The Indianapolis Colts will be busy this week and the rest of the offseason evaluating the quarterback talent in the 2020 NFL draft, which is set to take place at the end of April.
With Jacoby Brissett not showing much long-term value during the 2019 season, there are many hoping and predicting the Colts will go with a quarterback at some point during the draft.
But what all goes into the scouting of quarterback prospects? Colts head coach Frank Reich gave his answer on Tuesday at the NFL Combine. He detailed five traits that he looks for, and we will quickly break them down here.
1. “I look for toughness – mental and physical toughness.”
Playing the game of football requires toughness. It’s simply the nature of the game. While the rules have favored the quarterback position in recent seasons, they still have to have physical toughness to withstand getting hit constantly.
The mental toughness is just as important for athletes. It’s a severely underrated aspect of success when a player has the mental fortitude to grind through a painful season, enduring failures and success all the same. Some players are physically tough but not mentally tough. Having those two traits together is necessary.
2. “I look for accelerated vision – that’s my definition or my word for how fast do you think on your feet?”
Another way to say this is processing. A lot of times, quarterbacks will have all of the arm talent, footwork and elite traits necessary to be a long-term starter in the league, but they fail to have the requisite processing skills to understand the position fully.
Processing could be used as a blanketed term, but the biggest aspect of it likely comes in the form of attacking coverages. Does the quarterback have enough vision to see pre-snap indicators? Can he make a play when a defense disguises coverages and rolls to a different zone? Can he come off of his first, second, third read until he finds an open man? Does he understand the nuances of leverage and have enough anticipation to throw a wide receiver open? This is one of the toughest parts about being a quarterback, but those who fail to have the necessary processing skills typically flame out.
3. “I look for accuracy – you have to be really accurate in this league. The windows are small.”
Of course, accuracy is on the list. Rarely do inaccurate quarterbacks have a lasting shelf life in this league. But Reich’s comment goes just beyond hitting a target. The windows of coverage aren’t always going to be preferable. Sometimes a quarterback has to fit the ball in perfectly to where only the wide receiver can get it.
Whether it’s timing and anticipation, throwing a receiver open or simply being able to hit a moving target, accuracy is among the top traits a quarterback needs to have.
4. “You have to look for good feet. Most sports are played from the ground up, so as a quarterback that’s really important how you play this game with your feet.”
Footwork is what can make a quarterback jump a tier in either direction. Bad footwork is extremely exploitable and often leads to mechanical issues and inaccuracy. Footwork in throwing mechanics is necessary, but a quarterback must also have good footwork when moving in the pocket.
Can he slide around an interior rush, climb the pocket if the edge collapses? Can he keep serviceable accuracy when on the run and extending a play? In most throwing sports, inaccuracy is caused due to a poor lower half. The same goes for quarterbacks. Footwork can be improved, but if a quarterback prospect already has it, their development goes much more smoothly.
5. “Then the last thing is you look for the intangibles – the leadership. Are you the playmaker in the big moments?”
Intangibles are incredibly difficult to measure. It’s not a quantifiable aspect of the game, but it is still felt and noticed on the field. The quarterback is supposed to be the leader on the field, in the huddle and in the locker room. He must be able to find ways to win and come through in clutch situations.
It has a lot to do with character, determination and processing skills. When the moments get difficult and the game is on the line, does it slow down for them? Or do they panic, get overwhelmed and fail to process things at the necessary rate?
It’s rare for a quarterback prospect to have all five of these traits before stepping on the field. When they do, they are elite prospects not just for the current year’s draft but for years of scouting.
It remains to be seen if the Colts will draft a quarterback but if they do, he will likely have a few of these traits already in the bag.