Nate Sudfeld NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for Redskins Rookie

POSITIVES

Nate Sudfeld landed at Indiana by way of Modesto Christian School in Modesto, California, where he was a two-year letterman. A 26-game starter in college, Sudfeld offers athleticism, upside and an arm NFL teams are looking for.

Sudfeld has good athleticism and shows quick feet in the pocket. He can move up in the pocket or out of it without getting off-balance. For a big player, he's a fluid mover when he's asked to come off his spot.

Indiana wide receivers did Sudfeld no favors, dropping 31 passes last season, per Pro Football Focus. That contributed to him completing just 60 percent of his attempts. Sudfeld isn't afraid to throw outside the hashes and can spin the ball with juice on out routes. He understands timing and will wait for plays to develop before panicking in the pocket.

Sudfeld comes from an athletic family. His brother Zach is a tight end for the New York Jets, and his sister Juliana plays college volleyball. Teams will value his toughness and leadership skills as much as his athleticism or arm strength.

NEGATIVES

Sudfeld missed half of the 2014 season with an injury to his left shoulder, which means he's coming into the draft with less experience than most senior quarterbacks.

Mechanically, Sudfeld needs some help. He has a delivery that is inconsistent and sometimes goes full-on sidearm. He carries the ball low in the pocket (around his breast bone) and has to raise it to pass, which slows his delivery. Sudfeld is an arm thrower and doesn't create torque with his core to power the ball—instead muscling it out with just his arm.

The Indiana offense featured a ton of comebacks and quick routes in space on the boundary. This allowed Sudfeld to make few reads in the middle of the field. He struggles to pick up underneath coverage and threw three of his seven interceptions on underneath routes over the middle.

Accuracy issues haunted Sudfeld in 2015—even if some of the blame can be shared by the talent around him. He often led receivers into traffic with errant passes and was routinely high on balls thrown to the right sideline.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 6'6"

Weight: 234 lbs.

40 Time: N/A

Hand Size: 9⅞"

3-Cone: N/A

PRO COMPARISON: Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars
FINAL GRADE: 5.70/9.00 (Round 5—Backup Caliber)