Scout’s Corner: A Scout’s View Of Andrew Luck

Here at NFL Spin Zone, we are going to be starting a weekly series entitled Scout’s Corner.  The goal and purpose of this series is to give our viewers an inside look at what NFL teams are looking for when scouting college players for the professional game.

Throughout this series, we’ll be looking at every position on the field, and we’ll let you know the traits that the NFL looks for in each position.  Before we get started, there is one thing that needs to be cleared up.

When scouting college prospects for the NFL, we aren’t scouting and grading them based on their college production.  We are scouting, grading and evaluating their pro ability.  We want to know whether their natural abilities, meaning their God-given ability, and their acquired abilities, referring to their overall technical skill set that allows them to play, makes them a draftable player for the NFL.

A perfect example of great college production, but little to none NFL ability is Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore.  While Moore had an exceptional career, he lacks the natural and acquired abilities to make an impact as a professional football player.

Now that we have that cleared up, we’ll start the Scout’s Corner series by looking at the greatest prospect that anyone has seen in years, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

What to Look For When Scouting QBs?

When scouting a quarterback, we are looking at six overall categories.  Those categories include technique, arm strength, accuracy, under pressure, mental alertness and intangibles.

Technique

When scouting technique for a quarterback, the two characteristics that we’re looking for is release and footwork.  While some will say that a quarterback’s release is their most important trait, I disagree.  Proper footwork is much more important to me when scouting a quarterback.

With release, we want to see where the prospect holds the ball before throwing.  Then we want to know where he actually releases the football.  Is it over the ear, over the top or to the side?  We also want to see whether that prospect winds-up or has a quick, compact throwing motion.

Luck keeps the ball up during his drop, and has a very quick and compact throwing motion.  In fact, when you watch Luck’s release, it’s what scout’s would consider the “perfect” release.

For footwork, we want to see the quarterback have good knee bend and maintain balance throughout their drop back.  Does he have the ability to reset his footwork?  Is he comfortable stepping into throws both inside and outside the pocket?  We also want to know whether this prospect is coachable regarding their footwork.

Once again, Luck scores off the charts thanks to his footwork.  He maintains his balance in three-step, five-step and seven-step dropbacks.  His first step is consistently the biggest, while his remaining steps help him to regain his balance.  He consistently steps into throws, is coachable and has no comfort issues regarding his footwork.

Grade: 9.5

Arm Strength

When looking at a quarterback’s arm strength for the NFL, the first thing we want to see is whether he can make all the throws necessary in the NFL.  How does he throw with his feet set?  How does he throw on the move?  Does he display touch down the field, but can he also spin a clean football into a tight area?

Luck doesn’t display “elite” arm strength, but he still has the ability to make every throw necessary in the NFL.  He shows great velocity whether inside the pocket or when forced to move either to his right or left.  He has a compact throwing motion on the move which allows him to fit the ball into tight windows.

Luck also has the ability to put touch on the ball when throwing downfield.  His bucket throws, or throws with lots of arc, generally land exactly where he wants them to.

Grade: 9.0

Accuracy

When grading a prospect on accuracy, we don’t really care about their completion percentage during college.  Rather, we want to see ball placement, touch and the ability to throw receivers open.

Luck is an extremely accurate quarterback.  He consistently puts the ball where it’s needed to be.  Whether on the move or with his feet set, Luck rarely misses his target.  He’s comfortable making short, intermediate and long throws, and displays fantastic accuracy on all levels of the field.

There isn’t a better college quarterback at anticipating routes and throwing receivers open than Luck.  His throws are on time and on target, and he always places the ball where a cornerback can’t get it.  He displays a nice touch on all areas of the field.

Grade: 10

Under Pressure

The ability to handle pressure in the NFL is a key characteristic of successful quarterbacks.  For example, look at the success of Aaron Rodgers who is always cool, calm and collected under pressure.  Then look at Blaine Gabbert who completely shuts down when pressure is coming.

When scouting a college quarterback, we want to see their awareness in the pocket.  Can they recognize pressure, and once they do, what do they do?  The biggest thing to look for is their eye level.  Are they looking at secondary reads or are they looking at the pressure?

Once again, this ability is what makes Luck a premier prospect for the NFL.  Not only does Luck have a great ability to sense pressure, but he doesn’t panic once he knows its coming.  He has the ability to make a subtle side-to-side step to give himself just enough time to throw the ball, but he is also athletic enough to get outside the pocket and make a throw on the move.

What really impresses about Luck when he’s dealing with pressure is where he keeps his eyes.  He never looks down or at the pressure.  He consistently keeps his eyes down the field and is looking to make a play, even if he knows he is going to get hit.

This is a special characteristic for a college quarterback.

Grade: 10

Mental Alertness

The NFL game is much more complex than the college game, so we want to see a prospect’s ability to read defenses and make pre-snap reads.  We want to know whether they have the ability to grasp NFL terminology and schemes.  Most of this scouting comes from interviewing prospects, but some of it can be done by simply watching tape.

For example, when watching Luck, it’s clear that he is an extension of the coach out on the field.  He’s intelligent enough and understands defensive schemes enough that when he audibles, he isn’t simply making an audible to a run play.  He’ll audible to a different passing route when he sees a hole in the defense.

He rarely forces the ball into coverage, and also displays a unique ability to go through his progressions.  He doesn’t sit on one receiver, and when that receiver isn’t open, he takes off.  He makes secondary reads, and works his progressions through the field.

Grade: 9.5

Intangibles

Basically, when looking at intangibles for a quarterback, we want to see leadership and work ethic. Does he keep his head up when things aren’t going good?  Does he have a passion for the game of football?

We also want to see poise, the ability to take care of the football and whether his numbers improve on third downs, in the red zone and in the fourth quarter.

For Luck, he passes the intangibles part of reports with flying colors.  He’s the ultimate competitor, displays a true passion for the game and will generally do whatever it takes to help his team win.  He takes great care of the football, and seems to become a better quarterback when the game is on the line.

Grade: 10

Final Overall Grade: 9.5

When watching Andrew Luck, it’s easy to see why he has been the consensus No. 1 pick for the entire 2011 season.  There simply isn’t a single aspect of his game as a prospect that is lacking.

Not only will Luck enter the league as the best quarterback prospect in the last decade, but he also has the skills and abilities to become the best quarterback in the league in a short amount of time.

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