Trace McSorley puts NFL scouts in their place by refusing DB workout

It’s unclear if Trace McSorley will stick as a quarterback in the NFL, but he won’t be doing combine work at another position.

For all the concern over Kyler Murray’s size, fellow (and far less touted) quarterback prospect Trace McSorley also came in a bit small at the NFL Combine (6-foot, 202 pounds). Quarterbacks took the field for workouts at the NFL Combine Saturday, and McSorley topped the position group with a 4.57 40-yard dash.

NFL teams can make requests for players to work at other positions during the combine. As an example, teams wanted Lamar Jackson to work out at wide receiver last year and he refused. There were 41 players asked to work out a second position this year, including a quarterback asked to work with the tight ends (Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald), but more notably Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa, Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver and Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary were asked to work out at linebacker. But at least those guys were asked to stay on their side of the ball.

There’s McSorley on the list, asked to work out as a defensive back. But he has refused the request, as many prospects do in the same situation.

McSorley’s former Penn State teammate, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, weighed in.

To be fair McSorley did play some defensive back in high school, and NFL teams surely uncovered that while vetting him as a draft prospect. But he committed to Vanderbilt because he was going to be able to play quarterback, a position he started at all four years of high school. Then he followed head coach James Franklin to Penn State, and was a three-year starter under center there.

McSorley had a down year in 2018, completing 53.2 percent of his passes for 2,530 yards and 18 touchdowns. But as a junior in 2017 he threw for 3,570 yards with 28 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 66.5 percent completion rate, and in 2016 he was a bit better by some measures (3,614 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, 156.9 passer rating). He’s also the winningest quarterback in Penn State history.

McSorley does seem to have athleticism to burn, with nearly 1,700 rushing yards during his career at Penn State and 23 touchdowns on the ground over his final two seasons. So it’s convenient for NFL teams to think he can capably switch positions, even to the opposite side of the ball and a position he can’t be projected to play with any confidence. Then again, projecting McSorley to play quarterback competently at the next level is tough to do too.

It’s worth noting a college quarterback-turned-NFL wide receiver, Julian Edelman, was just named Super Bowl MVP. So it won’t be out of the question for McSorley to switch positions and have a good NFL career, if it comes to that and he’s open to it. But props to him for drawing the line, and dismissing flimsy logic from a least one team’s scouts under the guise of “fully evaluating” prospects or pushing them out of their comfort zone.