This was posted over at the Original Herd(not me), but the MPH thing is something I rarely see so I thought it deserved re-posting:
1. Weak Arm Myth - [
blogs.ourlads.com]
Austin Davis's arm has looked fine to me. Seems there is consensus going around that he has a 'noodle' arm. Just because he doesn't gun it on every play doesn't mean he has a weak arm, touch and timing is important as well. If Brian Quick comes down with the long pass (which was thrown perfectly) the conversation we're having this week may be slightly different.
Just doing a bit of research, I found a website that tracked the football throwing velocity of quarterbacks who threw over the past few NFL draft combines. Here is how Austin Davis stacks up with the notables (please note some of the top guys i.e. Bradford, Luck don't usually throw). As a disclaimer, some of these guy’s throwing velocity could have improved after a few years in the NFL, so I’m not claiming that Austin Davis has as strong of an arm as Kaepernick per say, but entering the league, not many people heard issues about Kaepernick's arm strength (with his baseball background). This comparison is simply a baseline reference to argue against the weak arm myth.
2012 - Austin Davis - 58 MPH
2014 - Logan Thomas - 60 MPH
2014 - Blake Bortles - 56 MPH
2014 - Jimmy Garoppolo - 56 MPH
2013 - Geno Smith - 55 MPH
2013 - EJ Manuel - 54 MPH
2013 - Michael Glennon - 49 MPH
2012 - Kirk Cousins - 59 MPH
2012 - Brandon Weeden - 59 MPH
2012 - Nick Foles - 57 MPH
2012 - Russell Wilson - 55 MPH
2011 - Colin Kaepernick - 59 MPH
2011 - Andy Dalton - 56 MPH
2011 - Cam Newton - 56 MPH
2008 - Joe Flacco - 55 MPH
Austin Davis matched up well with some notable guys. Hopefully as he continues to play, the weak arm notion will start to go away.
2. Combine Scouting Report - [
www.nfl.com]
Second-team All-Conference USA as a Senior, a conference which has surprisingly produced pro-ready quarterbacks over the years. He is a good athlete and an accurate short-intermediate passer. Started a lot of games and has the pocket presence to stand behind an NFL line early in his career. His prospects are hurt by the general elimination of the third-string quarterback in the NFL, and if he is selected on a flier late, will likely need some time to develop on a practice squad.
STRENGTHS: Davis is athletic and systematic in his drop back. Toward the end of his college career, he was hitting a lot of his second and third reads, a good sign when evaluating his NFL-readiness. He will need to show the ability to hit fast NFL receivers in stride on the deep ball, but shouldn't have any problems managing a West Coast offense.
WEAKNESSES: Davis hasn't played in many high-level games. Struggles with his deep ball at times and his arm strength have been a slow, yet steady progression throughout college. It remains to be seen whether or not he has the type of zip on his ball to hit a deep 15-yard out in the NFL.
I’m a huge Sam Bradford fan, but I’m not sure Sam makes some of those throws on that game winning drive on Sunday. It was eye opening to see Davis’s ability to sense the pocket breaking down, step up, and drive into the pocket while making those secondary and tertiary reads then making a smart decision. It is a very small sample size, but I think we might have something in Davis. He could also be a flash in the pan.
