Andre' Woodson, 2008 NFL Draft Prospect

Quarterback 6' 5" 230 lbs. Speed: NA Kentucky Senior

Andre’ Woodson seems to be a highly controversial 2008 NFL Draft Prospect. Most draft analysts like his NFL potential, but there are a few, like myself, that have concerns about his throwing motion and ball delivery. What’s not controversial however, is his stunning success on the football field. When he took over the reigns as the starting quarterback (as a sophomore) for Kentucky, they were a pathetic team, coming off of a 2-9 campaign. He started all 11 games that year (2005) completing 57.7 percent of his passes for 1,644 yards and six touchdowns. He led his team in passing and total offense and they finished 3-8.

But his next year as a junior (2006), he really turned things around at Kentucky. He led his team to an unprecedented resurgence, Kentucky went from being a laughing stock to one of the most feared teams in college football. As of this writing, (8 games into the 2007 season), Woodson has won 15 out of his last 22 games including a fantastic performance last year at the Music City Bowl, where Kentucky beat Clemson 28-20 and Woodson completed 20 of 28 passes for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns. This year (2007), despite a couple of tough losses to South Carolina and Florida, Woodson has been spectacular. Kentucky was ranked in the top 10 in the College Football Rankings at one point after Woodson led Kentucky to an overtime victory of the then ranked #1 LSU Tigers. Woodson has even emerged as a  legitimate Heisman Trophy Candidate.

So Woodson is definitely not a one year wonder, as of game 8 of the 2007 season, Woodson is ranked 14^th in the nation in pass efficiency with a rating of 153.8. He has completed 64.75 % of his passes for 2,201 yards. What is really impressive though is his touchdown to interception ratio, throwing 26 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions.

So there is a lot to like about Woodson, he is tall and big at 6’ 5” 230 pounds and he stands tall in the pocket with an overhead delivery, he will rarely have a ball batted down at the line of scrimmage. He sees the field very well and doesn’t stare down just the primary receiver, he is very well coached and is adept at reading defenses; he is just a heady player that makes good decisions with the ball. He has a very strong arm and has very good accuracy with good touch. Woodson is a young man of very high character, is coachable and stays calm under pressure. He has the mental make up that will make an elite NFL quarterback.

He does have some negatives however, he is not real mobile and doesn't have real good pocket presence when he gets pressured, he is the typical pocket passer. More importantly, his delivery in not NFL ready, he cocks the ball way back behind his ear before he throws it. It takes a while before the ball gets out of his hand. That slow delivery will give NFL cornerbacks that extra split second to react on the ball. That said, I think his throwing motion can be streamlined with a good quarterbacks coach in the NFL. He will never have a Dan Marino quick delivery.

NFL Draft Dog’s prediction: This was a difficult scouting report to do as quarterbacks by nature are very difficult to evaluate. I was kind of confused on why no one was even mentioning Woodson’s awkward delivery. It seemed like NFL Draft Dog was the only one that noticed how slow it was. I just don't see his throwing motion as something that will work in the NFL, it's just too slow, NFL cornerbacks will jump his throws all day.

So I asked a couple leading experts in the NFL Draft community, NFL Draft Countdown’s Scott Wright and the War Room Report’s Rob Tribbett.

Here is what Scott and Rob said when asked about his delivery:

Scott Wright said, “Woodson doesn't have the fastest delivery but that can be worked on.  Overall I am not that worried about it and others I have spoken to aren't either.  In fact, it seems like teams aren't too concerned with awkward deliveries these days because David Carr, Philip Rivers and Vince Young were all Top 5 picks despite their unorthodox throwing motions.  The biggest thing that concerns me with Woodson is actually his accuracy.  I know that's probably strange to hear since he's completing well over 60% of his passes but he tends to sail some balls, an issue that Brady Quinn had as well.”