Arizona State QB Brock Osweiler Gaining Momentum as an NFL Prospect

I got to watch most of the Arizona State game last night, and one thing I kept on noticing was how sharp ASU quarterback (junior) Brock Osweiler was, especially in the early going. A little further research shows that the name of Osweiler’s game is not size (he’s 6’8″) but accuracy, precision, and fire.

Osweiler has completed 74.1 percent of his passes so far in two games this season with 615 yards and five touchdowns compared to only one interception. He had a fantastic game last night against 21st ranked Missouri with three touchdowns on 24 of 32 passing for 358 yards.

The 6-foot-8 Osweiler is surprisingly athletic for his lanky size, which should come as no surprise as he was a basketball player in high school (and probably could be right now). He has a similar throwing style to that of Philip Rivers, where it seems like he almost shot-puts the ball or looks like he is maybe keeping his elbow in on his oblique when he throws–regardless of what it is, it looks a little odd but he has surprisingly good arm strength and very good zip behind his passes, as well as very good accuracy.

Granted, Missouri was missing a couple of their top NFL prospects from last night’s game, but Osweiler did what he had to do to make sure his presence was felt in this game.

The good thing about Osweiler’s odd throwing motion is that he won’t have troubles getting the ball over big defensive linemen, because he’s likely two inches taller than the tallest defensive lineman he will face at the NFL level.

He did a great job of keeping his eyes downfield and always finding the open receiver, which is very rare in a quarterback who has as little experience starting as Osweiler. I even noticed in the passing game a great amount of focus and precision on his short passing routes, especially on a copule of swing plays to running backs where having a perfectly thrown ball is key to the development of a play.

A couple of his incomplete passes were just blatant drops by ASU receivers, and he has a couple of good ones there to work with, so that was a bit out of character.

This is definitely a guy I am going to be keeping my eye on as the season progresses, as he could have a slight likeness to that of Blaine Gabbert, who put up solid numbers and left Missouri last year probably a year before he should have, but he was a hot prospect at the end of the season. Definitely keep an eye on Osweiler as of right now, he’s been impressive this season.