Taking a Closer Look at Buccaneers Starting QB Mike Glennon

Sep 22, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon (8) headshot at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

If any of you had read my stuff on Mike Glennon prior to the 2013 NFL Draft, you’d know that I’m not necessarily sour on him, but I have higher expectations for a guy who carried so much hype.

Coming into his final season at NC State, Glennon was considered a potential top pick candidate, and despite his accuracy deficiencies, there were some evaluators out there who still believed he had a chance to be the number one QB.

Certainly Glennon has the tools to be a big time NFL quarterback physically. He has as strong an arm as anyone in the draft, probably stronger yet. He has great size and room to grow at 6’7″ 225 pounds. Most of all, Glennon has the capacity in his strengths and skill set to be able to sling the ball all over the field, all day long.

The problem for me is–and has always been–that Glennon hasn’t elevated the play of the guys around him, so I’m not quite sure what the Bucs are getting into here, because they seem to have plenty of confidence in him.

Here’s my scouting report on Glennon coming out of North Carolina State.

Glennon to me is one of the more overrated passers in this year’s draft. I had the chance to watch a couple of his games last year, and I don’t see the killer instinct in his game. He is a competitive player, no doubt, but I feel like he relies too much on the structure of the game rather than his ability to make plays, if that makes sense. He is too ‘by the book’ for me. Those kinds of quarterbacks can win you some games in the NFL, but as strong an arm as Glennon has, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be a dominant prospect.

In fact, there were rumblings at one point he had a shot to be the number one pick, so you know there are some out there who feel he has elite potential. I don’t understand though how at 6’7″ Glennon is coming into the Scouting Combine weighing 225 pounds. He is far too skinny right now, and needs to add weight. You saw Brock Osweiler come into last year’s Scouting Combine a year younger weighing in the 240+ range, and he’s still a relatively thin guy.

Glennon needs to add muscle to his frame, and it’s odd that he hasn’t been able to do that to this point. I think he will really impress scouts on the board in pre-draft interviews, and he should be really efficient at his pro day, which could cause a team to reach for him in the first or early second round. I don’t view him as any better of a prospect than Nick Foles was coming out. Right now, I think Glennon has too much hype for his ability. I could see him winding up as a very solid QB in the NFL if he puts in the work. In fact, he may even turn out to be a top 15 QB in the league by the time all is said and done.

That being said, I think he has a long way to go. Some team is going to put a lot of pressure on him by taking him high, and I don’t know that he is worthy of a very high draft choice. I’m extremely critical of QB prospects who I don’t think have overly competitive drives. I’m not saying Glennon isn’t competitive, but there are just some players who you can see have that killer instinct. I want to see more of that from Glennon.