Profootballtalk: Kyler Murray Unsure Whether He Will Throw At Combine

[mrbunglez]

ProFootballTalk: Kyler Murray unsure whether he will throw at combine
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...rray-unsure-whether-he-will-throw-at-combine/

Good or bad idea?

 

[Manning]

I think bad. He's already undersized and has some question marks on his dedication to ftball.

 

[finomenal]

A gas mask would look great on him.

 

[ckparrothead]

Throwing at the Combine has become this weird thing.

The main reason for everyone to be at the Combine is to get measured up, medically checked, and interviewed. That was why the Combine was originally conceived. They decided to tack on some athletic testing there and then decided to do some position drills.

Now people are acting like the position drills are some big important thing as if you're going to find out more than you already knew from 14 games of FBS Power Five tape about a guy because of a series of throws to players he's never met before in abnormal, non-game-like conditions.

It's absurd.

The Combine QB position drills should be primarily used by relatively unknown, under-followed, Group of Five and FCS passers who are trying to show that 1) They DO in fact have a pro arm, and 2) If they'd had many more even-playing field opportunities like this one they would have stood out more in their careers.

The Combine QB position drills are not there for the likes of Drew Lock, Kyler Murray, or Dwayne Haskins...UNLESS any of the above have been facing questions about their arm strength.

 

[russianbear]

I'd love for him not to throw. Keep the falsely perceived "red flags" coming. The more the better. Throw in a fictitious story about his leadership or an ex girlfriend and he might just make it to 13.

 

[finomenal]

I'd love for him not to throw. Keep the falsely perceived "red flags" coming. The more the better. Throw in a fictitious story about his leadership or an ex girlfriend and he might just make it to 13.

If the Dolphins impress him enough, he might tell every other team he'll play baseball if they draft him. I don't think it'll happen that way, but I'm hoping for double middle fingers to the other 31 teams and he drops to 13.

 

[finomenal]

Throwing at the Combine has become this weird thing.

The main reason for everyone to be at the Combine is to get measured up, medically checked, and interviewed. That was why the Combine was originally conceived. They decided to tack on some athletic testing there and then decided to do some position drills.

Now people are acting like the position drills are some big important thing as if you're going to find out more than you already knew from 14 games of FBS Power Five tape about a guy because of a series of throws to players he's never met before in abnormal, non-game-like conditions.

It's absurd.

The Combine QB position drills should be primarily used by relatively unknown, under-followed, Group of Five and FCS passers who are trying to show that 1) They DO in fact have a pro arm, and 2) If they'd had many more even-playing field opportunities like this one they would have stood out more in their careers.

The Combine QB position drills are not there for the likes of Drew Lock, Kyler Murray, or Dwayne Haskins...UNLESS any of the above have been facing questions about their arm strength.

It's the media doing that thing again, creating controversies where there are none. If you need throws at a combine in addition to years of game film, then you shouldn't be part of an NFL front office staff.

 

[ckparrothead]

It's the media doing that thing again, creating controversies where there are none. If you need throws at a combine in addition to years of game film, then you shouldn't be part of an NFL front office staff.

It just really depends on the prospect.

Sometimes you've got FCS guys in there that this will be your first time to be able to be sitting in the stands and see them throw live, get a feel for their arm talent, etc. Sometimes you've got guys who were in a weird offense where you literally just never got to see them throw some of the throws that the NFL coaches ask them to make at the Combine.

It's a nice data point to have in those instances. But when you've got enough tape of him executing those throws, you should be fine.

 

[finomenal]

It just really depends on the prospect.

Sometimes you've got FCS guys in there that this will be your first time to be able to be sitting in the stands and see them throw live, get a feel for their arm talent, etc. Sometimes you've got guys who were in a weird offense where you literally just never got to see them throw some of the throws that the NFL coaches ask them to make at the Combine.

It's a nice data point to have in those instances. But when you've got enough tape of him executing those throws, you should be fine.

Where do you rank Haskins & Murray vs the QB prospects next year?

 

[ckparrothead]

Where do you rank Haskins & Murray vs the QB prospects next year?

