Documentary Follows Chase Garbers’ Journey to Possible NFL Career
In this story:
The funniest part of the documentary about Cal quarterback Chase Garbers and his path to a possible NFL career is provided by Garbers’ father, Grant, who says this:
“How old was Ethan when you put him into goal and knocked his teeth out playing hockey?"
Ethan, of course, is Ethan Garbers, a quarterback at UCLA and the younger brother of Chase Garbers, one of four players whose journey toward a possible NFL career is chronicled in a documentary produced by Fantatics, which is available to be streamed.
Whether Chase Garbers will be drafted is in doubt, but his determination to get on an NFL roster is not. That’s why “Determination” is name of the documentary, which starts with the upbringing and home life of each of the four players being examined, then reports their thoughts and actions on the road to turning pro .
Here is trailer for the Garbers portion of the documentary:
And you can watch the entire 25-minute documentary by clicking here to stream it, or by viewing it on YouTube below:
Throughout his portion of the documentary Garbers talks about his preparation for pro football and his confidence that he can make it. It started with the day he discovered that pro football was possible for him.
--Click here to watch the NFL draft live--
“. . . . Realizing that if I just work hard and do what I’m doing already, there’s a great shot that I could end up in the NFL,” he said.
The documentary shows some of Garbers highlights at Cal and in a postseason all-star game, but he was not invited to the NFL Combine.
Nonetheless Garbers suggests he will be ready.
“When the time comes on an NFL roster I feel really confident in my ability to make a team and let chips fall where they may,” he said,
It’s unclear whether Garbers will be drafted, as we will point out later, and Garbers is in the dark like everyone else.
“This month is very uncertain,” he said, “and this whole process is uncertain. It’s all about staying ready, I believe. I am confident in my ability to play in this league for a while. Just got to make that happen when the time comes.”
Perhaps Garbers’ most revealing statement about his situation is this: “Playing quarterback and being in this position, it’s a lot of mental games, mental chess so to speak.”
If Garbers is to make and NFL team roster, he probably will have to do it as an undrafted free agent.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Garbers as the 14th-best quarterback prospect in the draft. However, Kiper includes only the top 11 quarterback prospects in his ranking of the top 225 overall prospects in this year’s NFL draft. Since there are only 262 picks in the 2022 draft, the chances of Garbers getting drafted appear to be slim.
Here are Kiper’s quarterback rankings
1. Mailk Willis, Liberty
2. Kenny Pickett, Pitt
3. Matt Corral, Ole Miss
4. Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
5. Sam Howell, North Carolina
6. Carson Strong, Nevada
7. Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky
8. Jack Coan, Notre Dame
9. Skylar Thompson, Kansas State
10. Cole Kelley, SE Louisiana
11. Aqeel Glass, Alabama A&M
12. EJ Perry, Brown
13. Kaleb Eleby, Western Michigan
14. Chase Garbers, Cal
15. Dustin Crum, Kent State
16. Brock Purdy, Iowa State
17. Anthony Brown, Oregon
Click here for ESPN’s assessment of Garbers in four categories. Surprisingly, he received a low grade for mental makeup.
SI.com does not rank Garbers among the top 15 quarterbacks in the draft, and CBS Sports does not include Garbers among the 19 players it ranks at the quarterback position. And this year is not considered a good draft for quarterbacks.
Bottom line, Garbers may have to sign with a team as an undrafted free agent. But undrafted quarterbacks have become starters in the NFL in the past. The prime examples are Dave Krieg, Jeff Garcia, Tony Romo and Kurt Warner, each of whom was selected to at least three Pro Bowls after going undrafted.
.
Cover photo of Chase Garbers by John Hefti, USA TODAY Sports
.
Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by searching: @si.calsportsreport or going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsrepor
