#145 - 5th Round - Detroit through New England, Ariz, Dan Orlovsky, QB, CT [Archive] - Dallas Cowboys Forum

Juke99

04-24-2005, 12:25 PM

Strengths: Has ideal height and adequate bulk. Shows good timing and touch. Has above average accuracy and touch in the short-to-intermediate zones. Does a good job of throwing on the run and making things happen after the initial play has broken down. Has elite intangibles. Is competitive and tough. He makes thing happen and really does a good job of making plays when he needs to. Has decent lateral movement to sidestep the rush on occasion. Is a very good leader and competitor. Seems to fear nothing and he is a tough overall player.

Weaknesses: Is inconsistent. Overrated arm strength. It is decent but not good. He lacks ideal zip on the deep out. His deep ball will sail on occasion and he seems to lose some accuracy when he's attempting to drop ball in over coverage in the vertical passing game. Has somewhat of a wind-up delivery. Ball takes a bit too long to get out of his hands once he's made a decision where he's going with the ball. : Is too erratic on the deep ball. Doesn't always get good RPM's on the ball. It will flutter on occasion, which is a byproduct of inconsistent release mechanics. He doesn't always do a great job of checking off his primary target. He will probably need more time than other top QB prospects to adjust to the speed and the complex coverage reads in the NFL that he didn't face enough of in college. Has decent quickness but lacks speed and COD skills. Is not a threat to run and takes a lot of hits inside the pocket.

Overall: Orlovsky rewrote the record books while transitioning Connecticut from DI-AA to DI-A during his collegiate career. He started six games as a freshman in 2001 and was Connecticut's fulltime starting quarterback from that point on. He led his team to nine wins as a junior in 2003 and eight wins, including its first bowl appearance (Motor City Bowl), in 2004. Completing 288 of his 457 passes in 2004 (63-percent), Orlovsky threw for 3,354 yards with 234 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for a 134.71 passing efficiency rating. He also was named MVP of the Motor City Bowl. Orlovsky has played well in games against top competition; he is a proven winner and a tough competitor. He has the size, and intangibles to compete for a starting job in the NFL, but he will need more time than other quarterback prospects in this class to develop and he also has enough physical limitations that he'll need to be in the right system in order to succeed at the next level. Orlovsky is a scrappy player with the potential to develop into a Jake Delhomme type, but he's not ever going to be able to carry a team. He needs to become much more consistent as a passer in order to make up for what he lacks in terms of arm strength. In our opinion, Orlovsky is a good value early on Day 2 but he is an overrated player that will struggle to be anything more than a backup in the NFL.

* Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.

Juke99

04-24-2005, 12:46 PM

Dan Orlovsky, QB, Connecticut
Height: 6:04.4 Weight: 238

Overview: The true senior quarterback has been the leader of the Huskies' offense since early in his freshman campaign...He had the second-most career touchdown passes (84) of any active Division I-A player, trailing only Hawaii's Timmy Chang (117)... Dan was a consensus All-American quarterback at Shelton (Ct.) High School and was selected the Connecticut Player of the Year as a senior by the New Haven Register...Despite being heavily recruited by Notre Dame and Purdue, Orlovsky decided to stay close to home and enrolled at Connecticut...He was thrust into the starting lineup as a true freshman when Keron Henry suffered a hip injury, and Orlovsky proceeded to throw for 1,379 yards and nine touchdowns on 128 of 269 passing (47.6%) while being picked off eleven times. Dan also became the first player in school history to attempt over 100 combined passes in consecutive games (50 vs. Cincinnati, 51 vs. Utah State) that year...Starting every game as a sophomore, Orlovsky hit on 221 of 366 attempts (60.4%), with 19 touchdowns and eleven interceptions. His 2,488 yards passing rank fourth on the school's season-record list. Eleven of his scoring passes came in the team's final four games...In 2003, Dan earned Walter Camp Foundation Connecticut Player of the Year honors. The team MVP, All-ECAC and ESPN Independent MVP broke nearly every school season passing record. He ranked seventh in the nation in passing, hitting on 279 of 475 passes (58.7%) for 3,485 yards, 33 touchdowns and fourteen interceptions. His 33 scoring tosses ranked fifth in the NCAA Division 1-A ranks...Orlovsky did not match his 2003 figures as a senior, but guided the team to victory in its first ever bowl appearance. He gained 3,354 yards with 23 touchdowns and fifteen interceptions on 288 of 456 throws (63.0%) in 2004...Dan closed out his career owning the school records for most pass completions (916), pass attempts (1,567), yards passing (10,706), touchdown passes (84), interceptions (51), total plays (1,710) and total yards (10,421). He broke the previous marks of 803 of 1,319 passes for 9,288 yards, 49 interceptions, 73 touchdowns (that feat was also accomplished by Shane Stafford, 1995-98), 1,619 plays and 9,269 total yards by Matt DeGennaro (1987-90)...He also set another school record by throwing for at least one touchdown pass in 25 consecutive games...Dan is the only player in school history to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season, accomplishing that feat in both 2003 and '04.

