Elite 11 2021: Ranking The Quarterbacks After Day 2's Pro Day
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. -- Day two of the Elite 11 Finals is in the books, as the group of 20 elite 2022 gunslingers went through the highly anticipated pro-day event at Mira Costa High School.
RELATED: Getting to know the Elite 11 finalists
Throughout the event, the passers were each graded on 20 individual throws on a scale of 1-3, with a score of '1' representing an off-target throw, and a score of '3' representing a perfect throw. Perfect throws serve as tie-breakers in such an event.
Sports Illustrated All-American's team of analysts was live on the scene, evaluating each and every throw that the quarterbacks made. You can find our rankings from day two and short summaries of their performances below.
Day two Elite 11 rankings
1. Cade Klubnik (Clemson commit)
Score: 55, perfect throws: 16
Cade Klubnik wasn’t awarded the win by the Elite 11 scoring system, but by SI All-American’s he was the most impressive of the day. Klubnik’s accuracy was his biggest strength coming in, and was the difference for him on Thursday as well, with the Clemson commit scoring 16 perfect throws, including on 10 of his final 11. Klubnik also owned the short to intermediate routes and displayed impressive timing despite inconsistency from the receivers.
2. Katin Houser (Michigan State commit)
Score: 54, perfect throws: 15
The local kid took the night by storm, placing second in our scoring system with just one missed throw on his scramble-left whip route. Houser nailed nearly every throw thereafter, and impressed our staff with a nice touch on his deep routes, but was average on the shorter routes. He threw with confidence and displayed fantastic mechanics as well. Houser fell to Elite 11's eventual pro day champion Luther Richesson in the final throw-off after missing both of his throws.
3. Conner Weigman (Texas A&M commit) -
Score: 53, perfect throws: 14
Texas A&M commit Conner Weigman nearly came away with the win on Thursday night, charting an impressive 14 perfect throws, including eight in a row once he got across midfield. Weigman’s downfall was on his first throw of the day -- an easy miss -- and on his avoid 7 - cut right route, which was his only true miss of the night.
4. Devin Brown (Southern California commit)
Score: 52, perfect throws: 13
USC’s Devin Brown entered the Elite 11 finals as one of the most underrated signal-callers in the 2022 class, and on Thursday, he showed exactly why he should be considered near the top of the group. Brown’s final score of 52 and 13 perfect throws were impressive enough, but he was also one of the few quarterbacks of the day to score a perfect throw on the final throw and perhaps toughest throw of the day -- the deep slant.
5. Luther Richesson (considering Appalachian State, Cincinnati, Central Michigan, Charlotte, others)
Score: 52 perfect throws: 12
The undisputed underdog of the event, Richesson was one of two quarterbacks to avoid earning a 1-grade on any of his passes, joined by Nick Evers. Richesson displayed routine arm strength and impressed the crowd with surprising accuracy. Although he didn't earn top dog honors from SI All-American, Richesson won the pro day competition in the eyes of the Elite 11 coaching staff following a playoff with Katin Houser.
t-6. Quinn Ewers (Ohio State commit)
Score: 50, perfect throws: 11
We called for a bounce-back from the uber-talented passer and he did so in a big way Thursday night. When the man with the mullet was gearing up for his run in the Pro Day, our view from the pressbox resembled a mobilization of media and onlookers for a better view -- and Ewers put on a show. While some of the script without much distance was somewhat hit or miss for the future Buckeye, the more difficult passes -- from the rolling 7-cut to the rail shot and the flag route in the opposite direction -- look routine. What made Ewers’ set even more exciting, beyond the strong arm, was the overall finish, hitting ‘money’ throws on seven of his final nine attempts. He even hit what may be the toughest ball of them all, the final ball over a pair of defenders in the back of the end zone.
t-6. Zach Pyron (Baylor commit)
Score: 50, perfect throws: 11
Another rebounding performance came from the Alabama native who had the most adversity on the first day of action. A massive flight delay nearly cost Pyron any reps on Wednesday but after some rest, he showed up sharp for the evening session. Pyron made most of his proverbial money in the middle of the script, which is a mix of intermediate and deep routes. Two were corner routes, including one on the move, that worked perfectly over the outside shoulder of the intended target. Those throws also showcase the Baylor commitment’s athleticism and footwork, working play-fakes and proving accurate on the move.
8. Nick Evers (Florida commit)
Score: 50, perfect throws: 10
Florida commit Nick Evers wrapped up his night with a total of 50 points. While his placement wasn’t always elite, Evers was one of the most consistent in terms of zip and general accuracy throughout his reps. The future Gator didn’t miss a throw all night and actually threw better outside of the pocket than in. The final throw of his pro day - one with a murky, back-of-the-endzone window - Evers was one of the only quarterbacks to nail.
9. Drew Allar (Penn State commit)
Score: 49, perfect throws: 12
Penn State commit Drew Allar came out firing, slowed down some, and finished the night with a bang. Allar threw four perfect passes across his first seven attempts before tossing a couple of 1-rated throws in the middle of his workout, only to end the night by pitching six perfect passes out of his final seven. The final throws included a mix of quick decisions, and he nailed one of the more difficult passes in the drill to camp things off - the deep slant in the back of the endzone, over two "defenders".
