INDIANAPOLIS — TheNFL scouting combinelands in Indianapolis this week. While it’s not the end-all-be-all of the draft evaluation process, it does play a huge role in the eventual tying of the knot between teams and prospects.
This year is no different, as all 32 clubs get a buffet-style up-close look at the top prospects in the draft and begin building their draft boards.
For added value, countless late-night free agency and trade discussions are happening at any one of the great steakhouses in downtown Indianapolis.
As the football world descends on one of the most underrated cities in America, here are three things to keep an eye on:
When Oregon’s Dante Mooreopted to remain in Eugene for one more season, it left a major quarterback voidbehind Fernando Mendoza, the reigning Heisman trophy winner and consensus top signal caller in the draft.
Moore was always a wild card; everyone understood that his 20 career starts were not ideal for NFL development, and that whoever drafted him needed to exercise extreme patience in bringing him along, perhaps even redshirting him in his rookie season.
But all you had to do was watch him play a few times to understand the arm, intellect, legs, athletic ability and confidence were highly projectable to the NFL. In other words, he would be worth the wait for the team that drafted him, even if they used the second overall pick on him.
With Moore out of the picture, Alabama’s Ty Simpsonbecomes the de facto No. 2 quarterback, with Penn State’s Drew Allar, Miami’s Carson Beck, Arkansas’ Taylen Green, Georgia Tech’s Haynes King, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier falling somewhere behind him.
The question facing Simpson is how much ground he can gain on Mendoza, starting this week in Indianapolis. With the quarterback tax being a very real thing in the NFL, can he perform and interview well enough to crack the first round, and perhaps even the top 15?
Simpson looked like a sure-fire first round pick, especially earlier in the season, but his lack of experience, some nagging injuries and just an okay supporting cast caught up to him.
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