Mark Sanchez excellent at USC Pro Day

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:45:02 +0000

Quarterback Mark Sanchez is making a strong case to be selected in the top 10 (or thereabouts) after dazzling at USC’s Pro Day.

The consensus at USC on Wednesday was that Sanchez had an excellent performance in front of a full house that included NFL scouts and coaches, family and friends, and even a few fans in the stands. He showed balance, solid footwork and most importantly, accuracy on all of his throws.

He estimated that he threw about 80 passes — a strong number for a pro day workout.
There were even whispers that Sanchez’s pro day was better than that of Georgia’s Matt Stafford. Again, whispers. But Sanchez was confident and effortless, and did nothing but help himself.

“I think he showed better arm strength than people generally give him,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. “He’s not Stafford, he’s not [Kansas State's Josh] Freeman; but his arm is every bit as good as Matt Ryan’s. And as Matt Ryan showed this year, when you’re accurate and you show good anticipation, a good arm is good enough. That’s what Matt is, and that’s what Mark Sanchez is. What he showed is consistency.”

Mayock makes a great point about arm strength. Two years ago everyone marveled at how JaMarcus Russell could throw a 60-yard pass while sitting down. But having that much arm strength doesn’t amount to much if you’re only completing 53.8 percent of your passes, which is what Russell did last year.

The one big knock on Ryan last year was that he lacked elite arm strength. Yet he proved last year that he can complete all of the NFL throws and he showed great touch on the deep ball. As long as Sanchez can do the same thing, it doesn’t necessarily matter if he doesn’t have the arm strength of Matthew Stafford or Josh Freeman. The key is whether or not Sanchez (or any of the quarterbacks for that matter) have the mental makeup in order to succeed at the next level. Ryan and Joe Flacco did and that’s why they succeeded.

Athlete Profile: Mark Sanchez

Jeff Dooley — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:00:22 +0000

If it seems as though Mark Sanchez is handling the constant comparisons to fellow top QB prospect Matthew Stafford in stride, that’s because the former USC signal-caller knows a thing or two about competition.

After all, he starred for a school that in the last 6 years has produced four NFL quarterbacks – Carson Palmer (’03), Matt Cassel (’05), Matt Leinart (’06) and John David Booty (’08). Now, Sanchez stands poised to become the fifth.

Competition was so stiff at quarterback for USC that Sanchez didn’t even become a full-time starter until this past season. But he made the most of it, shredding defenses to the tune of 3,207 yards and 34 touchdowns while leading Southern Cal to a 12-1 record. He capped off his season by leading the Trojans to a 38-24 Rose Bowl victory over Penn State in which he completed 80 percent of his passes for 413 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, while also rushing for a score.

Despite his stellar season and even better bowl game performance, some question Sanchez’s NFL value because of his relatively limited time under center in college.

Count USC Head Coach Pete Carroll among his doubters. During a press conference in which Sanchez announced his intention to declare for the NFL Draft, Carroll said he disagreed with his quarterback’s choice, citing numerous cases and statistical data that suggest quarterbacks who leave school early struggle in the NFL.

His coach’s lack of confidence aside, Sanchez certainly has the physical tools of an NFL quarterback. The 6’3″, 225-pound signal caller possesses a quick release, displays solid arm strength, above average athleticism and great field vision. He’s also known to be something of a gym rat – a quality that will certainly come in handy as he tries to break the mold of quarterbacks that entered the NFL draft early. It’s also important to note that Sanchez is a fourth-year junior, and will walk away from USC this year with his degree.

As for those comparisons to Stafford, it appears that the University of Georgia product is winning the battle in the minds of pro scouts and draft pundits. Scouts love Stafford’s arm strength and claim he can make all the throws necessary for a quarterback to succeed in the NFL. Sanchez certainly is not backing down, choosing to perform every drill at the combine, both physical and throwing drills, while Stafford opted to sit out. Sanchez can also claim a slight advantage in on-field performance, as he threw for nine more TDs than Stafford did, while the Georgia QB engineered the Bulldogs to two more losses than Sanchez’s Trojans.

No matter what team he ends up with, or how many quarterbacks are taken before him, it’s safe to say Sanchez will welcome the head-on competition. After all, he hasn’t backed down from a single battle yet.

The latest on Sanchez

Widely regarded by draft scouts as the second-best quarterback available in the draft behind Matthew Stafford, Sanchez should still go in the first round, possibly in the first 15 picks.

Mel Kiper Jr. has him going no. 3 to the Kansas City Chiefs

SI.com’s Don Banks says the Jacksonville Jaguars will take him no. 8

Todd McShay says he will go no. 15 to the Houston Texans

Sanchez on the Web

ESPN.com profile

Career and year-by-year statistics

USC profile

Stats and personal information

Wikipedia page

Loads of information and links on Sanchez

New York Times feature from September 2008

Billy Witz writes of the emphasis Mark’s dad Nick put on education