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After throwing my back out this weekend, I've had a lot of time to review film of Sam Bradford on YouTube. Here's what I observed:
Delivery/Release
Bradford has a very quick delivery. He does not have a pure, over-the-top throwing motion and, at times, drops to a 3/4 release point. However, his motion is very compact, and he has no "tell" (i.e. long wind-up, telegraphing direction of throws).
Accuracy
Definitely his strong suit. He shows the ability to hit receivers in stride, allowing for a lot of YAC. He also shows great touch on fade patterns, and throws to the back of the end zone.
Deep Ball
I was struck by how few deep throws are represented in Bradford's highlight films. Perhaps this is due, in part, to the style of offense he played in. On the few deep balls I observed, Bradford's spiral was less than perfect, but his accuracy was still very good.
Arm Strength
As stated, not a lot of strong deep ball evidence to call Bradford a "strong armed" QB. That said, his mid-range (15-25 yard) throws were typically thrown on a rope, even when thrown to the sideline. I'd say he has better arm strenth than, say, Chad Pennington, but he's not going to beat Jay Cutler in a distance contest.
Footwork
Another strong point. Bradford slides in the pocket very well without getting happy feet. He is also exceptional at squaring his body quickly to avoid throws off the back foot, even when rolling out. He's not fast, and isn't a guy looking to run the ball, but he is a guy who can pick up yards when the pocket breaks down.
In sum, I like what I saw. Granted, I was watching highlight films, not game films, but there is no shortage of evidence of strong skills. In terms of overall style and ability, I still look at Bradford as being comparable to Kurt Warner. He has many of the same skills, as well as limitations. Whether he has that extra "it" factor that Kurt had... that I can't tell you from watching highlight films.
However, I can conclusively state that he is considerably more impressive than Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike (both of whom I say play several times this year), and clearly has better overall tools than Dan LeFevour and Colt McCoy (who I also saw quite a bit of last year).
In case you are wondering, Suh is still at the top of my draft board. But its closer than ever now.
Delivery/Release
Bradford has a very quick delivery. He does not have a pure, over-the-top throwing motion and, at times, drops to a 3/4 release point. However, his motion is very compact, and he has no "tell" (i.e. long wind-up, telegraphing direction of throws).
Accuracy
Definitely his strong suit. He shows the ability to hit receivers in stride, allowing for a lot of YAC. He also shows great touch on fade patterns, and throws to the back of the end zone.
Deep Ball
I was struck by how few deep throws are represented in Bradford's highlight films. Perhaps this is due, in part, to the style of offense he played in. On the few deep balls I observed, Bradford's spiral was less than perfect, but his accuracy was still very good.
Arm Strength
As stated, not a lot of strong deep ball evidence to call Bradford a "strong armed" QB. That said, his mid-range (15-25 yard) throws were typically thrown on a rope, even when thrown to the sideline. I'd say he has better arm strenth than, say, Chad Pennington, but he's not going to beat Jay Cutler in a distance contest.
Footwork
Another strong point. Bradford slides in the pocket very well without getting happy feet. He is also exceptional at squaring his body quickly to avoid throws off the back foot, even when rolling out. He's not fast, and isn't a guy looking to run the ball, but he is a guy who can pick up yards when the pocket breaks down.
In sum, I like what I saw. Granted, I was watching highlight films, not game films, but there is no shortage of evidence of strong skills. In terms of overall style and ability, I still look at Bradford as being comparable to Kurt Warner. He has many of the same skills, as well as limitations. Whether he has that extra "it" factor that Kurt had... that I can't tell you from watching highlight films.
However, I can conclusively state that he is considerably more impressive than Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike (both of whom I say play several times this year), and clearly has better overall tools than Dan LeFevour and Colt McCoy (who I also saw quite a bit of last year).
In case you are wondering, Suh is still at the top of my draft board. But its closer than ever now.
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