Sam Darnold Delayed His Pro Day Performance Due To Rain, Or - More Accurately - Lack Thereof3/21/2018
Credit where credit is due, and - on this oh-so-rare rainy day in Southern California - there is no one due more deserving of a hat tip than Sam Darnold. I don't want to say that the draft stock of a kid who was once a lock to be a top five pick has fallen. It has, however, become a bit lost in the shuffle of Josh Allen's urban legendary arm, Lamar Jackson's stupidly suggested switch to wide receiver, Baker Mayfield's polarizing personality, and Josh Rosen's questionably questioned commitment to football. The following will probably work in his favor, but - to this point - Sam Darnold has been the least talked about of the blue chip quarterback prospects. That's why I'm impressed with his inevitably overblown decision to delay his Pro Day performance for precipitation. Not because I think it's all that difficult to keep your balance and accurately throw a football against air during a steady rain shower in a mild climate, but because most would have missed a golden opportunity to easily impress those that are desperately looking for a franchise quarterback. It might not be as illustrious as slinging a long ball 50+ yards to no one in particular from his knees, but welcoming wetness as opposed to wilting at it's touch is one of those things that gets triple-underlined in the scouting report and harped on far too many times when you've predominantly played on the West Coast. Sam Darnold just got an 'A' in handling the elements, and all he had to do was avoid falling on his face or launching the ball into the 14th row. When you're a future pro whose calling card is his accuracy, that's a risk that's worth the reward, but it's not a risk that all players of his position would have had the wherewithal to bide some time and take. If the glowing reviews are any indication, it looks like it paid off and put the USC product right back into the crowded conversation...
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