Exclusive Interview with Colorado State-Pueblo QB Chris Bonner
When talent evaluators are trying to gauge the potential of a quarterback prospect, there are usually three attributes they look for right off the bat: size, mobility, and arm strength. Outside of the two marquee quarterback prospects, Florida State’s Jameis Winston and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, a good portion of the 2015 quarterback class is lacking one of these attributes — not Chris Bonner.
The Colorado State-Pueblo quarterback has all three.
At 6’7″ 235 pounds, Bonner has the size that makes NFL scouts drool. Bonner possesses uncanny mobility for a quarterback his size; not exactly Cam Newton-esque, but Big Ben Roethlisberger comes to mind when watching him evade defenders in the pocket and keep plays alive. Oh yeah, the guy has absolute hose for an arm.
More from NFL Draft
- Packers’ Lukas Van Ness will make a Lambeau leap into the NFL in 2023
- 2024 NFL Draft: Hunter Haas’ Top 50 Big Board
- NFL preseason Week 3: Notre Dame’s Mayer, Foskey with something to prove
- NFL Draft Notebook: Bo Nix is the third-best quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft
- Mac Jones ‘a pretty flexible guy’; Patriots QB earning kind words from Belichick
Bonner was kind enough to take time out of his busy workout schedule to answer a few questions for NFL Mocks. The first question you probably have, like I did, is how does a quarterback that big with that strong of an arm end up at school like Colorado State-Pueblo? Especially coming from his home state of California which has been a recruiting hotbed for decades…
“I started off high school as more of a basketball player and didn’t play quarterback until my freshman year. My school was not known for football and we had many different coaches while I was there. I didn’t get many offers besides playing at a local junior college, Grossmont,” he said. “I decided to play there to better my skills and get to the next level that way. I played two years there and learned a lot about being a quarterback. Then, I transferred to [CSU Pueblo] because I felt that I could start there and that they had a great program.”
It seems like every year more and more prospects are “late bloomers”. Prospects that haven’t played a ton of football, but catch the eyes of NFL talent evaluators due to elite physical traits. Bonner is a massive quarterback prospect with size unlike most quarterbacks in the NFL, which led to my next question: who does he try to model his game after?
“Since I am big for the position, I model myself after bigger quarterbacks like Joe Flacco and Tom Brady.”
Two Super Bowl champions are probably good examples to emulate when transitioning from the college game to the NFL. Flacco and Brady are great players in their own right, but Bonner has really been a fan of two smaller quarterbacks that he’s watched while growing up.
“I grew up in San Diego, so my team has always been the Chargers. I liked Drew Brees a lot especially when he was a Charger. Over the years I’ve become a big Aaron Rodgers fan. I just like how he plays the game.”
While Bonner might have the most intriguing physical traits of any quarterback in this draft, he is still a work in progress. Bonner touched on some of the self-perceived flaws in his game, and where he’s working out to improve these flaws.
“I can always improve on being more consistent with throws and speeding up my footwork…I am training in Denver, Colorado at Six Zero Strength with Matt McChesney and Quarterback coach Warren McCarty.”
More from NFL Mocks
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft Journal: Cardinals, Falcons tank for USC QB Caleb Williams
- Patriots News & Rumors: Ezekiel Elliott talks fun in Foxboro; Mills to Packers?
- Fantasy Football: 5 reasons Colts QB Anthony Richardson can be a top-end option
- Packers’ Lukas Van Ness will make a Lambeau leap into the NFL in 2023
- 2024 NFL Draft: Hunter Haas’ Top 50 Big Board
Bonner excelled at the Division II level, but there is a serious jump in talent from winning the National Championship at Colorado State-Pueblo to consistently winning games at the NFL level.
What does he see as the biggest hurdle from Division II to the NFL?
“The speed of the game will be the biggest thing. Everything I do including my drop, my reads, and my decision making will have to be quicker…I may not have played against the same opponents as some of the big name quarterbacks, but I believe that I have just as much ability to play at the next level and I have a huge upside.”
The jump from the Division II level to the NFL is a big one, and not everyone is capable of making the jump. Not that myself or anyone else would wish this on him but the question has to be asked: What will Chris Bonner be doing if his NFL plans backfire?
“I am very passionate about my clothing company that I started with a group of friends back home. We are from Clairemont, California and we started a company called “Clairemont Roots.” It is definitely something I enjoy doing and plan on expanding in the future.”
A quarterback who owns his own clothing line?
Truly unique.
Bonner is currently in line to workout at three Pro Days: University of Colorado-Boulder, San Diego State University, and Colorado State-Pueblo. He hopes to garner more interest from these workouts and lock down some individual workouts with NFL teams. Bonner has the upside to make the leap to the NFL and the crew over at NFL Mocks is definitely rooting for him.
Keep an eye out for Bonner throughout the draft process — he may go higher than a lot of people think.
Like what you read? Follow me at @NFLDraftWhiz for draft content leading up to the big day in April.