Paxton Lynch and Davis Webb again prove size is overrated

DETROIT, MI – AUGUST 17: Davis Webb #5 of the New York Giants throws a first half pass behind Devon Kennard #42 of the Detroit Lions during a pre season game at Ford Field on August 17, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

People have been trying to say the NFL is a game for big men for ages. No. That’s the NBA. Paxton Lynch and Davis Webb are the latest counterevidences.

Look big quarterbacks have had success in pro football for ages. Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, Peyton Manning and Carson Wentz are some of the more recent examples. However, nobody can say those men should be the narrow standard of what a top quarterback should look like. Going purely by size has proven over and over again to be a losing proposition.

The Denver Broncos, for example, have been burned by this philosophy not once but twice in the past six years. In 2012 they used a 2nd round pick on 6’7 monster Brock Osweiler. They viewed him as the heir apparent to Manning. Time quickly revealed that he was far too inconsistent and clunky to survive as a starter. Then in 2016, they did it again, this time trading up for the 6’6 Lynch in the 1st round. He was even worse, eventually getting outplayed by Trevor Siemian and Chad Kelly among others.

As for Webb? People were ready to hail the former 3rd round pick as the obvious heir apparent to Eli Manning. He was 6’5 and could throw the ball 70 yards. His future success was a certainty, right? Now here it is a year later, Manning isn’t going anywhere and Webb gets cut after just one season. The reason is simple enough to see. He’s not built to be an NFL starter.

Top QBs of today prove that size is not everything in today’s NFL

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This is not to say size isn’t helpful. It can have certain advantages. Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, and Jared Goff are 6’4 or taller. However, others prove that this is much lower on the totem pole of requirements for success. Aaron Rodgers is 6’2. Derek Carr is 6’2. Drew Brees is 6’0. Russell Wilson is 5’11. Those men aren’t about being big. They’re about sharp minds, strong arms, and excellent accuracy.

Those traits are what define a top quarterback more than anything else. Traits that neither Lynch nor Webb displayed enough of coming out of college to warrant the hype they received. That’s why the Cleveland Browns deserve credit for looking beyond the height when they drafted Baker Mayfield (6’0) with the #1 overall pick. He had the arm, the poise and the mind of a premier player.

They were willing to sacrifice a few inches in the name of getting a guy who could win them football games. This is a lesson many other teams need to learn in the future. If the QB you want possesses those traits first and happens to be big on top of it? Then that’s the guy you need to go after no matter what. He’ll be a star at this level.

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