The three most-important attributes to look for when evaluating a QB

We are in my favorite part of the year; draft season! This is the time of year that I travel around the country to see some of the best talent coming into the NFL at all-star games and pro days. It’s also at this time when I get to reach out to my contacts in the scouting community directly. Texting or phone calls during the year are fine, but meeting in person and chopping it up over dinner and drinks is much, much better.

I am also in the film room. This year, I’m going to take you inside my process here on Denver Sports. I will be fully prepared for the NFL Draft once again, and I promise to give you the most insight into the draft of anyone in the Denver media. I’m not going to hit on every player, and I learn more from my misses than my hits, but I promise that nobody is going to work harder to find out as much as possible about this draft class.

Before we get to the individual player reports, I am first going to go over some of the most important skills I’m looking for at each position. This comes from studying this game professionally for nearly 20 years, film breakdown, and talking with scouts and GMs around the league.

So, what am I looking for when watching quarterbacks? Here are my top three attributes for the position.

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Footwork

It’s all about your feet as a passer. That may sound foreign to some, but proper footwork is the most important part of a quarterback’s game. Good footwork is the foundation of good mechanics, and proper footwork can help a pass travel farther and more accurately. Some quarterbacks have elite arms and can fire in passes with bad mechanics, but improved footwork with that rocket arm can make an incredibly dangerous quarterback.

It’s not just about mechanics as a passer, although that is imperative to success. Your eyes follow your feet as a passer. If your feet are bad, your eyes will be bad, and then everything is out of whack. Watch a quarterback’s head to see where his eyes are but watch where his feet are first. If his feet are out of place, he may see the throw he needs to make but it won’t be as clean as he needs it to be.

The footwork of a play should be matched up to the route combinations in the play. As a quarterback drops back, his receivers are getting off the line of scrimmage and into their routes at varying depths. When the quarterback “hitches” through the progression, the stem of the route and the break need to match where his feet are at. If a quarterback is hitching too early or too late (or if the receivers are out ot time) then the play has a lower chance for success. The best quarterbacks are going to have the best feet, and that hitches them up with the timing of the offense.

Brock Purdy is a lil lucky here. Not exactly where he wants to throw the ball but it's another big play. Good enough is good enough. Also, who knows wtf 27 is doing?#FTTB | #NinerGang
🎥https://t.co/1zLuhSTIXi<;/a> pic.twitter.com/f2D3AoTYAn

— The QB School (@theqbschool) January 17, 2023

I want to see proper footwork from a quarterback in college. When I don’t see that, it sends up a huge red flag. Quarterbacks with great footwork may not have every tool (see 49ers’ QB Brock Purdy above), but they can have success if their feet are good. If you want more about footwork, check out J.T. O’Sullivan’s YouTube channel “The QB School” for great film breakdowns. There are many imitators out there, but most breaking down quarterback films on YouTube are trash. O’Sullivan shows you his work, doesn’t try to talk above the head of the audience, and he teaches what you should be looking for. Watch any episode of “QB School” and you’ll hear a lot about footwork.

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Intelligence

You can’t play quarterback and be a dummy. Well, there are plenty of dumb quarterbacks but they’re rarely the type of player you can build a team around. Quarterbacks who don’t possess high football intelligence can only go so far, and you need a bright quarterback if you want to find a franchise quarterback.

You can get a sense of a person’s intelligence just by talking to them. However, to understand the football intelligence of a quarterback it takes a deep study of their film from college. Yes, college offenses are generally simple – and it is a different game from the NFL. However, you can see by a quarterback’s decisions how much they understand their own play design and what a defense is trying to do to stop them.

The best quarterbacks “isolate and eliminate” as they survey the field. They’ll break the huddle and then immediately see how the defense is aligned. Through seeing how they initially line up to play defense, a quarterback should be able to tell where he’s going with the ball before ever taking the snap. Yes, a quarterback needs to be ready for a defense to deceive him with coverage or last-second changes, but the best ones are already anticipating those changes. You’re not going to be surprised as a quarterback if you can “isolate and eliminate” with math (how many defenders strong side versus weak side) and alignment.

