![\"\"](\"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Sam-Darnold-1.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe first throw to notice here is this perfect throw and catch with receiver Tyler Vaughns down the sideline.\u00a0 In the NFL, this essentially works as a back-shoulder pass because the defender has his hips turned away from the QB.\u00a0 Notice how Darnold places the ball towards the back shoulder of the receiver, but he\u2019s slowed down by initiating contact with the defender in the second angle.\u00a0 If he maintains his initial speed, this is a perfectly good back shoulder pass.\u00a0 For years in the past, you\u2019ve heard scouting reports on QBs and their ability to throw receivers open.\u00a0 Well in this case, the receiver is well covered but Darnold places the ball perfectly to get the pass completed.\u00a0 The back-shoulder throw is one of the hardest throws to defend in the game, so it\u2019s definitely a positive to see these types of throws.<\/p>\n
2)<\/strong>\u00a0 First of all, this is a great catch from the receiver.\u00a0 However, there are a couple of things to notice here.\u00a0 Notice the Buckeyes are in a single high safety slanted towards the right side of the formation look, with a blitz from the linebackers.\u00a0 \u00a0Darnold recognizes the blitz and turns to the left side of the formation, but the safety is hanging over the top, while the cornerback is trailing by a step with inside leverage.\u00a0 It\u2019s a bad situation, because this is an almost perfect defense, which forces Darnold to only have one option here.\u00a0 He has to clear the pass over the defensive back\u2019s head, while still allowing the receiver to catch it before it crosses into the safety\u2019s zone.\u00a0 He places this ball perfectly, and allows just his receiver to make a play on the ball.\u00a0 This is a top tier NFL QB caliber throw, and one that guys like Paxton Lynch can\u2019t make.<\/p>\n 3)<\/strong> Why is this a great throw? It\u2019s the adjustment in the pocket with guys around him, which reminds me a lot of Andrew Luck on this play.\u00a0 The Buckeyes bring a blitz on 3rd<\/sup> and 17, and they play single high safety with defenders playing back.\u00a0 As you can see from the pre-snap motion, it\u2019s man coverage, but the defender is backing away because the offense needs to get 17 yards.\u00a0 The offensive line gets destroyed on this play, Darnold moves to his left, into a Bermuda Triangle of defenders and then throws a laser to the receiver.\u00a0 The NFL caliber aspect of this throw is the ability to reset his feet in traffic, throw from a crowded pocket, and hit the receiver in stride.\u00a0 I\u2019ll write another article on footwork, because Darnold doesn\u2019t have perfect feet, and sometimes tends to throw off-balance.\u00a0 However, unlike Hackenberg, Darnold can be very accurate without setting his feet, which should only help as he cleans up his mechanics.\u00a0\u00a0 There are plenty of examples in college with strong armed QBs moving to their weak-side and throwing across their body for laser throws, but it\u2019s rare to see it in a crowded pocket.<\/p>\n 4)<\/strong>\u00a0 This pass may not seem like a completed pass, but it was allowed.\u00a0 While it\u2019s a great throw, it\u2019s the set up that really impresses me.\u00a0 Notice the defense is in a single high safety look, with press man coverage.\u00a0 However, pay attention to what Darnold does with play prior to the throw.\u00a0 He holds the safety in the middle, then notice the head turn and shoulder turn to the left side of the field.\u00a0 It\u2019s a very subtle move but it absolutely removes the safety from the go route to the outside on the right side of the formation.\u00a0 The receiver doesn\u2019t have much separation down the field (partially because OSU is loaded at every position) but Darnold places this ball in a great location.\u00a0 It\u2019s floating a bit to the outside, but this is just a great set up from Darnold.\u00a0 The whole idea of a pro-style offense is a myth, as most colleges use RPO and spread offense concepts, but this is a pro-style tactic with Darnold manipulating the safety with his eyes, head, and shoulders.\u00a0 I would have probably placed this example here, even if the pass was deemed incomplete.<\/p>\n 5)<\/strong>\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to say much on this one, but Darnold has excellent footwork here.\u00a0 Can you hand the ball off in a better position than this?<\/p>\n 6)<\/strong>\u00a0 This isn\u2019t as impressive as the last throw, but this reminds me very much of Ben Roethlisberger against the Jets.\u00a0 He steps up in the pocket, and makes a laser throw on the run to a place where only his receiver can make a play on the ball.\u00a0 The important aspect of this throw is that he\u2019s not slowing down to shuffle his feet, rather it\u2019s thrown in motion, which creates less reaction time for the defenders.<\/p>\n 7)<\/strong>\u00a0 I slowed down this pass as much as I could because I wanted to highlight why I thought this was an NFL caliber pass.\u00a0 If you can, please notice when Darnold starts his windup on this play, because it\u2019s right when his receiver is starting his break.\u00a0 At that point, Darnold has two choices between two receivers with a safety in the middle.\u00a0 As Darnold is going through his motion, the safety moves with the first receiver and Darnold throws a perfect pass to the second receiver.\u00a0 It shows great anticipation, but it\u2019s also why he has a higher interception percentage than other college QBs.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t wait to confirm that the receiver was open, but rather projected the safety to move out from the middle of the field and made a great throw.\u00a0 In the NFL, he won’t have time to confirm that the safety will move out of the way, so this read helps him transition to the NFL, even though it’s risky in college.<\/p>\n 8)<\/strong>\u00a0 Back shoulder pass once again, and it\u2019s another situation of throwing the receiver open.\u00a0 This is a throw that translates extremely well to the NFL.<\/p>\n 9)<\/strong>\u00a0 A great throw once again, and I want you to notice where the throw originates from.\u00a0 Darnold is situated on the far hash, and then throws it down the field past the other hash.\u00a0 Since he has time to set his feet, he makes an excellent pass and the ball falls right into the hands of the receiver.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n