Christian Ponder, Florida State
What I liked: When I scout quarterbacks here, I tend to ignore what others say and just judge the player on his practice performances through the week. Ponder had lots of injury issues coming into Mobile, but if you just base everything on what he did here, you’d have to be optimistic for his future. He has pretty solid arm strength and throws particularly well on the run. I also liked his pass placement for the most part. You can see he has an idea where he wants to go with the football at most times. That’s a pretty good trait for such a young quarterback. He showed a lot of potential this week, and considering his injury history, he’s probably well ahead of where many personnel evaluators thought he would be at this point.
What needs improvement: At times, Ponder became too much of an arm thrower instead of getting his body into his passes. He was very inaccurate on several deep passes because he did not always get his shoulders squared up. Also, some of his passes to wide-open receivers sailed a bit.
Round projection: Third.
Ricky Stanzi, Iowa
What I liked: Stanzi has the ideal size (6-4, 220) that scouts are looking for in a quarterback. He clearly has better-than-average arm strength. When he sets his feet and gets his body or torque into his passes, he’s fairly accurate. Stanzi leaves you always wanting more, which is not such a bad thing.
What needs improvement: Stanzi has inconsistent passing mechanics, which need to be fixed. He needs to get with a good quarterback coach who can break down his mechanics. Once he is able to set his feet properly and consistently step into his throws, Stanzi will have a chance to become a factor in the future. He has potential.
Click to expand...