year -- but there are still some interesting prospects to keep an eye on (practices continue on Wednesday and Thursday on ESPNU, and the game is on Saturday on ESPN2).
Perhaps the most intriguing prospect -- or at least the one with the most name recognition among college football fans -- is South Carolina Gamecocks QB Connor Shaw. He’s currently one of several potential late-round quarterbacks hoping to impress an NFL team enough to land a backup spot in 2014.
The all-star game setup isn’t really the ideal setting for Shaw to shine, as many of his most impressive qualities -- toughness, competitiveness, finding ways to get first downs and doing all the little things right -- are on display in game situations. But we thought he threw the ball well in practices Tuesday. His two big weaknesses as a passer right now are his deep-ball accuracy and overall arm strength. His arm strength is adequate, not great. He’s gotten better with his tempo, timing and ball placement on intermediate to longer throws, and as long as he’s within 35 yards, he’s pretty good. Beyond that is when his accuracy really dips, so that’s something he needs to work on with his lower-body mechanics.
The other challenge he’s going to face is his size -- he measured out here at 6-foot, 209 pounds. There are NFL QBs who have overcome a similar lack of size, however, and if he’s drafted, he’ll be drafted late to be a great No. 3 QB at first and maybe develop into a No. 2. His ability to move around and make plays with his legs is a huge asset as a backup quarterback, and he’s your classic coach’s son, a guy who does all the little things right and will know everything about his team’s offense and what he needs to do if called upon to play.
He had a good practice Tuesday, and we thought he was the most consistent of all the QBs out here. His goal for this week needs to be for scouts to walk away thinking that he was the best quarterback at this event all week long.
Shaw is one of several quarterback prospects who currently carry late-round grades. Here are the other QBs who -- at this point in the process, at least -- figure to be in the late-round or undrafted mix:
Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
Aaron Murray, Georgia
Stephen Morris, Miami
Brett Smith, Wyoming
Tajh Boyd, Clemson
David Fales, San Jose State
Tom Savage, Pittsburgh
Bryn Renner, North Carolina
Jeff Mathews, Cornell
Keith Wenning, Ball State
We won’t be hearing about these guys as much as some of the top QB prospects in this year’s draft class, but several could end up providing a lot of value to teams as backups -- and the list of past late-round and undrafted quarterbacks who have found success in the league as starters includes Kurt Warner, Tony Romo and Tom Brady.
Practice standouts
Here are a few players who stood out in Tuesday’s practices:
Dustin Vaughan, QB, West Texas A&M: Outside of Shaw, Vaughan was the steadiest QB on Tuesday. He has a live arm and a smooth stroke, and unlike some of the other QBs, it didn’t look like the game was moving too fast for him. You’d think he might have been a little overwhelmed given the step up in competition, but that wasn’t the case. We’re intrigued to see how he handles himself this week.
Isaiah Burse, WR, Fresno State: Burse was a highly productive player for the Bulldogs as one of QB Derek Carr’s top targets. He is a classic slot receiver and return specialist who is really good with the ball in his hands. He stood out as the quickest and most polished among the receivers when it came to plucking the ball and then getting upfield. He showed really quick feet and hands.
Eric Thomas, WR, Troy: Like Burse, Thomas plays like a slot receiver, but he’s a little bigger at 6-foot, 214 pounds with big hands. Also like Burse, he was able to transition upfield after the catch quicker than the rest of the receivers we saw Tuesday. Doing so puts both players in position to create after the catch.
Jonotthan Harrison-Nelson, C, Florida: The former Gator showed nice flexibility in his lower half, with the ability to bend and play with leverage. He could afford to get a little tougher, which is something that stands out about his game on tape.
Trey Hopkins, G, Texas: There are a lot of similarities between Hopkins and Harrison-Nelson, in that Hopkins also has good lower-half flexibility and needs to show more toughness. Another area he could improve upon is his strength, but overall he performed well on Tuesday.
Karim Barton, G, Morgan State: Barton has good size and a powerful upper body. It’s clear he has some improving to do in terms of his technique, as he’s a little raw right now as he attempts to make a big step up in competition, but the positive news is that he’s got the tools to do it.
Jimmy Staten, DT, Middle Tennessee State: He has very good size at 6-3, 311 pounds, and good power in terms of coming off the ball. He made a lot of disruptive plays in Tuesday’s practice, playing both inside and when he moved outside to defensive end. He got off to a strong start, which is key for a small-school trenches player like him. This is his opportunity to shine in front of NFL scouts.
