Cody Kessler, QB, USC: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Player Summary

Cody Kessler, a 2011 four-star recruit, started all 41 games for Southern California after taking over as the starter his sophomore season. Played under four different head coaches in three seasons as the starting QB. Finished college career completing over 67 percent of his passes for 10,339 yards, 88 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Possesses adequate height, solid weight and good athletic ability. Accepted invitation to this year’s Senior Bowl.

Player Information

Class: Redshirt Senior

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 215

Estimated 40-Yard Dash Time: high 4.8s

Games Watched

2015: Arkansas State, Oregon, Stanford (September game), Washington, Wisconsin

Strengths

Impressive mental processing pre-snap as he diagnoses coverages and makes adjustments when necessary. Solid awareness after the snap, understanding when to navigate the pocket and when to fire off a quick pass. Possesses the play strength to throw with a defender in his face. Quick release with very good accuracy on short and intermediate passes, throwing his receivers open and maximizing yards after the catch. Solid athletic ability to extend the play when initial reads aren’t open. Keeps his eyes downfield and displays very good accuracy on the move.

On this play, Kessler has to move around the pocket and deliver a strike to his wide receiver just beyond the sticks. He hits his target in stride, resulting in a big play.

Very good decision maker, will throw the ball away or check-down rather than forcing a pass. This is especially true in the red zone, where he’s thrown 49 career touchdowns compared to just two interceptions when inside the opponent’s 20 yard line.

Elite mental toughness, played through turnover and off-field distractions from both the offensive line and coaching staff. Won over 65 percent of his career starts despite playing for four different head coaches. In 2015 alone, took snaps from four different starting centers.

Weaknesses

Has a tendency to lock onto primary read and stare down through entire stem of route. You can see this in the clip below against Washington. Kessler’s eyes lock onto his initial read and never look away. He telegraphs the throw and it’s an easy interception for the Washington cornerback.

Adequate poise when pressured, will panic and scramble instead of stepping up in the pocket to avoid the rush. Moderate accuracy and arm strength on deep throws. In 2015, he completed just 33.8 percent of passes thrown more than 15 yards downfield.

Here’s a perfect example of Kessler missing a wide open receiver downfield. Rather than putting touch on the ball and allowing his wideout to run under it, he tries to drive the ball, resulting in an overthrow. Had he put a little more air under the ball, even if it means the WR has to slow down, the play would have resulted in a touchdown.

Struggles to avoid sacks and goes down quickly as a result of moderate play strength. Completed 62.9 percent of his passes on third down, but only 37.9 percent resulted in first downs as he lacked aggressiveness and situational awareness. Slow to bounce back from mistakes. In drives following a Kessler turnover, USC scored an average of just 1.4 points. This is a dramatic drop off from the 4.2 point average in 2014.

Finally, his height will affect his stock. Despite the success shorter quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Russell Wilson have had, NFL teams will still slide a prospect down the board as a result of his height. Kessler is expected to measure just under 6-foot-1.

Overall

Overall, Cody Kessler is a backup in a West Coast offense where he can win with his accuracy on short and intermediate passes. Is not a QB who is going to stretch the defense deep downfield. With all the turnover and struggles on the offensive line and a coaching change during the season, Kessler was in a no-win situation as a senior.

His 2014 tape, in which USC ran more of a pro-style offense, is much more impressive and depicts a mid-round pick. The Trojans spread the field a lot more in 2015 and Kessler resembled a prospect who may not even warrant a draft pick. In the end, he will likely split the difference and be a late-round pick on day three of the 2016 NFL Draft. He should be a reliable backup for years to come with the ability to spot start as needed.