Todd McShay on Weeden

Photo Attribution: @eknielsen

On Wednesday  afternoon the hairdo’s protege, Todd McShay, wrote about a few of his thoughts on NFL prospects from the first two weeks of college football. You can read the article here, but if you don’t have ESPN Insider you won’t be able to see the whole thing.

I’ve copied a portion of it over to PFB because I wanted to break down McShay breaking down Brandon Weeden. Here’s what he had to say (my comments below):

Cowboys QB Brandon Weeden (Grade: 58) takes too many risks at times and is often sloppy with his footwork, but he’s showing a better grasp of pre-snap reads and understanding coverages. He is also showing solid pocket presence and does a nice job of moving his feet to buy extra time and to create passing windows.

Weeden has enough arm strength to make all the necessary throws and he knows how to change velocities. He throws a very catchable ball, consistently leads his receivers to yards after catch and he shows good touch on the deep ball. His age — Weeden will turn 29 during his rookie season in the NFL — will cost him on draft weekend, but if age wasn’t a factor Weeden would have a chance to play his way into Day 2.

To put that 58 grade in perspective, Nick Foles is an 80 and Ryan Tannehill is a 79. We’re all watching the same games, right? Like, McShay doesn’t have QB #3 on Oklahoma State confused with the old QB #3 on Oklahoma State (Alex Cate), does he?

Weeden takes too many risks, but we’re cool with Foles and his 20 TD 10 INT performance from 2011 or his 19-9 from 2009?

I get the old man stuff, really, I do. It’s hard for NFL teams to invest in someone who only has a 4-5 year window in which he can be a great player, especially when it will take him at least one of those to learn an offense. But to say he’s not even a pick worthy of the top 3 rounds (which is what “if age wasn’t a factor Weeden would have a chance to play his way into Day 2” means) is ludicrous.

You want a list of current backup quarterbacks in the NFL? As in people whose job Weeden would be potentially be taking:

• Carpenter, Rudy
• Daniel, Chase
• Dixon, Dennis
• Flynn, Matt
• McGee, Stephen
• Painter, Curtis
• Stanton, Drew
• Taylor, Tyrod
• Wallace, Seneca

That is just a horrific list. I refuse to believe Brandon Weeden isn’t better than all of those guys and won’t have a successful career in the NFL. Is he going to be a 10-year starter and win 4 Super Bowls? No, but if you don’t think he’s better than Tarvaris Jackson, Alex Smith, or Chad Henne (all currently starting for NFL teams) then I don’t know what to tell you.

I do know that Brandon Weeden’s draft grade of 58 from Todd McShay is a joke.

This post is part of a season-long series on the Heisman hopes, statistical superiority, and pro potential of Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon. Click here to read the rest.