I think right now Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa are a class unto their selves, and it's close enough I'm not gonna say which is better because A) I haven't gotten as deep (every single snap) on Tua as I have Murray, and B) neither one of them has actually been through 'the process' yet (interviews, pro day, medical, etc).

I like Justin Herbert. I also like Jordan Love and Jake Fromm. I think all three have work to do in order to be considered franchise guys, players I can put my name next to with full satisfaction the way I could Murray or Tagovailoa.

Dwayne Haskins I have with those guys. He's not as consistent throwing with power as I'd like. He did it in the first half against Northwestern and overall had his best game of the season. Maybe that's enough. I just wish I'd have seen him do it more in the other games because the NFL will ask him to do that and you don't know what will happen to his accuracy and decision-making until you see it more consistently. But the big thing with Haskins is there's this feel of heaviness to him. Heavy feet, heavy limbs. It really kind of does remind me of Byron Leftwich. But he's getting better and he was only a one-year starter.

I don't know if that's a huge help or not. I'm sure you'd like a little bit more differentiation than just putting Haskins in group with Herbert, Love, and Fromm. If that's the case, put a gun to my head, I think Haskins brings up the rear.

I also think Easton Stick of NDSU isn't as far behind Haskins as most assume.

 

[ckparrothead]

We aren't really sure which QBs will throw at the Combine and which will not.

Sam Darnold, Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill, Blaine Gabbert, Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, Matthew Stafford, and Matt Ryan are examples of quarterbacks that also did not throw at the Combine.

Some of them came off looking like they had something to hide (e.g. Tebow, Manziel, perhaps Bridgewater). Others were just like, **** it I've already got tons of tape and nobody really questions my throwing ability so why do I need to bother with this? E.g. Darnold, Luck, Tannehill, Gabbert, Bradford, Stafford, and Ryan.

 

[The Ghost]

What's more likely to happen, he costs himself a lot of money or makes himself a lot of money by throwing at the combine? The former.

I don't think he has a lot to gain from mixing it up in shorts with WR's he's never met.

I think it adds to the intrigue if he doesn't. The bigger the wild card Murray remains, the bigger chance of fireworks during the draft. And I likes me some draft fireworks.

Off season is right around the corner.

 

[Geordie]

I don't see any drawbacks in any QB throwing at the combine tbh. If any scout is judging the QB in question purely on these throws they should immediately be fired. For me I can only see how the QBs can enhance their reputation, like Josh Allen did last year by showing off his arm strength. If they don't connect with wideouts it can be easily written off due to lack of understanding between the two. They'll all have the opportunity show off at their pro days, this is just a little taster for what to expect, if the QB is worried about what he might show to the scouts, then going to the combine may not have been the wisest decision.

 

[The Ghost]

I’m eager to see the Foles situation play out. I’d like to see him go to Jacksonville or Washington.

I am intrigued by multiple QBs at varying draft pick ranges this year. If Jax is out of the equation the chances we take one this year goes up exponentially.

 

[ckparrothead]

I don't see any drawbacks in any QB throwing at the combine tbh. If any scout is judging the QB in question purely on these throws they should immediately be fired. For me I can only see how the QBs can enhance their reputation, like Josh Allen did last year by showing off his arm strength. If they don't connect with wideouts it can be easily written off due to lack of understanding between the two. They'll all have the opportunity show off at their pro days, this is just a little taster for what to expect, if the QB is worried about what he might show to the scouts, then going to the combine may not have been the wisest decision.

This is a bit of a straw man.

It's not that they're judging "purely" on the Combine throws. It's that they're judging them at all, when there's a full season's worth of reps to judge instead. If you're a top level prospect and you got there by performing well, what's your incentive for throwing at the Combine?

Until the NFL actually proves they're willing to allow a prospect's decision not to throw at the Combine to be the marginal factor that caused them to pass on him or caused a guy to fall down the boards, which quite frankly I find silly and insanely stupid on the face of it, then there will only be down side for these guys, no up side.

I think people approach this like fans. Fans are greedy for more action. They want more TV.

Scouts generally don't give a sh-t.