Mack's Brief 2015 QB Class Breakdown

[TheDYVKX]

What a throw by Cook.

Cook and Mariota are looking good. Mariota is a hell of a runner, so slippery.

 

[Rams and Gators]

Interception not withstanding I like what I've seen from Cook. Mariota seems out of our price range.

 

[jjab360]

I just don't see anything special with Cook, tbh.

 

[DR RAM]

Neither is having a good game, IMO. The 4th Q should define a QB though, so we'll see.

 

[jrry32]

I just don't see anything special with Cook, tbh.

Has an arm and shows the ability to make NFL throws but he just does not handle pressure well and gets really sloppy with his lower body. I'm not feeling too good about him as a potential NFL starter right now.

Same with Mariota. He doesn't seem to feel pressure naturally, doesn't manipulate the pocket well, and he rarely has to throw into tight windows or make complex reads/progressions in the Oregon offense. He's very reliant on his athleticism especially to evade sacks.

Both guys have major red flags imo.

 

[DR RAM]

He did step up, as if on cue....3 TD's in a row.

 

[jjab360]

Mariota reminds me a bit of Bradford as a passer when he was at Oklahoma. Bradford with 4.4 speed is a scary thought...

 

[jrry32]

Hey Mack, just wanted to bump this up and say, check out Gunner Kiel. He's starting for Cincinnati. Was a 5 star QB out of HS, went to Notre Dame, red-shirted and then transferred to Cincy and sat out 2013. Someone else pointed out his performance against Toledo(first start) and I ran through the ESPN videos just to get a feel for whether he's worth watching or just a name. I think he's worth watching.

6'4" 208(listed) Redshirt Sophomore

Why do I think he's worth watching? When you're more or less viewing highlights, there are only a couple things that can really be gleaned. The two big ones for me are mechanics and throwing motion. They don't tend to change(mechanics under pressure are a different category for me). I turned on the videos to see how they looked. If they weren't up to snuff, wouldn't have bothered. Now, I'm going to make sure I watch the game in full. Mechanically, he's very polished and advanced for a sophomore. I'd venture to say better in that regard than ALL of the big four(Winston, Mariota, Hundley, Hogan).

He holds the ball on his back pectoral under his ear at about collar level. That's exactly how it's taught. His release is compact and textbook. His upper body mechanics are also textbook. He mirrors the motion then keeps the off hand high and tight to help provide maximum torque and balance with his ab rotation. In the lower body, base could get a tad narrow and tall at times(which isn't a big deal for a kid his age) but he does a nice job of consistently stepping into throws, driving his hips through, and as a whole showed good bend and fundamentals.

He made a couple of really great throws. The two best of which were:

View: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11515965


View: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11515480


Here's his run:

View: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11515373


Now, Toledo's coverage wasn't good the vast majority of this game. He was throwing to guys that were open. That all said, it was his first start and it was a promising one with him throwing 6 TDs to 0 Ints. I can't tell you how good his arm strength(seemed solid but not elite to me in my limited viewing...like Matt Ryan), pocket presence, etc. are until I watch this game and others(in the future) in full. But, from what I can tell you, he's a name to watch because he's draft eligible and has a lot of the pieces that fit in the puzzle.

 

[Tron]

Hey Mack, just wanted to bump this up and say, check out Gunner Kiel. He's starting for Cincinnati. Was a 5 star QB out of HS, went to Notre Dame, red-shirted and then transferred to Cincy and sat out 2013. Someone else pointed out his performance against Toledo(first start) and I ran through the ESPN videos just to get a feel for whether he's worth watching or just a name. I think he's worth watching.

6'4" 208(listed) Redshirt Sophomore

Why do I think he's worth watching? When you're more or less viewing highlights, there are only a couple things that can really be gleaned. The two big ones for me are mechanics and throwing motion. They don't tend to change(mechanics under pressure are a different category for me). I turned on the videos to see how they looked. If they weren't up to snuff, wouldn't have bothered. Now, I'm going to make sure I watch the game in full. Mechanically, he's very polished and advanced for a sophomore. I'd venture to say better in that regard than ALL of the big four(Winston, Mariota, Hundley, Hogan).

