cowboyjoe
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Prospect profile: Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati
.Russ Lande
http://www.sportingnews.com/college...3-22/prospect-profile-tony-pike-qb-cincinnati
Sporting News' Pro Football War Room has hundreds of player evaluations in preparation for the 2010 NFL draft. Here is a capsule look at prospect Tony Pike:
QB Tony Pike has enough on his fastball to make all the throws.School: Cincinnati
NFL position: QB
Height: 6-5 3/4
Weight: 223
40 time: 4.91
Current projection: Second-round pick
Arm strength: Has a big-league arm to make all the NFL throws with good zip and accuracy. Can make strong throws even when he canít stride into them aggressively. Is able to fit balls into tight spots. Can make strong, accurate throws on the move with surprising zip. Shows the arm strength to make a strong throw on the deep out route, one of the signatures of an NFL arm. Grade: 8.0
Accuracy/delivery: Displays the ability to make every throw with zip and accuracy when he strides into the pass and uses good technique. Is especially accurate at leading receivers on quick-hitting slant routes. Has the athleticism and natural accuracy that allows him to reset after avoiding sacks and moving from the pocket. As with most tall quarterbacks, his throwing mechanics can get out of whack easily. Grade: 6.5
Field vision/read of defense: Seems to excel at reading the defense but is not consistent with his field vision. Does a good job of reading the defense at the snap. Identifies the blitz well and gets rid of the ball quickly and accurately to the correct receiver. Will go through his progressions trying to find an open receiver and does not hesitate to dump the ball off to a safety valve. Does not seem to consistently see the underneath coverage, leading to interceptions. Grade: 5.5
Running ability: Has surprising quickness and athleticism, enabling him to consistently make plays with his feet. Does a good job of stepping up in the pocket to avoid the pass rush and has the quickness to reset and make quick, accurate throws after doing so. Has consistently shown the athleticism to avoid the sack when pressured; buys a second chance and makes a play on the move. Consistently shows the ability to either pull the ball down and make big runs scrambling or run away from pressure and make big throws on the move. Grade: 7.5
Intangibles: Shows mixed signals in this area. Did not quit when he was buried on the depth chart. Battled through adversity when forced into the lineup and produced at a high level when finally given the chance to play. Is composed and poised in the pocket and does not flinch or panic with pressure around him. Does not force passes into bad spots and shows a consistent willingness to throw the ball away to avoid sacks. Is rumored to have not been a fierce competitor early in his college career and did not become one until he was challenged by his coach in his junior season. That makes us wonder about his internal motivation and desire to be the best. Grade: 6.0
Bottom line: Pike is an interesting prospect. When his junior season began, he was not even in the discussion to be the Bearcats' starter. After taking over the starting job about a third of the way through the 2008 season, he was highly productive and carried the offense. For a tall quarterback, he is nimble and athletic, which helps him avoid sacks and make plays scrambling. He will need a lot of work on his footwork and passing mechanics to become a consistently accurate passer. Pike went from an unknown to a potential early pick in less than a year and, in our view, will become a good starting QB in the NFL.
For more than 640 player scouting reports from Russ Lande and his team of former NFL scouts -- plus updated mock draft, Super 99 rankings and more -- go to warroom.sportingnews.com.
.Russ Lande
http://www.sportingnews.com/college...3-22/prospect-profile-tony-pike-qb-cincinnati
Sporting News' Pro Football War Room has hundreds of player evaluations in preparation for the 2010 NFL draft. Here is a capsule look at prospect Tony Pike:
QB Tony Pike has enough on his fastball to make all the throws.School: Cincinnati
NFL position: QB
Height: 6-5 3/4
Weight: 223
40 time: 4.91
Current projection: Second-round pick
Arm strength: Has a big-league arm to make all the NFL throws with good zip and accuracy. Can make strong throws even when he canít stride into them aggressively. Is able to fit balls into tight spots. Can make strong, accurate throws on the move with surprising zip. Shows the arm strength to make a strong throw on the deep out route, one of the signatures of an NFL arm. Grade: 8.0
Accuracy/delivery: Displays the ability to make every throw with zip and accuracy when he strides into the pass and uses good technique. Is especially accurate at leading receivers on quick-hitting slant routes. Has the athleticism and natural accuracy that allows him to reset after avoiding sacks and moving from the pocket. As with most tall quarterbacks, his throwing mechanics can get out of whack easily. Grade: 6.5
Field vision/read of defense: Seems to excel at reading the defense but is not consistent with his field vision. Does a good job of reading the defense at the snap. Identifies the blitz well and gets rid of the ball quickly and accurately to the correct receiver. Will go through his progressions trying to find an open receiver and does not hesitate to dump the ball off to a safety valve. Does not seem to consistently see the underneath coverage, leading to interceptions. Grade: 5.5
Running ability: Has surprising quickness and athleticism, enabling him to consistently make plays with his feet. Does a good job of stepping up in the pocket to avoid the pass rush and has the quickness to reset and make quick, accurate throws after doing so. Has consistently shown the athleticism to avoid the sack when pressured; buys a second chance and makes a play on the move. Consistently shows the ability to either pull the ball down and make big runs scrambling or run away from pressure and make big throws on the move. Grade: 7.5
Intangibles: Shows mixed signals in this area. Did not quit when he was buried on the depth chart. Battled through adversity when forced into the lineup and produced at a high level when finally given the chance to play. Is composed and poised in the pocket and does not flinch or panic with pressure around him. Does not force passes into bad spots and shows a consistent willingness to throw the ball away to avoid sacks. Is rumored to have not been a fierce competitor early in his college career and did not become one until he was challenged by his coach in his junior season. That makes us wonder about his internal motivation and desire to be the best. Grade: 6.0
Bottom line: Pike is an interesting prospect. When his junior season began, he was not even in the discussion to be the Bearcats' starter. After taking over the starting job about a third of the way through the 2008 season, he was highly productive and carried the offense. For a tall quarterback, he is nimble and athletic, which helps him avoid sacks and make plays scrambling. He will need a lot of work on his footwork and passing mechanics to become a consistently accurate passer. Pike went from an unknown to a potential early pick in less than a year and, in our view, will become a good starting QB in the NFL.
For more than 640 player scouting reports from Russ Lande and his team of former NFL scouts -- plus updated mock draft, Super 99 rankings and more -- go to warroom.sportingnews.com.