Analysis: Positives...Can take the punishment from the blitz and pass rush, get back up and come right back at you...He is not a great physical specimen, but has good size and body thickness...Has good command of the offense and in the huddle, especially in pressure situations...Shows good timing and touch, but is prone to forcing the ball into traffic and making poor judgement calls when his primary targets cannot get open...Displays excellent accuracy in the short and intermediate areas, putting the ball where receivers can easily catch it...Has the arm strength to get the ball deep, but needs to do a better job of keeping the long ball out of coverage and away from the defenders...Can hoist the ball fifty yards without putting much "umph" behind his tosses, showing the arm strength needed for the comeback and deep outs...Orlovsky shows awareness and vision in the pocket, but lacks the foot agility to slide and adjust when flushed out....Good at making proper progression reads, but is not a natural thrower on the run and gets in a lot of trouble when he has to throw after escaping, rolling out or sprinting away from the his protection...Lacks open field running skills and despite his timed speed, looks very sluggish rolling out, as he lacks balance and change of direction agility...Does a nice job of keeping his feet and stepping into his throws, though...Carries the ball numbers up and possesses a quick release with a three-quarter delivery...One thing you notice on film is his sound passing mechanics in the pocket, quick release and delivery, fine touch and short area accuracy and good arm strength, whether throwing intermediate or long...Can throw with nice touch or air the ball out with efficiency...Very good at making progression reads, but you do see him look down and isolate on one receiver a bit...When given protection, he does a nice job of stepping up and getting into position to make the throw...When forced out of the pocket, he loses his timing and anticipation ability to make the throws...Has marginal ability to scramble and throw on the run due to his lack of quickness...When given time, he is very accurate as the ball is seldom far from the target...In the short passing game, Dan has a nice touch and can take something off when necessary, but he must learn to put some air under the ball when his receivers break open...Calls much of the game from the line of scrimmage and can check and sight well... His problems with turnovers occur when he struggles with rollouts and boots...Will sit in and take the hit on the blitz and still make a good throw, but will also try to dump-off...Is not a great runner and does not have good escapability, but he is strong enough and big enough to shake off tackles...His quick set up compensates for a lack of foot speed and he does show very sound mechanics, release and delivery...You will rarely see him throw wild or high, as his vision and mental makeup puts him in position to make the throw... Despite a lack of foot speed, he will consistently step into his passes.

Negatives

Agility tests: Campus: 4.88 in the 40-yard dash...335-pound bench press...480-pound squat...273-pound power clean...26.5-inch vertical jump...32 1/8-inch arm length...9 -inch hands...Right-handed... 21/36 Wonderlic score.

High school: Attended Shelton (Ct.) High, playing football for coach Joe Benanto...Earned All-American honors from Prep Football Report, Super Prep and Prep Star...Added All-State, Class LL MVP, Connecticut Player of the Year (New Haven Register) and McHugh Award honors.

Personal: Political Science major...Born Daniel John Orlovsky on 8/18/83...Resides in Shelton, Connecticut.

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