 |
| |
|
 |
 |
|||||||||||
|
Passing judgment Herd of personnel scrutinize former Marshall QB LeftwichPosted: Monday April 07, 2003 8:55 PM
If the goal was to be seen moving around unfettered by the leg injury that has loomed over his pre-draft status, Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich's long-awaited personal workout Monday in Bradenton, Fla., registered a success. But if Leftwich's real aim was to take his best shot at claiming the top spot in the draft -- which as of now is still owned by Cincinnati -- his efforts most likely fell short. At least that's the opinion of some NFL personnel evaluators who attended Leftwich's workout at Manatee High. "He moved OK," said one observer, who works for a team that drafts in the top 10. "He's not ever going to be a mobile guy by any stretch. But they put him in situations where he had to drop back and move around, and I don't think it's a matter of anybody thinking his leg isn't healed." Monday represented Leftwich's first public workout of the offseason and the NFL's first chance to watch him run on the highly scrutinized left leg that has suffered two tibia injuries the past two seasons. Leftwich last played in Marshall's bowl game, after which he revealed that he had persevered late in the season despite suffering a stress fracture in a Nov. 2 game against Akron. Leftwich ran a 40-yard dash that NFL.com reported was in the 4.85 range, and he showed decent maneuverability without any sign of the limp that some team officials said they saw at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February. His foot speed was about what was expected of him, but Leftwich has had better days throwing the ball, an NFL source said. All told, Leftwich threw about 75 passes Monday, all from under center. Leftwich played in the shotgun formation in college, and pro scouts were eager to see him execute in a drop-back offense. Despite allaying concerns on several fronts, Leftwich clearly didn't wow the contingent of NFL scouts, coaches and general managers on hand. That group included Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski, as well as officials from Chicago (No. 4), Jacksonville (No. 8), Carolina (No. 9) and Baltimore (No. 10) -- the five most likely destinations for Leftwich. "It was hot and humid and kind of windy," said the official with a top-10 team. "I would have had the guy work out indoors. He was a big guy, and he was moving around and sweating pretty good. I'm not big on dropping a guy down the board because of a bad workout. That's not fair when they have a track record to go on. But he didn't really have a good workout. "I don't think he affected his position, but I don't think he helped himself, either. I'd be a little surprised if he's a top-10 pick. Most people think there are two quarterbacks who are better. But he's a big guy who can throw the ball pretty good. He's about what everybody expected." Although Lewis could not be reached for comment Monday, Cincinnati's team Web site reported that Leftwich was scheduled to accompany Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese back to the Queen City on Monday night to visit with team officials Tuesday. Last month, Lewis said the Bengals would not make a decision on their No. 1 pick until Leftwich conducted his workout day. Lewis also said the club planned to bring Leftwich, Southern Cal quarterback Carson Palmer and Kansas State cornerback Terence Newman to Cincinnati for pre-draft interviews. Palmer and Newman are expected to visit later this week. Cincinnati officials are hopeful of reaching a decision on their pick by this weekend, thus allowing the club to use the two remaining weeks before the draft to try to reach a contract agreement with its selection. Palmer remains the Bengals' most likely choice, but what's unknown is whether Leftwich’s workout altered Cincinnati's views in any way. On Monday, Leftwich measured 6-foot-5, 236 pounds, which is 13 pounds fewer than he weighed at the Combine. Leftwich's personal workout was scheduled for early April to give him as much time as possible to rehabilitate his leg injury and resume his conditioning. In an effort to head off any concerns about Leftwich's injury history -- he has a rod in his left tibia, which suffered a hairline fracture in 2001 -- the quarterback's agent, Tom Condon, reportedly sent a letter to all NFL teams late last week, in which well-known orthopedic surgeon James Andrews pronounced Leftwich healthy. Besides the task of overtaking Palmer, some NFL talent evaluators believe Cal's Kyle Boller has made up significant ground on Leftwich in the past two months. Boller has had an impressive string of workouts that began at the Senior Bowl, and he has interjected himself into the debate among potential top-10 quarterbacks. Leftwich's status has kept the draft's top 10 up in the air, given that the No. 1 Bengals weren't prepared to set their board until he worked out. If Cincinnati passes on Leftwich, Jacksonville and Baltimore become the teams most likely to spend their picks on him. Chicago also could be factor, although the Bears have said they likely won't draft a first-round quarterback. On Monday, the Bears were represented by general manager Jerry Angelo among others. Jacksonville head coach Jack Del Rio was in attendance, as was Carolina head coach John Fox and a host of Baltimore officials. That group included general manager Ozzie Newsome, personnel man Phil Savage, head coach Brian Billick and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. One NFL observer estimated that more than half the league's teams were represented at Leftwich's workout.
Don Banks covers pro football for SI.com.
|
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||
