Top quarterback prospect Sam Darnold of the USC Trojans will not throw at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Here is why this is the right move.
We’ve made it to the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. The NFL world will be back at it once again in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium beginning on Tuesday. Indianapolis will be the center of everything NFL for the next week, as all 32 teams will be gearing up for the 2018 NFL Draft. This year, it’s all about the quarterback. No prospect enters the upcoming draft with more hype than USC Trojans signal caller Sam Darnold.
Darnold is seen as crème de la crème of a talented 2018 quarterback class. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Darnold has the ideal size to succeed in the NFL as a franchise quarterback. In his two years as a starter at USC, Darnold completed 64.9 percent of his passes in Tee Martin’s offense for 7,229 yards, 57 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
While his arm talent is undeniable, NFL teams won’t be able to see Darnold sling it in Indianapolis this week. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “USC QB Sam Darnold, regarded by many as the potential No. 1 overall pick, will not throw at this week’s combine…He will throw at USC’s Pro Day on [March 21].” Darnold’s decision to not throw at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine is absolutely the right call and here is why.
USC QB Sam Darnold, regarded by many as the potential No. 1 overall pick, will not throw at this week’s combine, and will focus on athletic testing and interviews instead, per source. He will throw at USC’s Pro Day on 3/21.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2018
There are multiple reasons for why it would be a terrible idea for Darnold to throw at the combine. Where do we even begin? The first being that throwing at the combine is like playing in a neutral-site game. Darnold will be asked to complete passes to receivers available in Indianapolis he has never thrown to. Not having a rapport with some of the best receiving talent coming out of college football would be such a bad look for a promising quarterback prospect like Darnold.
Second, Darnold will make everybody who is interested in drafting him come to his home turf in Los Angeles to see him for his pro day on March 21. At Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Darnold will have his Trojan teammates to sling the ball to in a fail-proof, scripted setting. Unless you are Teddy Bridgewater and forget to wear your glove, you can’t really screw up a pro day.
Third, it’s infinitely more important for Darnold to crush the interview process in Indianapolis than worry about throwing a football. Given that he’ll enter the NFL with lofty expectations as a franchise quarterback savior, being on point with every interview and every interaction with the media is paramount.
Expect Darnold to meet with at least four teams for a 15-minute interview this week: the Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets. All four teams will be picking in the top six of the upcoming draft. There’s no way he falls past the Jets at No. 6 in a worst case scenario. No way.
Fourth, Darnold has already put together enough tape starring in the Pac-12 for teams to dissect his throwing mechanics. He was a two-year starter at USC, winning the Rose Bowl over Penn State as a redshirt freshman and winning the Pac-12 Championship over Stanford as a redshirt sophomore. It’s not like Darnold played in a Group of 5 school where NFL scouts may not have been able to seem him with great regularity. We all know who Darnold is.
Lastly and probably most importantly, there is no reason for Darnold to put his looping throwing motion under the microscope in Indianapolis. Yes, it is a bit unorthodox, but Darnold can make throws many NFL starters just can’t. It’s not as wonky of a delivery as Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers, but there is no reason for Darnold to subject himself to unnecessary scrutiny while in Indianapolis.
Overall, Darnold should be the No. 1 pick by Cleveland in the 2018 NFL Draft. He has the size, arm talent and demeanor to be the heir apparent to Bernie Kosar in Northeast Ohio. Throwing at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine would only do harm in his quest to be the No. 1 overall pick.
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Cleveland may end up drafting Josh Allen out of Wyoming for all we know, but don’t expect Darnold to puncture his quarterbacking mystique while at the combine. Throwing in Indianapolis would have only hurt his draft stock. When you’re a consensus No. 1 overall pick, you don’t do anything to jeopardize that. We’ll just have to wait 18 days to see Darnold sling it at USC.