Here's a breakdown of the three quarterbacks after watching
Monday's 90-minute South practice:
Tim Tebow/Florida
Arm Strength: Tebow had problems driving the ball down field. In fact, he
had trouble of throwing the ball past 15 yards with any discernible zip. There
was a light to moderate breeze for the first 15-20 minutes of practice, but even
when the wind subsided, Tebow couldn't throw the ball with any power. The
problem he has is he can't get much behind his throws. That's a function of not
driving the ball of his back foot. He also has a problem getting the ball to the
outside of the hashes and sidelines. Another issue with with arm is he's unable
to get much torque or force into his passes. After watching him throw live, it's
obvious that Tebow has well less than an average NFL arm.
Accuracy: For the most part, Tebow was able to throw with decent
accuracy, but his lack of power made his intended receivers have to come back to
the ball too often. His touch on the ball isn't bad, but Tebow tends to aim his
throws a bit. He did throw a few nice back shoulder fades to his receivers of
20-25 yards.
Pocket Awareness/Movement: Tebow has a decent pocket awareness and seems
to sense the rush. He was able to create functional space to throw the ball most
of the time during the session.
Mechanics: Some of his issues with power or torque come from his
inconsistent mechanics. Tebow holds the ball too low and because of that, he
takes too long to throw the ball at times. He has to go through quite a bit just
to get the ball out of his hands on passes more than 10 yards. It's going to be
hard for him to make deeper throws at the next level unless he has his release
point adjusted.
Zac Robinson/Oklahoma St.
Arm Strength: Robinson lacks functional arm strength and had problems
throwing the ball with any noticeable power. He doesn't bring the ball back far
enough on his release point, and that tends to take away some power. He also
doesn't get enough torque or force through his hips.
Accuracy: Robinson's passes tended to come up short or some even skipped
off the ground. Too often, Robinson didn't follow through with his throwing
motion. When he was able to get his feet set, he threw with better accuracy.
Pocket Awareness/Movement: Robinson moved around fairly well during the
practice session. He seemed to sense the rush and was able to get the ball off
on time.
Mechanics: His footwork was way too inconsistent and he seems to rush
some of his throws. He clearly needs to get stronger physically.
Jarrett Brown/West Virginia
Arm Strength: Having not seen Brown throw before, I was pleasantly
surprised to watch him throw. He threw with good power and torque. He was able
to get his hips into his passes. That's a really good attribute for a young
quarterback to have.
Accuracy: Brown was clearly the most accurate of the three quarterbacks
during this session. Because he has good arm strength, he was more willing to
make the tougher or tighter throws. He was able to put the ball on the numbers
for most of the time. One issue that he could have done better with was leading
the receiver to the ball. He doesn't throw with a refined sense of timing,
meaning he doesn't anticipate where the receiver will be.
Pocket Awareness/Movement: Brown rushed his passes occasionally, but he
was able to move well enough to get the ball to his receivers in timely fashion.
Mechanics: Brown reminds me a little of former LSU QB Rohan Davey. He
cocks or bends his elbow in similar fashion to Davey, but his throwing motion
isn't as pronounced. Brown's footwork and release point were a bit inconsistent.
He also tended to stare down his receivers too much. On one occasion, he looked
down the receiver too long and threw the ball to the sideline. The play resulted
in an interception that was returned for a touchdown.