Fran Duffy’s NFL Scouting Combine position preview, QB: Who pushes to be QB2 behind Fernando Mendoza?

I find the NFL Scouting Combine to be a test of expectations. Fast players should look fast. Slow players should look slow. When the results don’t match the expectations, that is when more work must be done. 

Below you’ll find my expectations for this position group this week in Indianapolis. Who do I expect to stand out? Who does this week mean the most for? What are the drills I prioritize most? Here are my thoughts on all of that and more!

Full Scouting Reports on all of these players can be found in the DieHard Draft Guide!

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Workout Warriors

These are the players I expect to perform best in the athletic testing portion of the workout.

Taylen Green (Arkansas)

At 6-foot-6, 229 pounds with long limbs, Green is a physical specimen and when he hits the open field? Watch out. This kid is a strider who chews up grass in the open field and spits out explosive plays with his legs as well as anyone. If he works out I would expect him to run one of the fastest times we’ve seen of any quarterback in recent memory, especially for one as big as he is.

Jalon Daniels (Kansas)

Daniels is not as big as Green, but he’s plenty juicy as an athlete (76 explosive runs in his career point to that). Not only is he athletic, but Daniels snaps the ball off and, maybe more importantly, brings a ton of energy to the field as well. I expect him to make his presence felt in this workout. 

The Drill To Watch

I am a big proponent of studying the position work at this event. That is my focus when I’m inside Lucas Oil Stadium – not the athletic tests! Here’s the drill I weigh the heaviest and who I expect to shine when it’s that time of the night.

For the quarterbacks, what we get to see on television ultimately comes down to their throwing session with the wide receivers in attendance. Overall, the quarterbacks will throw slant routes, out routes, curl routes, dig routes, post-corner routes, and deep go routes. Those last three routes call for the quarterback to push the ball down the field, and here are things you may notice on those passes.

• Velocity and Accuracy are important for any quarterback; see which passers are able to combine both elements on these throws. 

• It’s hard for quarterbacks to make these throws – which require a bit of timing with the receiver – to guys they’ve likely never worked with before. It’s always interesting to see which quarterbacks are just willing to cut it loose in this situation. Sometimes a pass is thrown right where it should be but it falls incomplete, it’s important to note that those missed connections are not always on the quarterback.

Here are the players who have a chance to shine in these drills.

Ty Simpson (Alabama)

Simpson would have likely been at the Senior Bowl if not for an injury suffered late in the season for the Tide, and now he’ll get to throw here in Indy to prove his wares. He doesn’t have a ton of horsepower in his arm, but he has a quick release and throws with good touch. The ball placement isn’t always great, particularly when he tries to drive throws, but I think in this environment he should look pretty good. 

Cole Payton (North Dakota State)

Like Simpson, Payton is a one-year starter (albeit at a lower level of competition), but this kid has tools to work with. An athlete who the Bison constantly worked in as a runner for his first few years on campus, Payton can put some mustard on throws and has already generated some buzz in the scouting community. We’ll see if that buzz continues to build through this week. He should test well athletically and look good tossing the rock around.

Trust The Tape

These are the players I don’t expect to test off the charts athletically … but don’t panic! The tape shows a prospect who is a better football player than he is an athlete. With that in mind, don’t drop him down the board with a subpar workout!

Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)

Mendoza announced a couple of weeks ago that he would not throw here at the Combine but that he would at the team’s Pro Day. So the Raiders will get a chance to see their likely top pick throw live in that environment. 

Carson Beck (Miami)

The quarterback Mendoza went toe-to-toe with in the National Championship game isn’t the most overwhelming arm talent in the world, but Beck is a heady passer who can manage an NFL offense and get the ball where it needs to be. Since we didn’t see him at an All-Star Game, teams will want to see him throw live before the draft at some point, whether it’s here or the Pro Day, but he’s put plenty on tape over his career to tell the story of who he is as a player. 

Most To Prove

Some players make this trip with a big question (or three!) at this stage of the process. How well does he run? Will he pass the medical check? What is he like off the field in the interview room? These are the prospects with the most notable question marks on their résumé at this stage of the process.

Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)

Last week in the ALL NFL Draft Newsletter I discussed the urgency in the orthopedic exam that every prospect goes through at this event and pointed to Nussmeier as a player who would face as much scrutiny as anyone, particularly with his knee. He was my QB1 entering the year and, despite the disappointing year, I’m leaving the light on for him as a future starter in the league. But teams want to feel good about the knee coming out of the pre-draft process. 

Drew Allar (Penn State)

Allar had an up-and-down career in Happy Valley. He looks the part, has traits for days, and the best stuff looks really good. He tore his ACL in October, so we won’t see him work out this week, obviously, but what can he show behind the scenes in meetings with teams? And what does the knee look like at this stage in his recovery? 

The Rest Of The Pack

Everyone else who will take part in the events in Indianapolis (in alphabetical order).

Luke Altmyer (Illinois), Joe Fagnano (UConn), Haynes King (Georgia Tech), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Behren Morton (Texas Tech), Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt), Sawyer Robertson (Baylor)

Mr. Average

We get to read all about the measurements for all these players over the next few weeks … but wouldn’t it be nice to have some context? What is considered a ‘good’ 40-yard dash time for this position? What about arm length? The broad jump? Here’s what the average player drafted at each position has looked like over the last decade (by my records).

Height: 6026  (6’2 3/4’’’)

Weight: 218

Hand Size: 948 (9 1/2’’)

Arm Length: 3178 (31 7/8’’)

Wingspan: 7658 (76 5/8’’)

40-Time: 4.76

10-Yard Split: 1.63

3-Cone Drill: 7.09

Short Shuttle: 4.33

Broad Jump: 114’’

Vertical Jump: 32’’