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There has been plenty of information and a great deal of misinformation, too, surrounding the pro day workout of Texas quarterback Vince Young early this week. It is an individual's prerogative to believe who he chooses on such matters. Our inclination is to put considerable stock in the analysis of five scouts who attended the campus workout, all of whom we deal with on a regular basis. Their consensus: A solid but hardly spectacular audition for the hundreds of pairs of eyes perusing the Longhorns star.
Most of the scouts we spoke with had some concerns about Young's much-discussed low release point, a three-quarters or sidearm delivery that takes inches off his pocket stature. But most felt some minor corrections could rectify that. No one was alarmed by Young's time in the 40-yard dash, reportedly in the 4.58-second range, because few of the scouts felt he would run much faster than that anyway. "We're not talking about [Michael] Vick here, you know?" said the personnel chief from one AFC team. Of much concern, still, is that Young, after nearly a full career working out of the shotgun formation, will have to adjust to playing behind center at the next level.
By far, though, the most noted shortcoming from Young's throwing session was what one scout termed a "lazy" arm. "I'm not talking about an [elongated] delivery, a bad release, any of that stuff," the scout said. "There are just some throws, mostly short ones, where he just kind of nonchalants the ball. It's like he's bored by some of what he considers to be easy throws. He doesn't snap the ball off on those passes. His arm gets limp and he short-arms them. And that carries down to his footwork, where he doesn't get set and tends to throw flat-footed, [to] not step into the throw." None of the scouts, however, was very critical of Young and all think he is still a solid top-10 pick.
• So, looking for a top-10 landing spot for Young, are you? Well, don't let the Oakland Raiders' addition of free agent quarterback Aaron Brooks this week eliminate them from the list. Brooks signed only a two-year contract, and the Raiders' modest investment of a $1.5 million signing bonus hardly qualifies the talented but enigmatic former Saints starter as a long-term solution. In fact, a two-year apprenticeship is just about what most scouts feel Young will require before he emerges as an NFL starter. Yeah, some Raiders people like the potential of Andrew Walter, the team's 2005 third-round pick, but a guy who didn't play a single snap as a rookie. But there is no comparing the long-term viability of Walter versus Young.
With the No. 7 choice in the first round, it would take Oakland officials about a nanosecond to turn in the card with Young's name on it, were he still available at their slot. And for those who still insist Young will slide out of the top 10, well, forget about it. His ultimate stopping point is the No. 10 pick, where Arizona coach Dennis Green would be thrilled to provide a safety net for any plummet down the board.
Most of the scouts we spoke with had some concerns about Young's much-discussed low release point, a three-quarters or sidearm delivery that takes inches off his pocket stature. But most felt some minor corrections could rectify that. No one was alarmed by Young's time in the 40-yard dash, reportedly in the 4.58-second range, because few of the scouts felt he would run much faster than that anyway. "We're not talking about [Michael] Vick here, you know?" said the personnel chief from one AFC team. Of much concern, still, is that Young, after nearly a full career working out of the shotgun formation, will have to adjust to playing behind center at the next level.
By far, though, the most noted shortcoming from Young's throwing session was what one scout termed a "lazy" arm. "I'm not talking about an [elongated] delivery, a bad release, any of that stuff," the scout said. "There are just some throws, mostly short ones, where he just kind of nonchalants the ball. It's like he's bored by some of what he considers to be easy throws. He doesn't snap the ball off on those passes. His arm gets limp and he short-arms them. And that carries down to his footwork, where he doesn't get set and tends to throw flat-footed, [to] not step into the throw." None of the scouts, however, was very critical of Young and all think he is still a solid top-10 pick.
• So, looking for a top-10 landing spot for Young, are you? Well, don't let the Oakland Raiders' addition of free agent quarterback Aaron Brooks this week eliminate them from the list. Brooks signed only a two-year contract, and the Raiders' modest investment of a $1.5 million signing bonus hardly qualifies the talented but enigmatic former Saints starter as a long-term solution. In fact, a two-year apprenticeship is just about what most scouts feel Young will require before he emerges as an NFL starter. Yeah, some Raiders people like the potential of Andrew Walter, the team's 2005 third-round pick, but a guy who didn't play a single snap as a rookie. But there is no comparing the long-term viability of Walter versus Young.
With the No. 7 choice in the first round, it would take Oakland officials about a nanosecond to turn in the card with Young's name on it, were he still available at their slot. And for those who still insist Young will slide out of the top 10, well, forget about it. His ultimate stopping point is the No. 10 pick, where Arizona coach Dennis Green would be thrilled to provide a safety net for any plummet down the board.
