2012 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Robert Griffin
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Strengths:
Great arm strength
Quick release
Accurate thrower
Smart; protects the football
Good field vision
Extremely mobile with scrambling ability
Very intelligent
Proven leader; passion for the game
Winner at collegiate level
Experienced 3-year starter
Clutch performer who plays at his best in crunch time
Good teammate without an ego
Plays with swagger
Opens up mismatches for teammates with dual-threat nature
High-character individual
Weaknesses: Height is a touch short
Could use some more bulk to handle hitting
Rarely played against a top defense
Did not play in a pro-stye offense
Rarely took snaps from under center
Summary: Griffin was the most dangerous playmaker in college football in 2011. He did the most with the least and led his team to wins against programs the school could never compete with in past years. Despite a horrible defense and suspect offensive line, Griffin lit up scoreboards on a weekly basis. Griffin completed 72 percent of his passes for 4,293 yards with 37 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2011. He has also rushed for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns. Griffin won the Heisman Trophy for his dominant season.
Over his collegiate years, Griffin has been a consistent performer who has shown steady improvement. In 2008, Griffin started playing as a freshman. He completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,091 yards with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. That season he ran for 1,118 yards and 13 touchdowns. He lost almost all of the 2009 season to injury. The year after, he had a completion percentage of 67 percent for 3,501 yards and 22 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He ran for 808 yards and eight scores.
Griffin has a strong arm, and his accuracy on throws deep downfield is truly remarkable. To all levels of the field, Griffin is extremely accurate throwing the ball. He can fire ropes on deep outs, all while making good decisions in the process.
Griffin is a fantastic athlete with speed to burn. He is a track competitor; when he breaks into the open field, he rips off yards in an instant. This season, Griffin also showed the grit to take some big hits and stay in the game.
Griffin is also a high-character individual who is very intelligent. He has the makings of a franchise quarterback on and off the field. Griffin has the toughness to be successful, but will have to be developed some at the NFL level, and learn how to operate a pro style offense. There isn't a competitor with Griffin to be the second quarterback behind Andrew Luck.
Player Comparison: Steve McNair. Griffin's foot speed and running ability is similar to Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick, but Griffin is a much better passer than Vick, and that makes the comparison closer to McNair. Over a long NFL career, McNair was an accurate pocket passer who could make big plays with feet. Griffin has the same skill set where he can sit in the pocket and beat teams with his arm, or he can take off and make a splash play on the ground. Like McNair, Griffin is 6-foot-2 and has enough height to play the position. McNair was taken with the third-overall pick and Griffin is likely to go in the top five of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Projecting Griffin to the pros, however, I see a player with the ability to be a player like McNair.
NFL Matches: Indianapolis, Cleveland, Washington, Miami
The Colts could decide that they like Griffin more than Luck, but that seems extremely remote. After the Colts, the next quarterback-needy team is the Cleveland Browns. It seems unlikely that Griffin will get past the fourth pick. He very easily could go second or third if the Redskins or Dolphins trade up in order to land the Heisman winner.
RELATED LINKS:
2012 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie's | Walt's
2012 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
2012 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
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Weaknesses:
Summary: Griffin was the most dangerous playmaker in college football in 2011. He did the most with the least and led his team to wins against programs the school could never compete with in past years. Despite a horrible defense and suspect offensive line, Griffin lit up scoreboards on a weekly basis. Griffin completed 72 percent of his passes for 4,293 yards with 37 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2011. He has also rushed for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns. Griffin won the Heisman Trophy for his dominant season.
Over his collegiate years, Griffin has been a consistent performer who has shown steady improvement. In 2008, Griffin started playing as a freshman. He completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,091 yards with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. That season he ran for 1,118 yards and 13 touchdowns. He lost almost all of the 2009 season to injury. The year after, he had a completion percentage of 67 percent for 3,501 yards and 22 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He ran for 808 yards and eight scores.
Griffin has a strong arm, and his accuracy on throws deep downfield is truly remarkable. To all levels of the field, Griffin is extremely accurate throwing the ball. He can fire ropes on deep outs, all while making good decisions in the process.
Griffin is a fantastic athlete with speed to burn. He is a track competitor; when he breaks into the open field, he rips off yards in an instant. This season, Griffin also showed the grit to take some big hits and stay in the game.
Griffin is also a high-character individual who is very intelligent. He has the makings of a franchise quarterback on and off the field. Griffin has the toughness to be successful, but will have to be developed some at the NFL level, and learn how to operate a pro style offense. There isn't a competitor with Griffin to be the second quarterback behind Andrew Luck.
Player Comparison: Steve McNair. Griffin's foot speed and running ability is similar to Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick, but Griffin is a much better passer than Vick, and that makes the comparison closer to McNair. Over a long NFL career, McNair was an accurate pocket passer who could make big plays with feet. Griffin has the same skill set where he can sit in the pocket and beat teams with his arm, or he can take off and make a splash play on the ground. Like McNair, Griffin is 6-foot-2 and has enough height to play the position. McNair was taken with the third-overall pick and Griffin is likely to go in the top five of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Projecting Griffin to the pros, however, I see a player with the ability to be a player like McNair.
NFL Matches: Indianapolis, Cleveland, Washington, Miami
The Colts could decide that they like Griffin more than Luck, but that seems extremely remote. After the Colts, the next quarterback-needy team is the Cleveland Browns. It seems unlikely that Griffin will get past the fourth pick. He very easily could go second or third if the Redskins or Dolphins trade up in order to land the Heisman winner.
RELATED LINKS:
2012 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie's | Walt's
2012 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
2012 NFL Draft Scouting Reports