j/c...

I haven't done a deep dive, but I've seen enough to offer my two cents. Disclaimer being, my two cents is exactly that compared to many on this board.

My first comparison is Baker -- not because he reminds me of him in so many ways, because he reminds me in the most important way -- explaining how a good arm is made better through mechanics. Gabriel, like Baker, creates a lot of torque through his lower body and hips. He does it in an even more concise manner than Baker. Neither will ever flick their wrist and look like Josh Allen. This kid won't have plays where his arm bails him out. When his footwork is good, he maximizes his arm talent through squeaky clean mechanics through his lower and upper body.

An area where I see his size hurt also has to do with his mechanics. He likes to zip that ball right past his ear hole (and damn, what a nice quick motion). When he has pressure in his face he tends to go more over the top to prevent the ball from being batted down. That's where his ball doesn't have the velocity to carry it through to the target as quickly. Perfect example in the vid with Kurt Warner at the 13:10 mark, where he talks about the ball "trailing off". Pressure in his face also eliminates everything I bragged about in the first paragraph as he's often throwing off his back foot. The nice thing is, he seems to see that pressure quickly and eliminate those situations. College and Pros are two different animals in that department though.

What I see immediately: good decision making, a great feel for the pocket, solid athletics. I've seen him throw off platform and still generate necessary torque; including throwing with one foot on the ground and NO feet on the ground.

Where he gets in trouble is when that marriage between the lower body and upper body is off by a tick or when his footwork gets sloppy and the entire process is crap on through the throw. He's good at buying time, flushing out, etc, to put himself in a position where all of these things work in harmony. And honestly, when everything is as sudden as it is with him, that puts you in a great position for 90+% of your throws.

The internal clock that's in every QBs head, that feeling that a QB is playing just a tick faster than everyone else on the field? That's where this kid is damn near elite. When you marry that with good mechanics and a quick delivery, you can be a QB in this league. I'm excited to see this whole thing play out. I would rather not have Sanders in the fold, but I've come to peace with that part of it and am looking forward to the competition.

/.02