Stanford Pro Day Recap and Analysis

Well, David DeCastro looked great snapping the ball.

Oh, and by the way, Andrew Luck was pretty good too. Luck threw around 50 passes and had just one incompletion and three drops, one drop which was on a scout-requested 70-yard bomb which Luck threw with relative ease.

Every time you think about this guy, you talk about how he’s a lock for this, and a lock for that, and it becomes so boring that we start to wonder whether or not Robert Griffin III will take his spot as the top pick, or whether or not he has elite arm strength, but every time he shows up, he continues to blow people away. I definitely don’t think he has the same type of arm strength as Jay Cutler, but that just means he doesn’t throw it as hard. He is definitely capable of making every single throw at the NFL level.

I was specifically impressed by Luck’s ball placement with no defensive backs out there. He also showed impreessive and effortless footwork in his drops, which was great to see. We all already know how good of a player Luck is and has become, but I also feel like he looked trimmed up in terms of his body fat at the Pro Day. Luck has a great understanding of the mechanics of his position, like dipping his shoulder to avoid pressure, turning his hips, squaring up when he’s on the run, and things like that that will make him successful in the NFL for a really long time.

In non-Luck news, I was really impressed with the athletic ability displayed by tight end Coby Fleener, who stands at 6’6″ 244 pounds. Fleener ran an unofficial 4.45 in the 40 yard dash, and he looks pretty rocked out. I would have to say, that as of right now I think Fleener reminds me and a lot of people of Jimmy Graham. Now, obviously Graham had the experience in basketball, which both worked for him and against him. For Fleener, he’s been playing in a pro style offense and is much further developed as a blocker than Graham, and perhaps just as good of an athlete.

There are a lot of scouts who feel like Fleener won’t make it out of the first round, possibly not out of the top 25 picks.

Defensive back Michael Thomas (5’11” 186 pounds) ran 4.47 and 4.44 unofficially and looked like he could be a nice mid-late round addition.

Running Back Jeremy Stewart (6’1″ 218 pounds) ran 4.52 and 4.58, which is actually really good for a player of his size. He was a power back/closer type of player for the Cardinal, and could serve a similar role at the NFL level if he can stay healthy, which he was unable to do at times at Stanford.

Defensive back Delano Howell ran an unofficial 4.49 in the 40 yard dash. He was considered to be one of the team’s top prospects going into the season.

Offensive linemen David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin participated in drills but I’m not exactly sure what we would have seen from them today that would prompt me to think they are anything but the top 20 prospects I have them graded as already.

Last year, Stanford had a guy named Doug Baldwin go undrafted and wind up leading his team (Seattle) in receiving. This year, they have a guy named Griff Whalen who is a former walk-on and a dependable kid who doesn’t have elite ability but can possibly come in and make a team in camp with his work ethic and scrappiness. He looked pretty solid in the workout, running well, and providing Luck with a steady target through his senior season.

One player I wasn’t overly impressed with but he continues to draw attention is Chris Owusu. Obviously Owusu has huge speed and quickness, but I still think he is a mid-late round pick, especially with his medical history.