Gabbert Pro Day Round-up & Video

I searched around for as many reviews of Blaine Gabbert's Pro Day performance as I could find. I do think if Ron Rivera decides to roll the dice on a QB it will be Gabbert. For those that are totally against this notion I'll lead off with one link for you, in case you missed it in Rick's piece yesterday.

RED FLAG – Performance against best opponents

Gabbert had 9 games against opponents with a winning record in 2011 that we analyzed for his comparison ratings, but there were 3 specific games within those 9 key games that really stood out for me. A game at home vs. Oklahoma (12-2), followed by an away game with Nebraska (10-4), and finally a Bowl Game vs. Iowa (8-5). Three top-level opponents, facing more pro-talent level defensive players, and battling against more elite coaching staffs as well.

Notice they analyzed 9 games but decided to single out three of them for highlight. Also, the makers of this formula admit it is yet to be proven:

Blaine Gabbert is going to be a great first test of the rating system we have developed for projecting college QB success to the NFL. Everyone is in love with Gabbert now, because Kiper and McShay are...but we are looking to go on record as Blaine Gabbert is going to be a bust at this point (waiting for NFL Combine data to make official). Don't be shocked to see Gabbert fade down the draft charts as smarter teams/researchers vet this out, maybe a draft fade a la Jimmy Clausen or Brady Quinn -- both started high on early NFL Draft Boards in Jan/Feb...and you know the rest.

Since he scored a 31 on the Wonderlic does that improve the 55% chance of bust (or is it success?) I'm not sure.

On to the more positive reviews of Gabbert from his Pro Day:

Missouri QB Gabbert impressive before packed house at Pro Day - NFL - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com
The idea that Gabbert had good but not great arm strength was an assessment that Terry Shea, a former NFL quarterback coach who tutored Gabbert for the past 10 weeks in Arizona, said was off base. "Boy, I would never have walked away from that workout thinking that," Shea said. "His ball just whistles, so I don't know where that came from." Shea said he was most impressed with Gabbert's ability to throw while out of the pocket. "On the move, he made some of his best throws," Shea gushed. "He really did. From that standpoint, that's what you try to create in a drill like this, because when you just drop back and there's no pass rush, it's a little cleaner to set your feet and throw. "From that standpoint, it was A-plus."

Looks like he dispelled the arm strength argument. One of his proponents still is not sure of him:

Update:

Here's one I missed that I thought added something. He begins by dissing on his footwork but then has this to say:

2011 NFL Draft: Blaine Gabbert Pro Day Recap and Review
Gabbert definitely had some areas where he looked really good though. First and most obvious is that you will never have any questions about Gabbert’s arm strength. Also, he has always had good straight-line speed, but that speed was often negated by slow acceleration. Gabbert displayed an improved speed on his rollouts, which suggests he will have an easier time taking off with the ball than he did in college, where he was often brought down before hitting full speed. If he can continue to accelerate well, he could be a Tim Tebow-type runner from the backfield when necessary. However, the Tebow comparisons end there. Gabbert is much more accurate than Tebow was, and throws the ball with a better spiral.

Saying he throws better than Tebow isn't much of a compliment.

Kiper: Newton, Gabbert bad values early - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"I'm not as high on those two as I think teams in the league are," Kiper said. "I think there's a wide range of opinion on players, but in terms of the two quarterbacks, a lot of opinions all over the place. "I think both have a lot of potential and a lot of intrigue. But there are concerns with both Gabbert and Newton."

I think its safe to say every player at the top of this draft has question marks.

Draft 2011: The Quarterbacks - NFL Draft Preview - Rotoworld.com
Outlook: Unlike Newton, Gabbert did not dominate in college. And Gabbert was far less dominant against far weaker competition. However, more skilled college-to-pro talent evaluators than exist at Rotoworld believe Gabbert projects as a just as good, if not better pro than Newton. We'll defer to them while keeping in mind that something doesn't quite add up logistically here.

Here's something I was surprised to hear:

Blaine Gabbert - College Player - 2011 Player Profile - Rotoworld.com
According to the National Football Post, a number of NFL coaches have been put off by the way Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert has conducted himself this offseason. Based on the information he's gathered, writer Wes Bunting believes Gabbert could slide "a lot further than many think come April." Gabbert didn't endear himself to anyone by skipping throwing drills at the NFL Combine, but the reports were almost universally positive coming out of his Pro Day. At this moment, it's hard to believe he won't be a top-10 pick next month.

Put off by not throwing at the combine? It was well known he wouldn't being a Condon client. Personally I think it was a prudent move on his part. Here's comes the Drew Bledsoe comparison:

Gabbert throws unofficial 44-of-49 at Pro Day - Rotoworld.com
Mizzou QB Blaine Gabbert unofficially completed 44-of-49 passes at the Tigers' Pro Day Thursday. Mizzou beat writer Dave Matter attributes "at least three" of the incompletions to drops on catchable balls. Gabbert's Pro Day was not fully televised, but the early returns suggest plenty of arm strength, nice footwork, and a more natural throwing motion than Cam Newton. ESPN 101 St. Louis' Tony Softli, a former NFL exec, is now calling Gabbert a "more athletic Drew Bledsoe" while SI.com's Don Banks suggests the performance will "give Carolina something to think about" at No. 1 overall. Gabbert also scored a solid 31 on the Wonderlic exam.

If you listen to Gil Brandt listen to this:

Gabbert's Pro Day 'much better' than Newton's - Rotoworld.com
NFL.com's Gil Brandt labeled Blaine Gabbert's Pro Day workout "outstanding" and "much better" than Cam Newton's. Brandt's opinion is noteworthy because he had been one of the Heisman winner's leading supporters, advocating for the Panthers to jump all over Newton with the first pick. "I'm not so sure now," says Brandt. "Gabbert couldn't have done better had he borrowed Drew Brees' right arm. All the questions about his accuracy should start to go away after his workout in front of approximately 125 scouts, coaches and GMs." SI.com's Tony Pauline also believes Gabbert should be ranked ahead of Newton at this point.

It looks like Missouri might be a QB breeding ground!

Bernie Bits: Pinkel's players are making mark in NFL
Two of Pinkel's quarterbacks, Brad Smith (fourth round) and Chase Daniel (undrafted), are in the NFL, as is wide receiver Danario Alexander (undrafted.) Gabbert's quick rise to becoming a first-round pick should help Pinkel recruit some elite QBs. After all, when Gabbert enters the league Missouri will have put its last three starting QBs into the NFL. (Brad Smith is a valuable all-purpose asset for the New York Jets; he plays wide receiver, quarterback and running back in the wildcat formation, and is an excellent kickoff returner. Daniel is the No. 2 QB behind Drew Brees at New Orleans.)

Here's some video from his Pro Day. The first has more material and shows a variety of throws.

This second is clearer video and has some familiar faces in it.