San Jose State Spartans quarterback David Fales looks to throw the ball after being chased out of the pocket during an NCAA football game against the UNLV Rebels at Sam Boyd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Former San Jose State Spartans quarterback David Fales is one of the top QB prospects at the Senior Bowl, and he’s a guy who deserves some more fanfare. Even though Clemson’s Tajh Boyd is the bigger name, I like Fales more as a prospect. He’s much better at Boyd at reading through his progressions, he’s significantly more accurate than Boyd, he has better pocket presence and footwork, and I think he does a better job of getting the ball through tight windows on intermediate throws. While he doesn’t have Boyd’s vertical arm, I sometimes wonder if people exaggerate Fales’s struggles with throwing deep passes, especially since his offense at SJSU didn’t have vertical threats resembling the star talent surrounding Boyd at Clemson. Chandler Jones was a great target for Fales, but the likes of Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant were on another level.
Fales turned heads at the Senior Bowl during Wednesday’s practice session after struggling a bit on Monday and Tuesday, and his quick turn-around yesterday caught the attention of several draftniks. Now, we have some clarity as to why the underrated passer struggled on the first two days, and it deals with an illness.
FOX Sports’s Alex Marvez reports that Fales stated he was sick on Monday and Tuesday, and that explains why he did much better yesterday. While Derek Carr is the best small-school prospect and Jimmy Garoppolo is definitely worth watching closely, Fales is somebody who shouldn’t be slept on going forward.