
Elite 11 Finals 2017: Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields Headline Day 2 Rankings
After a tame opening day at the 2017 Elite 11 Finals, Saturday kicked things into gear for the nation's top quarterback prospects by putting them in pro day drills and having them make 30 throws to test their arm strength, accuracy and mechanics.
Prior to taking the field, here's how Elite 11 had the top signal-callers ranked:
Washington State commit Cammon Cooper was an early standout from the first group. A pro-style quarterback from Utah, he was able to show excellent touch on his passes while moving out of the pocket, per Elite 11:
One of the big benefits for Cooper heading to Washington State is he doesn't need to have elite arm strength to succeed. His arm does have enough zip to get the ball where it needs to go, but head coach Mike Leach's system is built more on timing and rhythm.
Throws like the one shown above showcase exactly what made him so appealing to the Cougars.
Among the less-heralded quarterbacks attending the Elite 11 Finals, Carter Bradley did a lot to help improve his stock. He's rated as a 3-star prospect by Scout.com, which offers this analysis on his current skill set:
"He does a good job of dissecting what's in front of him, and then delivers the football with good ball placement. He can continue to work on his arm strength, but knows when and when not to put velocity on the ball. Bradley isn't a dual-threat quarterback that's going to rack up a ton of yardage with his legs, but is comfortable when rolling out of the pocket and throwing on the run."
Bradley didn't have a perfect showing with three off-target throws, but he made up for it by showcasing pinpoint accuracy and touch, like on his final throw of the day, per Elite 11:
Another player who turned some heads on Saturday was Matt Corral. He's looking to solidify his status as an elite prospect, with Scout.com ranking him as a 5-star talent and the top-ranked quarterback in the state of California.
Scout.com's Greg Biggins had this to say after Corral was done throwing:
Not surprisingly, Corral has already committed to USC. Since Sam Darnold is draft-eligible after next season and figures to be an early pick, Corral could see the field soon after he arrives on campus in Los Angeles.
While Corral made his mark on the field, the consensus seems to be California native Tanner McKee had the best showing of the day, per Biggins:
McKee looks the part of a top-flight quarterback. He's listed at 6'6" and 219 pounds by Scout.com, and he has programs like Alabama, Georgia, Texas and UCLA on his radar.
The news was not all good on the field Saturday. James Foster, who started the day as the seventh-ranked quarterback, dropped drastically.
SB Nation's Morgan Moriarty noted Foster connected on 10 of 20 throws. He's already committed to Missouri and did fare well enough on Friday to be ranked among the top 10 quarterbacks, so this can be chalked up to one bad night.
With one more day of competition before the 11 quarterbacks who will receive an invite to the Opening Finals are chosen at the end of the month, there was a little more separation in the field Saturday.
Sunday will be the last test for the 25 quarterbacks to showcase their athletic and mental prowess to make that final move up the leaderboard.
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