Big Questions Trevone Boykin Needs to Answer at TCU's Pro Day

Former TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin is trying to disprove people’s assumptions this week.

TCU will hold its pro day Thursday morning, giving NFL teams a closer look at Boykin and his teammates. Boykin will try to answer numerous questions that NFL scouts have about his potential to play in the NFL.

He received Heisman consideration the last two seasons as he put up great passing numbers and led TCU to a 22-2 record in games he started. But size, mechanics, scheme and a recent arrest have given teams reason to be cautious.

The 6'0" quarterback was already going to have to fight perception that he was too small and that TCU’s Air Raid offense inflated his numbers. An arrest for allegedly punching a police officer in San Antonio the week of the Alamo Bowl only made things worse.

Teams that are looking for a developmental quarterback or a possible backup, including the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts, could be interested in how he looks this week.

The pro day will give him the chance to address four big questions those teams have about him on and off the field. 

How comfortable is he dropping back from under center?

TCU runs most of its offense out of the shotgun and pistol formations. As a result, Boykin’s experience taking snaps from under center is limited.

That doesn’t mean he can’t learn to play under center. It does mean he will need to become comfortable dropping back in the pocket, though. As much as NFL teams have embraced spread-offense concepts, quarterbacks still have to be able to take snaps under center and drop back to pass.

Boykin has been working on his fundamentals with former NFL quarterback Richard Bartel in preparation for the draft. Here, he takes a five-step drop before hitting an out route:

"

@OGcURIOUSDEUCE banging that 10 on the 5 no. pic.twitter.com/IRogm15Y7C

— Richard Bartel (@RBquarterbacks) February 23, 2016"

Scouts will be watching to see if he gets sloppy with his footwork during dropbacks on passing drills. They will also want to see how he handles the center-quarterback exchange.

Taking the snap under center and then making reads while dropping back in the pocket can be difficult for quarterbacks who have mostly worked in the spread. Boykin will not be a master of it after only working on those skills for a few months, but he should be improved.

Has he significantly improved his footwork?

One aspect of Boykin’s game that is no concern is his arm strength. He connected with Josh Doctson and Kolby Listenbee frequently on deep balls the last two years.

The downside of having that arm strength is that it has encouraged bad mechanics. Boykin often doesn’t step into his throws because he doesn’t have to.

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For instance, on this touchdown to Doctson against West Virginia, his front foot stays planted in the same place through his entire throwing motion.

Boykin got away with that against college defenses because he was usually one of the best athletes on the field. In the NFL, footwork like that will result in inaccurate throws and interceptions.

Footwork is so ingrained that it takes a long time to unlearn bad habits. Boykin’s feet will likely look better Thursday, but he may begin to revert to his old style as the workout progresses and he gets tired.

Teams love passers with big arms. Boykin needs to demonstrate improved footwork to show that his arm isn’t the only thing to like about him.

Was his 40-yard dash at the combine just a bad day?

Boykin disappointed scouts at the combine when he ran a 4.77 in the 40. It was the second-best time among quarterbacks, behind Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel, but it was slower than people expected from an athlete like Boykin.

The quarterback had a reputation for making plays with his feet at TCU. He ran for 1,319 yards and 17 touchdowns over the last two seasons. His combine time may tarnish some scouts’ perception of him as a dynamic runner.

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His straight-line speed has never set him apart from other players. Even on this 69-yard touchdown against Kansas State, he never pulls away from the defense. The defenders are able to keep pace with him even if they can’t catch him.

Boykin’s time this week will almost certainly be higher, but it won’t be blazing fast. He will probably run in the 4.5 range.

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The ability to make men miss by changing direction in space is what makes him dangerous. On one of his more memorable scrambles of the year against WVU, he jukes out four defenders on his way to a first down. That ability isn’t measured in the 40, but the drill still defines what people think of a player’s speed.

A better showing in the 40 this week may ease some teams’ worries about him, especially if they plan to use him as a receiver.

How serious is he about switching positions?

Teams that are seriously looking at Boykin as a wideout will want to know that he is serious too. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reports that he is “totally open” to changing positions.

He’ll show just how open he is to the idea by which drills he runs. Boykin will throw passes, but he needs to show scouts and general managers how comfortable he is catching them by participating in receiving drills.

He has experience as a receiver. As a sophomore, he caught 26 passes for 206 yards playing limited snaps as a wideout. He caught a career-high 11 passes for 100 yards against WVU that year.

That’s a small sample size, and teams will want to see how he runs routes and catches the ball as a receiver up close if they are thinking of investing a draft pick in him at that position.

Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that most scouts view Boykin as a slot receiver or a special teams player. Boykin should at least be willing to show them what he can do in those roles.