Brock Osweiler 2012 NFL Draft scouting report

Brock Osweiler
6’7, 240 pounds | Quarterback | Arizona State

Accuracy: Osweiler has the arm strength to accurately place the ball in a tight window when he’s hitting his passes. The trouble is, Osweiler often throws off balance from his back foot losing accuracy. Accuracy was inconsistent throughout his junior season. Threw a lot of slant and swing passes showing good ball placement and touch. When on the move, Osweiler would often throw low.

Arm strength: Has an arm that is exceptionally strong, and maybe the strongest of any quarterback in the draft. He just didn't get to show it all the time in the Arizona State offense. Drives the ball well to the outside hash. Knows how to take some zip off his ball in the short passing game. Many quarterbacks with the same kind of big arm throw short passes too hard, making them hard to catch.

Decision making: When the first read isn’t available, Osweiler tends to struggle finding the next option and will force throws. That’s the main reason why he needed more experience in college. He started just more than a year’s worth of games, and isn’t a very savvy player.

Field vision: Has made improvements reading defenses pre-snap as the 2011 season progressed. Benefited from predominantly lining up in the shotgun. Will lock on his targets too much, especially in the short and middle passing areas. Will need to learn how to manipulate safeties with his eyes. Does a nice job of changing his release point to fire the ball through an open area.

Mechanics: Has worked a lot to shorten up and quicken his delivery. Coming out of high school, Osweiler had a long release over the top windup. Before his junior season with the Sun Devils, he worked diligently to shorten his release. The three-quarters, Philip Rivers-style release was more successful for Osweiler, though it has lowered his release point. Because of his height, it’s not a major concern. He'll on occasion revert to his old motion, especially when he has to drive the ball deep.

It's difficult to fully judge Osweiler's footwork since he took few snaps from under center. Many long-limbed quarterbacks get tangled up on five-step drops and have to take their time. This is the biggest area of Osweiler's game that remains a question mark. Accuracy drops because he too often throws off his back foot.

Pocket awareness: Still learning line adjustments to better protect himself against blitzes. Clearly struggled in this area against Illinois. In that game, Osweiler was forced to forced to speed up his game, which led to some poor ball placement. Isn't a statue in the pocket. A former high school basketball player, Osweiler has nimble feet and is quick enough to elude pressure.

Final word: Including Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, no quarterback in the 2012 NFL Draft has as much potential and natural ability as Osweiler. He’s a tall, strong-armed athletic passer with a quick release and a lot of room to grow. What keeps Osweiler from being an elite-level quarterback prospect is a lack of experience and some accuracy issues. It’s concerning that Osweiler didn’t take a hold of Arizona State’s quarterback job until the latter part of the 2010 season. Because of his lack of experience, he has some technical flaws and often works just the first read. With the right coaching and enough reps, though, Osweiler could develop into a very good NFL quarterback.