Quarterback
Cincinnati
6-6 223
40 time: 4.92
Draft board overall prospect rank: #90
Draft board quarterback rank: #5
Overall rating: 71*
1/30/10: He showed more of what the coaches were seeing from him in practice, a ball that kind of dies at about 10 yards downfield. He did look more mobile in the pocket than I remember him from last year, but his arm strength was not good and he struggled to make a lot of the throws he’ll have to make in the NFL. He started out 3 of 3, but was 2 of his next 9 to finish 5-12 for 44 yards. He has good decision making and good short accuracy, but I think he’s a 3rd round prospect at best.
1/27/10: Looked like a stick figure at his weigh in and then went out and has easily looked like the worst quarterback at the Senior Bowl this week in practice. He went into the Senior Bowl with the potential to go in the 2nd round. Now, I think he’s looking at the 3rd round.
1/16/10: He may just be a system quarterback and he doesn’t have elite arm strength, but his accuracy was excellent last year and he’s a very smart quarterback with good decision making. He’s also very tall and has the frame to bulk up and become a stronger thrower. He threw for 29 touchdowns last year despite missing close to 4 games with an injury, and injury which has clearly passed based off of his late season performances.
10/2/09: Tony Pike leads one of the most explosive offenses in college football, leading the Cincinnati Bearcats at quarterback for the past two seasons as they have risen from nobody to BCS bowl contender. However, he plays in a spread offense that bloats his stats and masks his lack of arm strength and inability to make reads out of a traditional pro style under center offense. He doesn’t have a strong arm, nor does he have a strong upper arm. He’s very skinny. He is smart though and gets the ball to guys in positions where they can pick up yards after the catch. He is tall and has no problem seeing over the line. His height allows him a very fluid throwing motion on short passes, but because his lack of arm strength, he floats a lot of long throws which could be picked off in the pros. He’s not very mobile and can’t escape the pass rush. He takes a lot of sacks. He’s going to be a 24 year old rookie which limits his upside. He has a history of injuries and really only took over the starting job last year so his statistical sample size is not as big as you’d like. He does appear to improve game to game and year to year statistically. I don’t see him as a star quarterback in the NFL, but he could be a starter in the right system and would provide a nice backup for a starter. I don’t see him going before the 3rd round.
NFL Comparison: Matt Cassel
*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here
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