He holds the ball on his back pectoral under his ear at about collar level. That's exactly how it's taught. His release is compact and textbook. His upper body mechanics are also textbook. He mirrors the motion then keeps the off hand high and tight to help provide maximum torque and balance with his ab rotation. In the lower body, base could get a tad narrow and tall at times(which isn't a big deal for a kid his age) but he does a nice job of consistently stepping into throws, driving his hips through, and as a whole showed good bend and fundamentals.

He made a couple of really great throws. The two best of which were:

View: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11515965


View: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11515480


Here's his run:

View: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11515373


Now, Toledo's coverage wasn't good the vast majority of this game. He was throwing to guys that were open. That all said, it was his first start and it was a promising one with him throwing 6 TDs to 0 Ints. I can't tell you how good his arm strength(seemed solid but not elite to me in my limited viewing...like Matt Ryan), pocket presence, etc. are until I watch this game and others(in the future) in full. But, from what I can tell you, he's a name to watch because he's draft eligible and has a lot of the pieces that fit in the puzzle.

I was literally just reading up on him 10 minutes ago and liked what i read and saw. Definitely someone to watch this year. Love his release, very quick.

 

[Boston Ram]

Hey Mack, just wanted to bump this up and say, check out Gunner Kiel. He's starting for Cincinnati. Was a 5 star QB out of HS, went to Notre Dame, red-shirted and then transferred to Cincy and sat out 2013. Someone else pointed out his performance against Toledo(first start) and I ran through the ESPN videos just to get a feel for whether he's worth watching or just a name. I think he's worth watching.

6'4" 208(listed) Redshirt Sophomore

Why do I think he's worth watching? When you're more or less viewing highlights, there are only a couple things that can really be gleaned. The two big ones for me are mechanics and throwing motion. They don't tend to change(mechanics under pressure are a different category for me). I turned on the videos to see how they looked. If they weren't up to snuff, wouldn't have bothered. Now, I'm going to make sure I watch the game in full. Mechanically, he's very polished and advanced for a sophomore. I'd venture to say better in that regard than ALL of the big four(Winston, Mariota, Hundley, Hogan).

He holds the ball on his back pectoral under his ear at about collar level. That's exactly how it's taught. His release is compact and textbook. His upper body mechanics are also textbook. He mirrors the motion then keeps the off hand high and tight to help provide maximum torque and balance with his ab rotation. In the lower body, base could get a tad narrow and tall at times(which isn't a big deal for a kid his age) but he does a nice job of consistently stepping into throws, driving his hips through, and as a whole showed good bend and fundamentals.

He made a couple of really great throws. The two best of which were:

View: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11515965


View: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11515480


Here's his run:

View: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11515373


Now, Toledo's coverage wasn't good the vast majority of this game. He was throwing to guys that were open. That all said, it was his first start and it was a promising one with him throwing 6 TDs to 0 Ints. I can't tell you how good his arm strength(seemed solid but not elite to me in my limited viewing...like Matt Ryan), pocket presence, etc. are until I watch this game and others(in the future) in full. But, from what I can tell you, he's a name to watch because he's draft eligible and has a lot of the pieces that fit in the puzzle.

I tuned in to watch him tonight. I knew his story and wanted to see the progress. Missed the 1st half and only seen his first 5 possessions in the 2nd half. Obviously it's a small sample, but he got caught in the pocket a few times, was not stepping up and was very flat footed. Also he was terribly inaccurate on his sideline routes. Missed 4 open receivers.

I know this kid is legit and has the makings to be special, just a little ticked I didn't get to see any of the good stuff.

He is definately a must in terms of players to keep an eye on

 

[jrry32]

I tuned in to watch him tonight. I knew his story and wanted to see the progress. Missed the 1st half and only seen his first 5 possessions in the 2nd half. Obviously it's a small sample, but he got caught in the pocket a few times, was not stepping up and was very flat footed. Also he was terribly inaccurate on his sideline routes. Missed 4 open receivers.

I know this kid is legit and has the makings to be special, just a little ticked I didn't get to see any of the good stuff.

He is definately a must in terms of players to keep an eye on

I definitely still need to watch the game. As I said, you don't see enough in highlights. Glad you pointed this stuff out, I'll be on the lookout for it. I did notice his pocket movement needs work but wanted to see more before commenting. I can agree on the flat-footed comment based on what I've seen.

