Next week will be a big one for Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Locker. The young man is a special athlete at the quarterback position. He’s got great speed and tremendous quickness for a guy slated to be an NFL signal caller. Some have said he’s as fast as 4.4 speed in the forty yard dash, but that remains to be seen.
There’s no question that he’s more than fast and quick enough to be a tremendous NFL quarterback, but there are questions about his ability to drop back in the pocket, set his feet and deliver the ball accurately. Looking at Locker on tape you can see that he’s more comfortable out of the pocket than he is in the pocket. His deep throws are either thrown too much on a line or thrown up for grabs with too much air under them.
Right now the guy is an enigma. You see the talent but don’t see the production. He’s built like a linebacker with muscles bulging from his upper body and legs. It’s great to be in shape, but I would advise this youngster to keep lifting but make sure he’s stretching and throwing before and after the weight workouts.
He’ll need the muscle as an NFL quarterback because he’s going to get hit and will need to be able to take a pounding and keeping on competing.
Despite his impressive raw talent he struggled for much of the year. Locker’s accuracy has been erratic on tape and he needs to have a good week in Mobile in order to change the opinions of the scouts at the Senior Bowl.
Again, Locker has got great raw ability but his footwork needs some serious work. After looking at him in action, I’m not impressed with him as a pro quarterback because he doesn’t look good setting his feet and making a crisp and accurate throw to a receiver. Mike Mayock of the NFL Network expressed similar concerns about Locker.
“Last year at this time everyone wanted to say he’d be the No. 1 pick in the draft, and now he’s an afterthought in most people’s minds. I don’t understand that logic,” Mayock said. “He’s got all the tools to be a top-level quarterback, all the physical tools. The size and the arm strength. I just question his pocket awareness. And that’s where his accuracy issues come into play.”
“When he moves outside the pocket, either right or left, and not just scrambling, because they did a good job with plays that moved him outside the pocket and had him throw on the run, he has good vision and is as accurate as any quarterback you’ll see. But he gets into some trouble in the pocket, seeing the field, and that’s where his accuracy breaks down. I’m really excited to see him at the Senior Bowl (in two weeks) and see him working with other receivers. To me he’s got first-round ability. But I just need to get more comfortable with him, and his pocket awareness.”
