NFL Combine: What to Expect in On-Field Drills From Jake Fromm
Despite the constant questions about Jake Fromm's arm strength dating back to even his high school days, he's always been labeled as someone who has enough to make every throw required.
In fact, his 247sports.com player evaluation from high school is about as dead-on accurate as you could be:
"Fromm is a sharp quarterback who makes all the throws. He is cool in the pocket, he is a natural leader on and off the field, and he is a winner. He still has some work to do fundamentally and he can clean up his mechanics, but he has the tools to be big-time on the next level." - 247sports.com
Now, he may have to make some of those throws with a bit more anticipation than guys like Jacob Eason or Justin Herbert, but nonetheless he does indeed have an NFL arm.
He still has some of the same question marks heading into this process though. So, what exactly do scouts expect to see in the on-field drills today in Indianapolis?
Mechanics:
The fundamental disconnect between Fromm's lower half and his arm was one of the main contributing factors leading to a career-low 60.8% completion percentage in 2019 at Georgia. It's something he talked to the media about yesterday:
"It was really my feet. I didn't feel like my feet were as clean as they needed to be this past football season and that's something that we've really been hammering throughout this process. So, for me, I'm trying to get my feet better and get them as good as they can be because I think wherever my feet are and however they are doing is really going to take care of the rest. I think it really starts from the bottom up."
He's going to need to be near flawless when it comes to his mechanics in the NFL in order to drive the ball where he needs to because though Georgia's offense prepared him for tight-window throws, the NFL is that much tighter. Any errors in a guy like Fromm's mechanics lead to inaccuracies and life as a backup.
Accuracy:
Fromm is going to have to show what made him the #1 pro-style QB in the 2017 class. Ball placement is huge for a guy like Fromm and if he can prove that he's got the mechanical issues figured out and can place the football wherever he wants, teams might take another look at the former Houston County Bear.
Lateral Quickness:
I don't think anyone expects Jake Fromm to come out and burn the 40-yard dash, but if he can hang with the rest of the quarterbacks in the short area drills perhaps he can silence some of the questions regarding his mobility.
The modern NFL now requires quarterbacks to at least be able to extend plays with their feet and make throws off-platform. And though Fromm certainly has the arm talent to complete these throws, some question his ability to allude the rush. So, if he shows that he's got relatively good foot speed in the short shuttle drills, he could improve his stock a bit.
What you won't see:
Unfortunately for Jake Fromm, what you won't be able to see this evening is everything that made him a great college quarterback that sent the likes of Jacob Eason and Justin Fields off to greener pastures. The leadership, the ability to control an offense at the line of scrimmage, his impact on a team's culture.
All of those things can't be measured or evaluated in shorts and t-shirts, running routes on air.
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