2012 NFL Draft: Breaking Down Robert Griffin III's Transition to the NFL

There is not a more intriguing player in the 2012 NFL draft than Robert Griffin III.

The 2011 Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor has a rare combination of skills, athleticism and upside, and it cost the Washington Redskins three first-round picks and a second-round pick for the chance to select him.

They paid that price not only because they desperately need a franchise signal-caller but because they truly believe he is worth it.

RGIII will more than likely be thrust into the starting role immediately, and that comes with both positives and negatives.

His redshirt junior campaign in Waco was brilliant, but he's not as NFL-ready as No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck. RGIII is going to a better team than Luck, but that also means higher expectations.

Playing quarterback in the NFL is one of the hardest jobs in all of sports, if not the hardest, and there are things RGIII must do and improve upon if he is to succeed on Sundays.

Here's a look at Robert Griffin III's game and what his transition to the NFL will entail.

The Scouting Report

Athleticism

Make no mistake about it, RGIII has world-class speed and is arguably the fastest player we've ever seen play the position (he's put on muscle since his track days). He's not overly shifty from left-to-right, but once he puts his foot in the ground he quickly gets to top speed and cannot be caught from behind.

When plays break down he often finds a way to escape trouble and still find a receiver downfield. His burst and quickness make it easy for him to avoid would-be tacklers, and he's remarkably gifted as a passer on the run. If he decides to take off he shows good patience with the ball in his hands and understands where the sticks are for the first down.

There is only one thing to worry about with RGIII's athleticism, and that is possibility of him trying to do too much. Sometimes athletes of caliber can force the issue, and that is when trouble ensues.

If RGIII can play within himself and understand when and where to pick his spots, his athleticism will give him a huge advantage in the NFL.

Accuracy / Arm Strength / Release

A 66-percent career passer, RGIII has improved his accuracy each and every year. He throws a brilliant deep ball, understands when to zip it and when to put touch, and shows good anticipation skills as well.

He's a gifted thrower on the run and is actually better when the pocket moves left or right.

He won't have trouble making any throws, but he will have to improve as a pocket passer at the next level.

RGIII has a cannon and can make every single throw. He doesn't take many check marks away from Luck, but this is one of the cases where he does.

His deep ball is nearly flawless, and he can gun it over the middle with ease as well.

He isn't always consistent with his release point and does struggle with footwork at times by making throws off his back foot (folds into not trying, doing too much). The Redskins aren't likely to tweak his delivery at all, but they will want him to clean it up.

Intangibles

There is hardly any transitioning that needs to be done for things that cannot be coached. RGIII is a natural leader with the ability to put a team on his back if he must. These skills will transfer and are part of what make him so special as a prospect.

The Transition

Spread to Pro-Style Offense

There is a lot that comes along with a move to the NFL for quarterbacks that generally operate out of the gun, and RGIII is no different.

We have seen a few offenses move to the shotgun-spread more frequently, but RGIII will have to get comfortable from working under center. He'll have to sure up his 3-, 5- and 7-step drops and will need to consistently handle the quarterback-center exchange with ease.

Once he gets that right, he'll have to work on reading defenses while in a drop, as opposed to being in the gun. Receivers won't be running wide open with large windows in the NFL and RGIII has to adjust to the throwing lanes and timing of dealing bigger, stronger and faster players.

Understanding coverage isn't something that happens overnight, but it's something that he has to comprehend if he wants to succeed. His athleticism will only take him so far, and he cannot rely upon it in place of pre-snap and post-snap reads.

Plain and simple, RGIII will have to study up and learn to read coverages.

Patience

This earns its own category because it comes into play as both a passer and runner. The things RGIII got away with in college won't come nearly as easily in the pros, and he has to understand when to take off and when to sit in the pocket and give his receivers time to get open. That also goes hand-in-hand with reading defenses.

He cannot afford to get happy feet and break the pocket too early just because he sees open space in the flat.

This won't come overnight, but it will be a key component to his development at the next level.

NFC East

Since we know where RGIII is going we get to factor in the teams he'll see twice a season. Unfortunately for him, the NFC East is no stranger to the running quarterback with Michael Vick already playing in Philadelphia.

To make matters worse, the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles were all in the top seven in sacks last year. All three put heavy emphasis on getting after the passer, and they are very good at doing so.

The NFC East is arguably the most talented division in all of football, and they're as likely to meet each other in the playoffs as any other division in the league.

Learning the ins and outs of the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles will go a long way towards helping RGIII succeed on Sundays.

The Washington Redskins are going to make Robert Griffin III the No. 2 overall pick on Thursday night and he'll immediately be expected to help this team.

It won't happen overnight, but coach Mike Shanahan and GM Bruce Allen don't have a ton of time nor a lot of margin for error either.

Everything is riding on how he adapts, but if his career thus far is any indication, we know we're in for an exciting ride.