At least one former NFL executive fell in love with Blaine Gabbert after the QB worked out at Missouri’s Pro Day on Thursday. This is what ESPN 101 NFL Insider Tony Softli tweeted after watching Gabbert throw:
Carolina Panthers will have a difficult decision after the Gabbert workout!! Wow!! A more athletic Drew Bledsoe!
Softli wasn’t the only member of the media that came away impressed with Gabbert’s workout. Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily Tribune tweeted that Gabbert unofficially completed 44 of 49 passes but at least three of the incompletions were because of drops on good balls. Apparently Gabbert’s QB coach Terry Shea was also very pleased, noting that Gabbert was “flawless on under-center snaps and excelled at moving outside the pocket.”
One thing to note is that Bengals’ coach Marvin Lewis was on hand and according to Matter, was watching Gabbert with a keen eye. Although hey, why wouldn’t he? Carson Palmer has already stated that he would rather use his face to put out a fire than return to the Bengals next season, so it would make sense that Lewis would watch Gabbert closely. Cincinnati owns the No. 4 pick in the draft and while most pundits have the Bungles selecting receiver A.J. Green, Gabbert would certainly make sense given the situation with Palmer. I personally don’t like the fit because I think someone like Christian Ponder (who should be available when the Bengals pick again in the second) would work well in Jay Gruden’s West Coast Offense and then Cincinnati could address another position at No. 4.
It’s not surprising that a quarterback prospect looked good on his Pro Day. He’s in a familiar environment throwing to familiar receivers standing on familiar footing. But as Sotli pointed out, Gabbert (who also scored a 42 on the Wonderlict test) certainly has given the Panthers something to think about at No. 1.
