Have You Heard Of: Memphis QB Paxton Lynch

Have you heard of Memphis QB Paxton Lynch? Probably not, but that’s ok because neither did I until I watched film on him last week. I promise you I wanted to write this article before Mel Kiper announced his latest Big Board featuring Lynch but I was already well on my way to finishing up my weekly “Have You Heard Of” on Alex Collins. Focusing on a defensive player was the goal of this week but watching Lynch was exciting, so much that I wanted to share the talent and skills that the Memphis QB provides.

So what exactly can you look for in the former 2 star QB out of Deltona, Florida? For starters he’s about 6-6 to 6-7 and holds about a 220-245 pound frame, there’s a lot of fluctuation depending on the website you visit but regardless of it all its safe to say he has NFL size. He’s been a starter at Memphis since his freshman year and improved from a 3-9 record up to 10-3 last season while also holding an undefeated record this season. In that time he has also increased his passing percentage from 58% up to an early 70% this year (last season it was 62.7%).

More from NFL Mocks

What I Like:

One of the things I love most about watching Paxton Lynch is how natural of a passer he is, not many guys are able to effortlessly chuck a football 40 yards down the field but Lynch makes it look easy. He has a quick release and the ball comes out with some zip, he reminds me a lot of Philip Rivers with his arm strength and poise in the pocket. Lynch adds a mobility factor that Rivers doesn’t have and he’s a little more lean than the Chargers quarterback. Lynch is averaging what looks like a painful 2.4 yards per carry but adds in a nice 16 touchdowns to go along with that stat. While he’ll never be the next Cam Newton or Michael Vick, Lynch still has the threat of being a dangerous runner. His arm is what has people talking about him though, here’s 2 shots of just how easy it is for Lynch to make downfield throws

He has a deep ball at the flick of the wrist and with his height he has full vision of the field. When you look at Lynch you see that he makes all of the right reads, he’s got the cannon for the small windows and even displays touch at appropriate times. With Goff struggling last week, Cook looking average and Cardale being well..Cardale.. Lynch might find himself moving up more than just Mel Kipers board. He may find himself as a first round pick and the first offensive player from Memphis drafted since Deangelo Williams. Still with any prospect there are things left to be desired.

What’s left to be desired:

There are a few things that Lynch needs to work on but none of them are either his fault or too deep for him to recover. The first is setting his feet when he throws. Lynch is a guy who can make any throw, there aren’t too many throws he can’t make but when he does miss he misses bad. High overthrows, ball in the dirt and has a few interceptions dropped due to the firepower coming from that arm. On almost every bad throw from Lynch his feet are either too far apart or they’re not on the ground whatsoever. He gets away with a lot because its college and its college in the American Athletic Conference but at the next level those throws will end up going for 6 the other way.

Blake Bortles went number 3 overall to the Jaguars in 2014 because he had all the tools to be a successful NFL quarterback. However the transition from the AAC to the NFL is a huge jump and one that Lynch will have to face as well. There are many QBs from less prestigious conferences and/or divisions in the NFL and 2 starters that came out of the AAC ( Bridgewater and Bortles) but neither of those 2 have made a huge impact on their teams yet which tells you that Lynch may also need that time to develop. I will say that of the 3 Lynch has the most upside and is right behind Bridgewater as being the most complete QB out of college.

The last that’s left to be desired is that he’s a guy that plays in a non huddle system and its primarily out of the shotgun. Although coaches can work around the shotgun formation its more so about having to know the plays and being able to be a leader among men at the next level. Anybody can be a play-maker and be viewed as a leader in college but in the NFL it’s going to come down to whether the guys you’re in the huddle with trust your decision-making and your ability to adjust and call the correct audibles. For Lynch its a curve that he’s going to have to go through once he enters the league.

Outlook:

Paxton Lynch is a guy who can find himself going in the first round this year down to the third day. In fact he may not even come out this year but I believe with his skill-set and already being behind the curve with an NFL playbook it would be best for Lynch to come out this year instead of spending another year at Memphis. With a great year this year he has nothing left to prove and provided he plays well against Ole Miss he’ll be a lock to be one of the top QBs drafted come next spring.

If you’d like to watch the Memphis QB on your own time here’s a couple of his highlight videos Paxton Lynch Vids

Next: 2016 NFL Mock Draft

Home/NFL Draft