If you follow NFL draft analysts, you’d certainly know that Jake Locker’s draft status has moved up and down on almost a daily basis. His Senior bowl performance left something to be desired, but he showed marked accuracy improvement in the combine and impressed with his athleticism. Then he followed it with a flawless Pro day at the UW.
For those who have followed Jake Locker through his UW tenure, the accuracy concerns are far overblown. On the run or in must-win situations, Jake Locker is more accurate than many NFL QBs. His numbers in 2010 were less impressive then people expected because of three primary reasons:
- He played injured. Did any other QB draft propects play with a broken rib half the season?
- He had no tight end. In ‘09, Locker had Middleton most of the season. In 2010, the back-up TE’s did not produce. I think the total number of catches the whole season could be counted on half a hand.
- The UW played defenses that dominated UW receivers. For example, anyone who watched the Holiday Nebraska game (UW had to the amazing Neb secondary twice, which gave any team they faced very poor QB #s), would have noticed that nearly every play, both wide receivers were ineligible because the corners pushed them out of bounds every play).
As NFL draft day nears, some analysts have said Jake will be a top-10 pick, while others say he will be 4-5th round. We won’t know until it happens, but I’d be surprised to see him make it to the 2nd round. Where he is picked doesn’t really matter. What matters the most is if Jake ends up on a team that has a veteran QB to show him the ropes for a year or two. Personally, I’d love to see him end up at the Seahawks, but wherever he goes, I’ll continue to be a big fan.
As a Husky fan, I sure wish Ken O’Brien would have trained Locker two years ago. His drop step, form, and accuracy improvements are very noticeable. Jake is clearly trainable and clearly a hard-worker.
For those who can’t get enough of Jake, we recommend watching the follow videos:
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