Scouting The Draft: Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State

Introduction

Sean Mannion had a massive 2013, he broke a school record for passing touchdowns and looked to be on his way to the top. This off-season he took part in and won several off-season skill programs such as the "Air it out" challenge at the Manning passing academy and the Elite 11 counselor challenge. However 2014 was a bit of a struggle for Sean, he lost his best receiving target in Brandin Cooks and was handed a young receiving core and a poor offensive line. To make things more difficult he was also given a new play-book from incoming offensive coordinator John Garrett.

2014 was an OK year for Mannion, he did a lot of things right, he did a lot of things wrong and that has all attributed to him  being given a mid-round draft estimation. He ended his carer at Oregon State having played in 43 games, throwing for 13,600 yards, 83 touchdowns and 54 interceptions. He'll leave as the Pac-12 all-time leader in passing yards, but he may be regretting passing on the 2014 NFL draft, as his stock last year was a lot higher than it is this year.

Measurables

Height: 6'6

Weight: 230lb's

Class: Senior

Projected 40: 4.9

Statistics

Positives

+ Good feel in the pocket, avoids pressure, keeps eyes downfield.
+ 3 time team captain, excellent leadership ability.
+ Outstanding work ethic in the film room and on the practise field.
+ Pro-style offense that requires post snap reads.
+ Excellent height at 6'5
+ Works through progressions well and uses the entire field. Good vision.
+ Has an excellent deep ball and a strong enough arm to make all the throws.
+ Good accuracy and spots the balls to maximize catch and run potential.
+ Throws with a lot of zip outside the hashes.
+ 4 year starter with plenty of experience and plenty of success.
+ very good at reading what the defenses are giving him, identifies safety coverages and exploits.

Negatives

- Elongated throwing motion with a sort of wind up action.

- Small hands, on the lean side and not a lot of speed out of the pocket.

- Makes some very poor choices trying to fit balls into tight windows.

- Needs to ensure he always plants that front foot.

- Will at times stare down his targets telegraphing his passes.

- Even when he's throwing well, he still falls off his throws.

Conclusion

Sean Mannion is an interesting player because he has the elite size that you covert, he also has a lot of experience running a pro-style offense. He sees the whole field, and works through his progressions better than a lot of QB's. However mechanically I see a lot of problems, his motion would be a problem if he were smaller, but his feet are poor and he falls off throws. He makes some really poor decisions and had it not been for that excellent 2013 season, his TD/INT ratio over the three years would be extremely worrying. He didn't have a great deal to work with this year and last year showed what he can do with a good receiver and decent protection.

As with all college QB's this year, he's going to need quite a bit of development and a coach is going to have to work closely with him on his mechanics. I actually really like Mannion's potential though, I think his 2013 season is closer to the player he is than the 2014 season. As a mid to late round prospect, he has a lot of upside with very little risk.

If we get to the 4th/5th round range and we haven't selected a QB and Mannion is still on the board, I'd pull the trigger.

Draft Grade: 70