I don't want to hype the kid as the next coming of QB Jesus or anything haha. Just saying that there seems to be some good pieces to the puzzle from what I'm seeing. Obviously, though, will need the whole season to see where he's at and where he can go. But I think there's a lot of potential there.

Appreciate the comment and your perspective, my friend!

 

[Boston Ram]

I definitely still need to watch the game. As I said, you don't see enough in highlights. Glad you pointed this stuff out, I'll be on the lookout for it. I did notice his pocket movement needs work but wanted to see more before commenting. I can agree on the flat-footed comment based on what I've seen.

I don't want to hype the kid as the next coming of QB Jesus or anything haha. Just saying that there seems to be some good pieces to the puzzle from what I'm seeing. Obviously, though, will need the whole season to see where he's at and where he can go. But I think there's a lot of potential there.

Appreciate the comment and your perspective, my friend!

I only got to watch the 3rd quarter. Look forward to hearing what you seen in the 1st half.

On a side note, regardless of how this year goes for him, it would probably serve him best to return for another year.

Look forward to reading your thoughts on him

 

[simonblaze]

I like Hundley a lot. In the best case scenario, Sam takes a pay cut to stick around and we take Hundley.

 

[Tron]

I tuned in to watch him tonight. I knew his story and wanted to see the progress. Missed the 1st half and only seen his first 5 possessions in the 2nd half. Obviously it's a small sample, but he got caught in the pocket a few times, was not stepping up and was very flat footed. Also he was terribly inaccurate on his sideline routes. Missed 4 open receivers.

I know this kid is legit and has the makings to be special, just a little ticked I didn't get to see any of the good stuff.

He is definately a must in terms of players to keep an eye on

I read that he had some cramping problems in the 3rd quarter and eventually went into the locker room to get some fluids in him, then returned in the 4th or around that time and busted a few more td's out. That might have been why he looked flat footed and wasnt stepping in the pocket well at the part you watched. I really dont know though since I didnt watch the game and might just need more work in that area. Just letting you know he was having cramping issues in the 3rd quarter since it could have been a factor in that. The 3rd quarter was the only one the Bearcats didnt score a td.

 

[Boston Ram]

I read that he had some cramping problems in the 3rd quarter and eventually went into the locker room to get some fluids in him, then returned in the 4th or around that time and busted a few more td's out. That might have been why he looked flat footed and wasnt stepping in the pocket well at the part you watched. I really dont know though since I didnt watch the game and might just need more work in that area. Just letting you know he was having cramping issues in the 3rd quarter since it could have been a factor in that. The 3rd quarter was the only one the Bearcats didnt score a td.

That could be it. Good call and as I think about it, that makes sense.

 

[jrry32]

I only got to watch the 3rd quarter. Look forward to hearing what you seen in the 1st half.

On a side note, regardless of how this year goes for him, it would probably serve him best to return for another year.

Look forward to reading your thoughts on him

It would but being selfish, I would prefer he comes out if I end up really loving him because it would give the Rams a better shot at grabbing him if they don't pick in the first 5-7 picks.

Kind of like how I was rooting for Bortles to come out in 2013 despite knowing that he wasn't ready in hopes the Rams could grab him in the late 1st or early/mid 2nd and develop him because the tools were there but he still needed a lot of polish.

 

[Memento]

Gunner Kiel is a very intriguing quarterback. I recall that Mizzou tried to pursue both him and Maty Mauk. Only one of them came aboard, but Kiel was definitely the one I wanted to get at the time. I certainly wouldn't mind taking him if he came out early.

 

[fearsomefour]

Hundley looked pretty shaky vs. Virginia Tech week 1. Havent seen anything since. McNair was a QB with massive holes in his game.
Not saying defacto "No" to Hundley but I have not been blown away by what I have seen.

 

[JTurner]

I pretty much wait until most of the year is done before trying to evaluate the qb's coming out. Gives a better sample size against better competition etc.

 

[dieterbrock]

Kiel was the best QB at ND during his time. We all were dying that he wasnt there last year.

IIRC, Kiel was a bit of diva during his recruiting, I think he backed out of a Verbal with LSU?