Tom Brady beats zero by pumping the #2 quick out trying to get the corner to come off the go. You can see the corner at the bottom flat footed because the ball as to come out quickly vs zero. Regardless, the throw is a dime. Perfect throw.#GoBucs
🎥https://t.co/BkMkN1110G<;/a> pic.twitter.com/Zc0t7fN1rI

— The QB School (@theqbschool) January 5, 2023

I’ve put more attention on this part of a quarterback’s game in recent years. I won’t mention any names, but it won’t be difficult for most of you to figure out which quarterback I missed on who perhaps wasn’t the brightest bulb in the shed. As former GM Scot McCloughan told me years ago, physical talent is easy to see. The special quarterbacks are the ones who can “isolate and eliminate” before taking the snap, and that’s what I try to find now while watching film.

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Pass Placement

Some may be surprised that arm strength isn’t at the top of the list for me. Plenty of quarterbacks have strong arms but fail when it comes to refined passing skills. I’m not even talking about accuracy, as those numbers can be inflated in the college game – either by design (screens, slants, easier throws) or wide-open receivers. A layman will talk about accuracy. Real scouts and general managers talk about pass placement.

The trait is exactly as described. Place the pass in the proper spot, and a quarterback will maximize what a receiver can do after the catch. It takes a much more accurate thrower, which comes back to mechanics and intelligence. Good footwork makes your passes more accurate. Smart quarterbacks will naturally anticipate where to go with the ball. Knowing where to go with the ball sets up your body to get in the right position to make the right throw at the right time.

Receivers who get the ball at the right time make the best plays. Receivers who have to slow down and wait for the ball allow the defense to catch up to them. Football is a game of chess – or cat-and-mouse. Once you have a defender in a “gotcha” moment from play design, you need to be able to execute properly for a scoring or explosive play. Pass placement, when done correctly, makes it easier for everyone on the offense and that leads to scores.

Dak Prescott w/ an absolute dot on an All Go switch to the #2 to the bottom. Love the base and rhythm here. #DallasCowboys
🎥https://t.co/rDBuCA7lcN<;/a> pic.twitter.com/rANsatOMQ2

— The QB School (@theqbschool) January 19, 2023

Pass placement isn’t just about leading receivers in stride either. A quarterback needs to know how to find the right passing lane, and he needs to know where potential defenders are coming from. Guys like Peyton Manning would be able to signal to a receiver where a potential tackler was coming from just by the shoulder a pass was thrown to. That is elite-level pass placement that the best of the best have in the NFL.

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Summary

Find me a quarterback with proper footwork, high intelligence and proper pass placement, and that gives me a good start for the rest of the important skills needed to play at the pro level. Quarterbacks need to have a fast processor (intelligence), and that can help someone like Tom Brady have a better pro career than a college career. Again, college football is a different game and what works at that level won’t work at the pro level as much if not at all. Look for the right things when considering what a player can be in the NFL and put the college stats behind. Look for pro skill.

Look at a player like Purdy. He doesn’t have a rocket arm, and he’s not the most dangerous scrambler. However, he’s smart, has good footwork, and he’s got proper pass placement. It’s no wonder the 49ers are making a Super Bowl run with the seventh-round quarterback. Purdy isn’t everything you can be as a quarterback, but in that system, he doesn’t need to be. He’s got all the most important tools for a solid foundation.

Start with these three attributes, then look for arm strength and athleticism. Find a quarterback with more of these, and you’ll find a generational talent. Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes has all the assets you need, and that’s why he’s arguably the best quarterback we’ve seen since the days of John Elway. Obviously, a guy with every skill set perfected is tough to find but I believe the three I’ve highlighted here are the most important.

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Follow @CecilLammey