Jordan Rodgers is an intriguing late-round quarterback prospect. He put up over 2,500 passing yards and a three-to-one TD/INT ratio for Vanderbilt last season, despite not having much talent around him. Let's take a quick look at what he has to offer heading into the combine and NFL Draft season.
Positives
Athleticism: Rodgers has the ability to get to the outside and make plays with his feet. It remains to be seen how he will run at the combine, but the Vandy prospect definitely has what it takes in this aspect of the game.
Arm Strength: For an undersized prospect, Rodgers can throw darts down the field. He is solid on intermediate routes and possesses the ability to make every throw on the football field. One aspect of his game that I like a lot on tape is that he can actually make these throws on his back foot.
Pedigree: It might sound a bit out of left field, but Rodgers his helped by the fact that he is the younger brother of
Aaron Rodgers. Needless to say, he learned a lot from his older brother. It is kinda like having a quarterback coach at a young age.
Progressions: Rodgers does not struggle going to his second or third read. He will not stair down a wide receiver. This is something that a lot of young quarterbacks tend to struggle with.
Weaknesses
Mechanics: Rodgers is beyond bad in this aspect. He struggles in the pocket and throws the ball flat footed on a consistent basis. It seems that he struggles finding a consistent rhythm when passing the ball. His footwork and release are below average, which causes inaccuracy on the intermediate routes.
Size: At 6'1", Rodgers isn't your prototypical quarterback. Unlike an undersized
Russell Wilson from the '12 draft, he tends to struggle seeing over the offensive line and finding throwing lines in the pocket. Most effective outside the hashes.
Field Vision/Pocket Awareness: While Rodgers will not lock into a wide receiver, he tends to struggle understanding where to throw the ball, finding solid windows and recognizing the defensive scheme. These are three things that will worry scouts in Indianapolis at the combine. This also leads to terrible decision making.
Bottom Line
Rodgers will be worth a look in the mid-to-late rounds. Teams that are looking for value instead of reaching for top quarterbacks in a mediocre class will look at him. Moreover, teams who have solid starters might view Rodgers as a solid project guy moving forward. He doesn't translate as a starter in the NFL.
*Sorry, only tape I could find was from 2011
[video=youtube;GtiqnCF5a9s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtiqnCF5a9s[/video]
