Jake Waters Opens Up About Personal Pro Day, Health and NFL Draft Expectations

Some days are more important than others during a person's lifetime. 

For Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Jake Waters, one of those special days occurred Friday. 

Waters held an individual pro day in Manhattan, Kansas, in front of NFL scouts and at least one quarterbacks coach only three months after shoulder surgery. It was his chance to shine as he prepares for one of those defining moments in his life, an opportunity to play professional football. 

It wasn't easy reaching this point, though. 

The quarterback suffered a Grade 3 AC sprain in his throwing shoulder Oct. 13 against the Oklahoma Sooners. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native then played through pain during the final seven games of the season. 

Two weeks ago, Waters graduated from throwing a NERF ball to tossing a regular football for the first time since the Jan. 15 surgery. 

His rapid progress during the rehabilitation process provided an opportunity to show where he currently stands as a a passer prior to the NFL draft, which the quarterback felt was very important. 

“It's huge," Waters said. "It's more the fact that my shoulder feels great. That's the most important thing after throwing like that and being a little ahead of schedule. For me to feel the way I do right now is huge. Just throwing and showing all the teams the work I put in to see my progress post-surgery is huge, too, this close to the draft. We wanted to do this before the draft to give teams an idea where I'm at. And that's what we did."

The workout consisted of nearly 40 passes. Waters felt good enough to extend the throwing period beyond the original 32 scripted passes and even uncorked a 50-plus-yard bomb to end the session. 

A video of Waters' final throw can be viewed below, courtesy of 360 Sports LLC: 

Overall arm strength is key for Waters as teams continue to monitor his progress. 

The Kansas State product isn't a commanding presence at 6'1" and 210 pounds. But his ability to accurately and reliably press the ball downfield is actually one of the prospect's strengths. 

According to CollegeFootballFocus.com, no college quarterback was more deadly accurate last season than Waters when attempting passes over 20 yards. 

Rank	Quarterback	School	Attempt %	Accuracy %
1.	Jake Waters	KSU	17.0	61.8
2.	Garrett Grayson	CSU	17.0	52.8
3.	Hutson Mason	Georgia	12.4	51.4
4.	Marcus Mariota	Oregon	14.4	50.0
5.	Shane Carden	ECU	14.6	49.5
12.	Bryce Petty	Baylor	22.1	44.2
19.	Jameis Winston	FSU	12.0	39.3

“I like throwing the deep ball," Waters said. "I had some receivers that could go and get it. We were really successful at it. Maybe it's because we didn't run an offense like a Baylor or take so many shots [that people didn't realize how effective he was throwing downfield]. We picked and chose the times when we wanted to take a shot downfield. Other times, we're just trying to get a first down.

"It's not that big of a deal that I'm not viewed [as a deep passer]. I know I can make those throws."

A quarterback doesn't need a cannon attached to his right shoulder—injured or not—to be an accurate deep-ball thrower. The New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees doesn't claim an upper-echelon arm as it pertains to raw velocity or revolutions per minute. But he's consistently places the ball in the right place to make it easier for his receivers to make difficult downfield receptions. 

Timing and ball placement are crucial aspects of being accurate, especially when the ball is being thrown vertically instead of shorter routes intended to increase overall accuracy and ease of completions. 

This isn't an indictment of Waters, though. The Kansas State product doesn't claim a below-average arm. In fact, improvement in this particular area is already apparent since the surgery. 

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

“I thought he threw really well," former Kansas State teammate Curry Sexton, who was the only receiver to run routes Friday, said. "We threw Monday and Wednesday this week. Each day got a little better. His arm strength is definitely coming back. It's probably improved at this point compared to the end of last season due to the injury.

"He's made some really positive strides. He's probably not as positive about his performance, because he can be hard on himself. But he's doing really well under the circumstances.

“He had some good zip on the ball, but he really doesn't throw a ball that breaks your fingers. He throws a nice spiral that's pretty easy to catch. He doesn't throw any wobblers that come in and snaps one of your fingers off."

Any team eventually considering Waters in the draft or as a preferred free agent should be encouraged with his rapid progress and the added thought his arm will only get stronger after the surgery. 

“The therapists are telling me my arm is going to come back even better and stronger than it was before the injury," Waters said. "I just need to keep working and strengthening my shoulder. That's the one thing from surgery. It was weak. But I thought today I had some good zip on the ball and made every throw I needed to. I definitely feel my arm is going to be stronger."

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback coach Matt Nagy was on hand to personally assess Waters' progress. 

Any evaluation regarding the quarterback's game doesn't simply revolve around the progress of his injury. The First Team Academic All-Big 12 performer always worked diligently under the supervision of private quarterback coach Justin Hoover to tighten up his footwork when he couldn't actually throw the ball. 

His overall improvement caught Nagy's eye. 

“It's the one thing the Chiefs quarterback coach said was he really liked was my feet," Waters said. "I haven't been able to throw for so long that it's the only thing I was able to work on was my footwork. After being able to not throw for that long and just starting back two weeks ago, I wanted to be more crisp. But for the most part, I thought today went really well."

As coaches often say rather flippantly, "It's a process." That process also applies to aspiring athletes chasing their dreams of becoming professional football players. 

Waters took a gigantic step in the right direction by throwing for those teams in attendance—and those not on hand will receive a video of the workout—but the quarterback knows he still has a ways to go. 

“Any time you're coming off a surgery, it feels different than when you were completely healthy," Waters said. "It gets tired a little bit easier. For the most part, I have no pain at all except some fatigue from throwing some passes as hard as I can right now. I can't get quite as much zip on it, but I feel great overall."

Was the workout enough affirmation to ease a team's concerns about the Kansas State quarterback and eventually draft him? 

Only time will tell. 

But Waters can go to bed tonight knowing he is in a better position to be drafted now than he was prior to the pro day, even if his shoulder is a little sore from the increased workload. 

All quotes obtained firsthand by Brent Sobleski, who covers the NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.