Denard plans to throw at Pro Day

Submitted by Jehu the Damaja on

Even though he says his arm is only about "60-70%", he still wants to show some NFL teams exactly what kind of skills he can bring to the table. He still says he's a "receiver all the way", but just wants to throw a few passes to show off his entire repetoire. Can't wait to see what this young man will do with his opportunity to play in the NFL.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000148747/article/denard-robinson-…

jasonmkeith

March 9th, 2013 at 10:01 AM ^

It was a great trick play for the Steelers.  The Double Pass featuring Antwaan Randle El.  I don't think Denard will be able to get out of this man's shadow, so play along and improve your draft position.

mGrowOld

March 9th, 2013 at 10:22 AM ^

Randle El would be ok and maybe some Josh Cribbs too.  He played QB at college then made the switch to special teams/reciever in the pro's.  Cribbs is bigger and more physical than Denard though but the position switch comparison is valid.

I just hope Denard doesnt turn into a Pat White.  

jasonmkeith

March 9th, 2013 at 10:30 AM ^

I recall Randle El being very strong in his passing game.  Not good enough to start in a pro style offense, but his double pass was certainly effective.

I hate to say it, but Denard's floating lofter may not cut the mustard in the NFL.  I still love him, and will continue to do so when he starts his next career in automotive sales.

jdon

March 9th, 2013 at 11:00 AM ^

Don't you know Denard has a laser arm that launches passes from his tremendous smile? 

Don't be coming in here  with that noodle armed stuff.  Denard is the greatest talent ever and he is only going to be drafted in the 5th round because of an NFL conspiracy.

ha ha ha!

GoBlueInNYC

March 9th, 2013 at 11:26 AM ^

Preemptive qualification: I don't know anything about evaluating QBs.

I agree that Denard's arm strength always seemed fine to me. His issue tended to be accuracy, on touch passes specifically, and decision making, though there was some talk about Borges just telling him, when in doubt, heave it down field to Hemingway. Provided he had a clear lane to throw a flat, laser-like pass, he did alright.

LSAClassOf2000

March 9th, 2013 at 10:32 AM ^

I can't embed this as it plays right off the NFL AM site, but here is the link to the segment with Denard Robinson's interview via Skype. (LINK)

It's about six minutes long and it is a pretty relaxed, informative interview, I thought, from the standpoint of where Robinson sees himself. This is where he yet again displays a great attitude, seeing himself in a variety of roles and willing to give them all a try. More specifcally, they asked him if he saw himself in a Percy Harvin type role potentially (WR / KR). 

Mr. Yost

March 9th, 2013 at 10:34 AM ^

Even thought Randel-El seemed to be thicker/stockier, Denard is better between the tackles.

That said, everyone wants to compare Denard to White, Vick, etc. But Randel-El has always been who I feel he most resembles.

I'm glad he's throwing passes because his arm is hopefully a little better. However, the fact that he says 60-70% worries me that it's more permenant. I know we have some medical folks on this board. Does anyone know how long it takes to recover from this injury? I know it varies a great deal, but I feel like he's said 50/60% for months now.

I just want the kid to be healthy because he can find a spot in the NFL.

GoBlueInNYC

March 9th, 2013 at 11:08 AM ^

Like someone mentioned below, I remember hearing the more knowledgable posters say that this kind of injury usually can be fixed via surgery. Denard is probably just putting it off until after the draft. Better to have an arm at 60-70% whilst scouts poke and prod than 0% because you just had surgery.

bluesalt

March 9th, 2013 at 11:53 AM ^

But it also can recur, depending on your physiology. I've dealt with this problem for about 15 years since I was a teen. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Denard experiences this again in his lifetime, since it looked to me in 2011 that he was having this problem, and not just this year. The I-can't-feel-my-fingers-hand-shaking is very easy to recognize if you've done it most of your life.

bluebyyou

March 9th, 2013 at 10:38 AM ^

Throwing certainly can't hurt.....gives the defense something to think about, even if you only throw a couple of passes a season.

I'm wondering if Denard will ever get complete healing of whatever nerve damage occurred.  Any of our docs know just how long healing for his type of injury can take?

Michigan4Life

March 9th, 2013 at 10:49 AM ^

RB is Denard's best position.  Yes, he has gotten better at catching the ball, but there are still awkwardness in catching it from Denard.  Why bother letting him chase after the ball where you can keep the ball in his hands.  The way he runs is exactly what you see from a RB.

GoBlueInNYC

March 9th, 2013 at 11:31 AM ^

I was just trying to think of players who have made the move from college QB to NFL RB, and haven't thought of any. There are some obvious QB to WR examples above, but are there any players who (successfully) made the move from mobile QB to RB?

jasonmkeith

March 9th, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^

Although moving him to RB certainly removes the ackwardness of catching a ball, it dramatically increases the chance that he will get an outside linebacker at full speed.  I don't wish that upon anyone that isn't 230 pounds and ready for the hit.  You can't just run out of bounds five yards sooner in the NFL.

Compare him to Javhid Best.  First rounder.  Same approximate size and speed.  Outside of a 70 yard scamper against the Bears on Monday Night Football, he was one injury after another.  It's a tough position.

Michigan4Life

March 9th, 2013 at 2:31 PM ^

more hits than RB.  He plays QB like a RB and when he drops back, there's DL going after Denard in pass rush.  There's more opportunities for Denard to get hit a ton.  He had two major injuries, one is the nerve injury and the lower body injury.  Best had multiple concussions which is a big red flag.

Blazefire

March 9th, 2013 at 3:18 PM ^

I thought it would be a really good idea. Not at the combine, where time is limited and everyone wants to see your 40's, etc, but at the pro day, I thought it would be a good idea.

Tree might want to show off his skill catching balls from Denard anyway. He's had a lot more experience with it, and might look more smooth than he would catching them from Gardner or Bellomy.

JohnnyV123

March 9th, 2013 at 3:37 PM ^

I don't know if I would throw if I were him. He isn't going to have his usual arm strength and I could see coaches saying that it shows he isn't committed to wide receiver as much as he should be. It doesn't seem like there's anything to gain by throwing.