Robert Griffin III- 2012 Draft Scouting Report

This is our Robert Griffin Scouting report for all of our other scouting reports (over a 120 as of 11/18/2011) go to our scouting report page

Positives:

+ Accuracy- stupendous accuracy, especially on the deep ball, and puts the ball into a position where only his receiver can get it
+ Athleticism- track star in high school, very athletic for a quarterback, great mobility
+ Decision making ability
+ Precision in the pocket- has a great knowledge of the playbook, times his throws brilliantly in accordance to the route being run by the receiver
+ Throw power
+ Stats- 13th in the NCAA in passing yards last year (3501), also rushed for 635 yards
+ Intangibles- plays hard, big leader

Negatives

-Can he call a play? Never had role in play calling at Baylor
-Not asked to do a lot of pre-snap reads
-Durability- missed most of 2009 season with knee injury
-Size- 6’2 is acceptable, but well less than ideal for a quarterback

Measurables

Listed at 6’2 220 pounds on his official bio (Seems high to me)

Stats (Cfbsstats.com)

2011:

I’ve always loved Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. He is one of the most talented quarterbacks I have ever seen, and he probably has a bright future in the NFL.

Griffin has a lot of physical tools. He has mediocre height and bulk, but outstanding speed and athleticism. Griffin was a big time track star in high school, and broke Texas state records for fastest 110/300 meter hurdle times. However, he doesn’t seem quite as athletic or fast with pads. Although still a tremendous athlete, when I see him on film, he seems less athletic than I would expect a record holding track star to be.

Griffin is very accurate. He displays an unteachable accuracy when throwing on the run, and he has great footwork in the pocket, displaying a natural roll step throwing to outside receivers. He is often a bit too willing to roll out and leave the pocket, but he adjusts his feet to the receiver beautifully whenever he is in the pocket. He has a functional release, and does a good job of not opening his hips up too much on his follow through, helping him get a good spiral on all of his passes. He also makes sure never to throw across his body.

Griffin is a good decision maker. One of his most underrated qualities is his ability to not lock onto receivers, which makes it really hard for defensive backs to read his eyes and jump his passes. He is extremely willing to look at his second and third reads, partially because he feels so comfortable adjusting his feet toward their position on the field. He also appears to have a a brilliant awareness of his receivers routes, allowing him to time his throws beautifully as receivers are making their cuts. His offense often relies on his ability to time his passes (it’s not a west coast offense, but, like any offense, it has quick throws), and he always does it brilliantly, but his receivers sometimes can’t handle a pass that gets to them so quickly.

Griffin has excellent intangibles. He plays with ideal on field intensity, is a great leader, and is a hard worker. It only took him 3 years to get a degree from Baylor, so, evidently, he has a lot of intelligence. However, he needs to start sliding when he runs the football, in order to avoid injury.

Griffin has been very productive statistically throughout his career. He’s been starting ever since he came to Baylor. Last year, he had a quarterback rating of 144.2, completing 67% of his passes for 3501 yards with 2 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, and he also got 635 rushing yards. Obviously, 2011 started strong for Griffin, as he went 21 for 27 with 359 yards and 5 touchdowns in the season opener against TCU, and he should continue to dominate in the near future.

Griffin’s biggest concern, in my opinion, is whether or not he has the ability to make pre-snap reads or call a play

Ultimately, I like Griffin, but I need to know how well he understand offenses before I really make an opinion of how successful he will be at the NFL level. S

NFL Comparison: Nate Davis. Don’t take this comparison the wrong way. I’m not saying Griffin will be a 6th round pick. Davis had very unusual flaws, such as a glove on his throwing hand, a play sheet on his wrist, and a learning disability (dyslexia?) that made it difficult for him to call/remember plays, which all made his stock plummet during the off-season, but based on what is seen on film, they are very similar quarterbacks. Griffin is also a better athlete.

Jesse’s player comparison:

(Based on his potential) Griffin plays like Steve Young with his ability to move around and his accuracy and throwing power. He has much more of “it” than Michael Vick, especially coming into the league.

Grade: 96 (worthy of a mid-to-early first round draft pick)

Projection: 95 (will be drafted in the middle of the first round)

Video

Follow us on twitter @NFLmocks