10. Ty Simpson (Alabama commit)
Score: 47, perfect throws: 10
Ty Simpson, who earned SI All-American's No. 1 ranking on day one, made his money with throws on the run and down the field throughout the pro day circuit. Simpson had no issue connecting on his rail shot, play-action deep left corner route and play-action endzone seam, while also showing similarly impressive velocity on short-to-intermediate concepts.
11. Maalik Murphy (Texas commit)
Score: 47, perfect throws: 9
Texas commitment Maalik Murphy had perhaps the most eye-popping throw of the day on the 7- Cut left, and was consistent on some of the most difficult throws in the script. Murphy was hurt most by his easy miss at the beginning, and his misses on the avoid over and the play-action choice route. Murphy had nine perfect throws on the day.
t-12. Holden Geriner (Auburn commit)
Score: 46, perfect throws: 9
As was the case for the bulk of the prospects on script, when Geriner crossed the 50-yard line, the Auburn commitment r really got into a rhythm. He impressed on some of the deeper throws like the rail shot and the vertical choice route in the end zone, where there was a coverage read mixed into the throw. Geriner drops and throws with good posture and has plenty of zip on the ball with his whip-like motion. At one point, the Peach Stater hit four straight money throws where he has long appeared most comfortable, while on the move.
t-12. AJ Duffy (Florida State commit)
Score: 46, perfect throws: 9
Florida State commit AJ Duffy looked very impressive at the beginning of the evening, making some tough throws on intermediate routes look easy. Duffy slowed down at the end, however, missing his last three throws. The ball bursts off his hands with a strong drive more times than not, and it was on display on many of the tougher throws in the script at intermediate distances. Few threw the over route better than the future Seminole on Thursday
t-12. Tevin Carter (considering Auburn, Georgia Tech, Memphis, others)
Score: 46, perfect throws: 9
Uncommitted prospect Tevin Carter started off hot and didn't really cool off, regardless of distance or what was asked of him. Just a handful were charted as a score of "1" by our staff and he finished on target through throw No. 20. Very much the pleasant surprise of the second day of work as far as we can track, relative to the first day of action. The big-armed passer got the ball down the field with ease, hitting the target in stride on both the stationary and mobile corner route throws.
15. Nate Johnson (Utah commit)
Score: 45, perfect throws: 9
The Utah-bound dual-threat showed good arm strength and was one of the quickest quarterbacks in the lot. In an event where mistakes are few, yet flash bright, Johnson had a hit-and-miss session. He missed a couple of slants and a roll-out crossing route to his dominant side, but threw a couple of deep dimes including the first 7-cut after three throws to running backs.
16. AJ Swann (Maryland commit)
Score: 45, perfect throws: 8
Maryland’s AJ Swann’s deep throws were some of the best that were on display on Thursday, though there were also some significant misses. Swann was the only recruit to fumble on the RPO, and was also one of the few quarterbacks in the second half of the competition to struggle once he got across the 50.
17. Tayven Jackson (Tennessee commit)
Score: 44, perfect throws: 7
Jackson ended up in the bottom third of our point rankings after missing a few deep throws outside the hashes. We liked what we saw from his intermediate routes, and he put the ball on the money a couple of times from outside the pocket and on the move.
18. Jacurri Brown (Miami commit)
Score: 43, perfect throws: 9
Jacurri Brown struggled in comparison with most of his counterparts on Thursday, completely missing on five throws, including two of the highest scored routes of the day, in the avoid, scramble to flag, and the avoid, roll right over route. Brown did have nine perfect throws on the day, which saved him from coming in last.
19. Walker Howard (LSU commit)
Score: 43, perfect throws: 6
Walker Howard made some great throws inside the hashes, but struggled when it came time to spread it out on the boundary. After missing a couple of throws early on in his session, he settled in and delivered the ball where it needed to be. Look for a bounce-back day tomorrow from Howard.
20. Gavin Wimsatt (Rutgers commit)
Score: 41, perfect throws: 6
A slow start created some methodical pocket work early in the set, but Wimsatt would progress as the evening did. The Rutgers commitment’s best ball may have been rolling to his weak side (left) to deliver a strike along the sidelines. He was quite comfortable on the move, hitting the target on time on a flag route after the pocket moved and he finished strong, with money throws on two of his final three tosses, the play-action choice route where there was some coverage identification at play, as well as the bang-8.
Notes from day two
Three camp counselors - Liberty's Malik Willis, North Carolina's Sam Howell, and UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson - kicked the pro day circuit off, demonstrating each pass in front of the contestants. SIAA graded the college quarterback's passes as well, with Willis taking home the proverbial crown.
- Willis: 53 points, 15 perfect throws
- Howell: 51 points, 12 perfect throws
- Thompson-Robinson: 47 points, 10 perfect throws
There were also a handful of former NFL players and major media personalities in attendance, taking in the performances that Elite 11 had to offer. The group of celebrities included Maurice Jones-Drew, Willie McGinest, Ryan Clark, Bucky Brooks, Mina Kimes, and Ryan Russilo.