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Joe Thomas: 'You've got to be careful reaching for a QB at No. 1' | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/01/joe_thomas_youve_got_to_be_car.html#incart_m-rpt-1

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Joe Thomas is in Orlando preparing to represent the Browns in Sunday's Pro Bowl, and found time Thursday for an interview with The Dan Patrick Show.

The Browns have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, so, naturally, that came up. Patrick asked Thomas what position the team should target at the top of the draft.

"I would say you want to go defense. I think you need to get a pass rusher," said Thomas. "I think you've got to be careful reaching for a quarterback at No. 1 because if they fail, they don't help your team at all. Where if you pick a defensive lineman and maybe they don't live up to the hype you can still find a way to get them on the field and to have an impact."

Thomas went on to say that the Browns are a team that needs players to start and contribute, and taking a quarterback first overall would be a greater risk.

You can hear the interview at danpatrick.com.

Thomas' comments come a day after coach Hue Jackson said that, when it comes to the draft, a good quarterback is more valuable than an elite non-QB.

Over the last few days, I studied every 3rd & 6+ throw for every top QB in this class. Also watched every INT... Worthwhile project.

Big challenge for these QBs--post snap thinking. 90 percent of their decisions are made pre-snap. If the look changes, they struggle.

I thought Trubisky did the best job of working through progressions and making good decisions. He needs to clean up some footwork.

Watson got better as year went along but too many forced throws, inconsistent recognition/decision making. Ton of 1st read throws.

Kizer much better in 15 than 16. Better protection & Fuller were key factors. Still can't dismiss issues with vision/accuracy this year.

Mahomes has incredible arm talent but he lives off script. That's tough to project. 4 of 10 INTs were simply playing 3 flies up downfield.

Peterman does a nice job climbing in the pocket and reading entire field. Better touch downfield than underneath. No wow traits.

Watson's 17 INTs, I broke it down like this--
11 combination of forcing ball/poor read
4 tipped balls
1 poorly thrown
1 miscommunication

Webb has size/big arm, makes impressive hole shot throws. Full field reads. Needs to improve pocket presence & falls off too many throws.

Kaaya has firm base & he's accurate when in clean pocket. He really struggles when forced off his spot. Lacks twitch. Very monotone.

Evans (VT) makes some big time throws on tape. Comfortable in pocket. Big arm. Locks on too much at times. Intriguing guy.

Chad Kelly has a power arm. Supreme confidence. He can create plays with feet. Downfield touch & decision making need improvement.

If you have not invested heavily in the infrastructure required to develop a young QB, this 2017 draft is not for you. At least not at top.

Joe Thomas: 'You've got to be careful reaching for a QB at No. 1' | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2017/01/joe_thomas_youve_got_to_be_car.html#incart_m-rpt-1

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Joe Thomas is in Orlando preparing to represent the Browns in Sunday's Pro Bowl, and found time Thursday for an interview with The Dan Patrick Show.

The Browns have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, so, naturally, that came up. Patrick asked Thomas what position the team should target at the top of the draft.

"I would say you want to go defense. I think you need to get a pass rusher," said Thomas. "I think you've got to be careful reaching for a quarterback at No. 1 because if they fail, they don't help your team at all. Where if you pick a defensive lineman and maybe they don't live up to the hype you can still find a way to get them on the field and to have an impact."

Thomas went on to say that the Browns are a team that needs players to start and contribute, and taking a quarterback first overall would be a greater risk.

You can hear the interview at danpatrick.com.

Thomas' comments come a day after coach Hue Jackson said that, when it comes to the draft, a good quarterback is more valuable than an elite non-QB.

What did we miss on Dak?
It’s a question not just for PFF, but for the entire NFL. After Dak Prescott’s outstanding rookie season, it’s a fair question to ask why he was drafted in the fourth round at No. 135 overall. When evaluating his 2015 Mississippi State film compared to his 2016 Dallas tape, it’s clear that Prescott made great strides with his footwork, pocket presence, decision-making and accuracy, so credit needs to go to both Prescott and the Cowboys’ coaching staff. However, when looking back at our unique PFF data, there may have been a couple pieces of data in our advanced accuracy charting that should have received more attention from our team.

Our analysts charted 20 quarterbacks from last year’s draft class, and while Prescott’s overall numbers were solid, a deeper look showed a few areas in which he excelled. Prescott had the best accuracy (defined as a perfectly-thrown pass “in-stride,” or one that hits the receiver between the numbers; passes that are “catchable,” but off-target, do not count as accurate for this study) in the draft class on passes where his receivers had a step of separation. He also led the way on passes with a step of separation at both the 6-10-yard range and the 11-20-yard range.



If that’s the case, why didn’t Prescott lead in overall accuracy? The answer: His accuracy on throws into “tight” coverage was among the worst in the class (16th), and he also threw a higher percentage of tighter-window throws into tight coverage (7 percent higher than the class average). Whether that was Prescott taking more chances, not having the receivers to separate, or not having the system that set up easier throws, the overall numbers were pushed down by his high percentage of throws into tight coverage.

Here are a few more takeaways from Prescott’s accuracy numbers last season:

72.5 percent of Prescott’s throws went to “open” receivers, defined as having at least one step of separation, including screens and passes thrown behind the line of scrimmage. The draft class average was 80.0 percent, meaning Prescott had 7.5 percentage points fewer “easy” throws than his peers.
The draft class average for accuracy on passes to open receivers was 58.1 percent. Prescott bested that by 8.8 percent, at 66.9 percent.
The draft class average for accuracy on passes to receivers with a step of separation was 49.8 percent. Prescott was 12.9 percent better, at 62.7 percent.
It’s all starting to make sense now, of course, with the benefit of hindsight. The Cowboys’ scheme did a fantastic job of creating open receivers, and Prescott did an equally-fine job finding them. Our numbers backed up that Prescott would excel in the right situation with open windows to throw to, and Dallas gave him that opportunity. The tight-window throws are still a concern, and we will have Prescott’s Year 1 data in the near future. For now, Prescott’s breakout doesn’t look all that crazy when analyzing the area in which he excelled in college and the offense that he found himself in as a rookie.