Plankton
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/03/14/nfl-draft-davis-webb-first-round-quarterbacks-obi-melifonwu
Upon arriving in Mobile, Ala. in January, I asked Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage if he believed any quarterbacks were poised to break out during the week.
“Davis Webb,” Savage, the former Cleveland Browns GM, said without hesitation.
I had heard moderate buzz about the Cal quarterback throughout the fall, but never considered him a top-tier prospect. He couldn’t beat out Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech, so he transferred to Berkeley. He followed Jared Goff in Cal’s Bear Raid offense, meaning the same steep learning curve (learning to command a huddle, taking snaps from under center) that kept the Rams rookie off the field until late November will likely apply to Webb, too. But back in January, Savage was sensing momentum, and now it’s tangible. Six weeks before the draft, Webb is a legitimate second-round candidate and it’s feasible that, come the last weekend in April, he will be billed as someone’s quarterback of the future.
In January, Webb flew into Mobile two days earlier than his Senior Bowl peers to adjust his body clock, and arranged a throwing session with local University of South Alabama receivers. The more you learn about the 22-year-old, stories like this become common. He’s the son of a coach and, after his playing career, wants to be a coach himself. When he watches football on TV, he splays out 50 index cards in front of him, scribbling down plays he likes. He has already authored the framework for his eventual coaching playbook—down to situational red zone plays—in a binder he keeps at home. He had keys to the high school gym, and yes, janitors found Webb running cone drills past 9 p.m. more than once. He packed up his car the day after Texas Tech graduation and drove the 20 hours to Berkeley with his mom so he could get started as soon as possible. He out-clocked a few coaches in the Cal football building, self-imposing a 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. workday. He rehearses play-calls in the mirror. He stayed up an extra two to three hours at Senior Bowl practices to study the exhibition game playbook.
Says Jake Spavital, Webb’s offensive coordinator at Cal: “Sometimes you hear all of this and say, Alright, you’re probably full of s---. Sure, he’s always up at the offices, and always working and all of that. But when you do the research, and a lot of NFL teams are, you start seeing it. And you say: Damn, this kid is the real deal.”
Upon arriving in Mobile, Ala. in January, I asked Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage if he believed any quarterbacks were poised to break out during the week.
“Davis Webb,” Savage, the former Cleveland Browns GM, said without hesitation.
I had heard moderate buzz about the Cal quarterback throughout the fall, but never considered him a top-tier prospect. He couldn’t beat out Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech, so he transferred to Berkeley. He followed Jared Goff in Cal’s Bear Raid offense, meaning the same steep learning curve (learning to command a huddle, taking snaps from under center) that kept the Rams rookie off the field until late November will likely apply to Webb, too. But back in January, Savage was sensing momentum, and now it’s tangible. Six weeks before the draft, Webb is a legitimate second-round candidate and it’s feasible that, come the last weekend in April, he will be billed as someone’s quarterback of the future.
In January, Webb flew into Mobile two days earlier than his Senior Bowl peers to adjust his body clock, and arranged a throwing session with local University of South Alabama receivers. The more you learn about the 22-year-old, stories like this become common. He’s the son of a coach and, after his playing career, wants to be a coach himself. When he watches football on TV, he splays out 50 index cards in front of him, scribbling down plays he likes. He has already authored the framework for his eventual coaching playbook—down to situational red zone plays—in a binder he keeps at home. He had keys to the high school gym, and yes, janitors found Webb running cone drills past 9 p.m. more than once. He packed up his car the day after Texas Tech graduation and drove the 20 hours to Berkeley with his mom so he could get started as soon as possible. He out-clocked a few coaches in the Cal football building, self-imposing a 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. workday. He rehearses play-calls in the mirror. He stayed up an extra two to three hours at Senior Bowl practices to study the exhibition game playbook.
Says Jake Spavital, Webb’s offensive coordinator at Cal: “Sometimes you hear all of this and say, Alright, you’re probably full of s---. Sure, he’s always up at the offices, and always working and all of that. But when you do the research, and a lot of NFL teams are, you start seeing it. And you say: Damn, this kid is the real deal.”
