Jake Locker: 10 Reasons He'll Succeed In The NFL
There's no question Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Locker has not had the season many expected coming back to Washington for his senior year.
He completed just 55 percent of his passes this season and had bad games against Nebraska and Stanford, including in the Holiday Bowl.
But there's a reason Locker was projected as the No. 1 quarterback taken in the 2011 NFL Draft coming into this season.
In fact, there are many.
Here are 10 reasons why Jake Locker will succeed in the NFL.
10. He's Seasoned
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Although Jake Locker has had a disappointing season by his standards, returning for another season was the right move and should be done by more players in college football.
Not only does returning clean up your game and give you more time to work on it, it also makes you more prepared for a different world in the NFL.
He may have struggled a bit this year, but it will only improve him as a quarterback if he learned from it.
9. He Could Be Drafted Into a Better Situation
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We've all seen top college quarterbacks enter into a horrible situation with a horrible team and be expected to win the next season for the organization by themselves.
Before Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert declared for the draft and the Seattle Seahawks won the NFC West, I had Locker going to the Seahawks at No. 11 in my mock draft.
Sure, this would have been great for Seahawks fans, but it wouldn't have put Locker in a very good spot to succeed, given that the Seahawks have widespread issues still.
With some better teams moving up on the draft board after the last week of the regular season, Locker has a chance of being drafted to a better team, and thus not being depended on to single-handedly save the team. He also has a better chance to develop if he finds himself learning on the bench for the first year.
8. He Has the Toughness
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Not only did Jake Locker lead the Huskies to victory in the last three regular season games, he did it while playing with a broken rib.
If that's not toughness, I don't know what is.
There are plenty of "namby pamby" quarterbacks that enter the NFL and are stunned by its brutality.
You have to be tough to play in the NFL, and Locker certainly is.
7. He's Mobile
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Jake Locker is an extremely mobile quarterback, especially given his size.
He also has good speed for a quarterback, evidenced by his 385 yards rushing and six touchdowns this season.
It's always a plus to be mobile in the NFL, when pockets and windows can close in the blink of an eye.
Not only is Locker a good pocket passer, he can run when in trouble.
6. He Doesn't Take Many Sacks
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Not only is Locker mobile outside the pocket, he's mobile inside it as well.
He has a very good pocket presence, and has the ability to shift from side to side to buy himself more time.
He was only sacked 19 times this season despite throwing the ball the most he ever has at Washington.
Given he might land with a bad team with a bad offensive line, this skill could be very beneficial to him.
5. He Can Throw on the Move
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There are plenty of dual-threat quarterbacks that can move outside the pocket to buy themselves more time.
But not all of them throw accurately on the move.
Jake Locker can and convincingly so.
Yet another reason he could have success even given a bad offensive line.
4. He Has That Elusive Quality
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A quarterback can have all the physical tools in the world, but if he can't lead a team and gain its trust, then he won't be a starting NFL quarterback for very long (just ask Washington State alum Ryan Leaf).
Despite having a broken rib in the final two games of the regular season, Locker led the Huskies to last minute victories in both of these games.
That's the definition of a leader.
3. He Has Great Arm Strength
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Jake Locker has the arm to play in the NFL, there's no doubt about that.
He's had passing touchdowns of 80 and 98 yards while at Washington.
He not only has the arm strength to throw the deep ball, he adds zip to the deep balls he throws.
2. He Has Good Mechanics
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One of the primary things NFL scouts look at when evaluating a quarterback are mechanics.
Jake Locker has NFL-ready mechanics.
Despite his struggles this year, those mechanics haven't changed.
This is one of the biggest reasons he will succeed in the NFL.
1. He Can Play In Any Offensive Scheme
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There's nothing worse than entering a team and not only having to learn a new system, but having to learn multiple systems with the same team.
Just ask Seattle native Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers.
But Locker doesn't have to worry about this because he has experience in a vast array of schemes, including the West Coast offense, a balanced system, a shotgun spread or a vertical passing game.
Any team that selects him in the 2011 NFL Draft can be assured he at least knows the basics of any given scheme and is somewhat comfortable passing within this said scheme.
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