Just For ****s and Grins: Andy Dalton Scouting Reports

[soulman]

2011 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Andy Dalton

             Strengths:

• Good arm strength
• Quick release
• Accurate thrower
• Smart; protects the football
• Mobile with scrambling ability
• Intelligent and tough
• Proven leader, passion for the game
• Winner at collegiate level
• Durable, experienced 4-year starter
  
   
   
  
  Weaknesses:
• Height is not ideal
• Lacks elite characteristics
• Product of spread offense
• Release point needs to be adjusted
• Not many games against top competition
• Footwork needs improvement
  
  Summary: Andy Dalton had a terrific collegiate career that included helping TCU not only to a BCS bowl (Rose) win, but in the bigger picture, played a part in the program joining the "Big Six" fraternity as a future member of the Big East. He put up solid if not spectacular statistics most of his career, really peaking as a senior with by far his best season on paper. More importantly he kept improving - and winning.
  
  Of course, most of that came in the Mountain West. Against "Big Six" competition, his record was 7-3, although a few of those teams were lesser opponents. He went 3-3 against Utah and Boise State. Still, he saved his best for last in the victory over Wisconsin which really opened eyes.
  
  Dalton has the toughness to be successful, but will have to overcome his lack of height and learn the pro style offense.
  
  Player Comparison: Chase Daniel. I have seen Dalton compared to Drew Brees, but at this point, a more realistic comparison is to another player on the New Orleans depth chart. Like Daniel, Dalton lacks ideal height and arm strength, but is an accurate passer. Both played in a shotgun offense at the collegiate level. Daniel was not drafted, but he lacked the "it" factor and perhaps some of that was absorbing losses against stiffer competition in the Big XII.
  
  Clearly Dalton is going to be drafted, and fairly early. Projecting him to the pros, however, I see a slightly better Chase Daniel.

[soulman]

 

Andy Dalton Scouting Report

March 4, 2011 Leave a comment

Andy Dalton

Height: 6’2
Weight: 215
College: TCU
40 Time: 4.87
Class: Senior
Stock:
Projected: 5th-7th Round

Stats

2010 – 209/316, 66.1%, 2857 yards, 9.0 YPA, 27 TD’s, 6 INT’s
2009 – 199/323, 61.6%, 2756 yards, 8.5 YPA, 23 TD’s, 8 INT’s
2008 – 182/307, 59.3%, 2242 yards, 7.3 YPA, 11 TD’s, 5 INT’s
2007 – 222/371, 59.8%, 2459 yards, 6.6 YPA, 10 TD’s, 11 INT’s

Overview:

Andy Dalton is getting a lot of love from some draftniks but I don’t see what the hype is about. He is not worthy of a 2nd or 3rd round pick, which is where some project him. He has a weak arm, poor intermediate and down field accuracy, he needs to work on his drop back mechanics and he has a limited ceiling. I see him as a guy who can be a back-up in the NFL and get spot duty because he’s a smart player so he can succeed in a role where he just has to manage the offense. As a starter however, I don’t see much potential.

Scouting Report:

Positives

– Great starting experience, 4 year starter
– Nice release
– Good short accuracy
– Does a good job of getting the ball out of his hands quickly
– Makes good decisions with the ball
– Throws the ball where only his guy can get it
– Mobile, moves around well in the pocket and shows the ability to scramble
– Smart QB, does a good job of reading defenses pre-snap
– Good leader

Negatives

– Small frame
– Footwork needs work
– Rarely takes snaps from under center
– Struggles to feel pressure in the pocket
– Arm strength is poor, passes to the sidelines tend to float
– Has difficulty throwing the deep ball, very limited range
– Intermediate accuracy is inconsistent
– Doesn’t throw particularly well on the run
– Needs to keep his eyes down field when scrambling
– Limited upside

Skills:
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

Arm Strength: 2.0
Accuracy: 2.5
Mobility: 3.0
Decision Making: 3.5
Mechanics: 2.5
Pocket Awareness: 2.0
Intangibles: 3.0
Pro Potential: 2.0

[soulman]

Andy Dalton Scouting Report

 

by 10 years ago

Toughness/Leadership: Won 42 career games at TCU, leading the Horned Frogs to a perfect 13-0 season in his senior year. Played in a bowl game all 4 years of college winning MVP in 3 of those games. Showed his leadership the past 2 seasons leading TCU to a 25-1 record with his only loss to an undefeated Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Was also the Mountain West player of the year in 2009 and 2010.

Intelligence/ Decision Making: Intelligent passer, where he excels in his ability to read defenses at the line of scrimmage. Showed the ability to read defenses and audible at the line. Sometimes would make poor decisions when his primary receiver was covered.

Accuracy: Set a TCU record completing 66.1% of his passes this past season. Very accurate on short to intermediate routes, and has shown he can throw the 10-15 yard out route with great accuracy. Puts the ball where only his receiver can get it. Dalton only threw 6 INT’s compared to 27 touchdowns last season. Needs to work on his deep ball.

Release/ Arm Strength: Dalton has a strong over the top delivery. He does not have the strongest arm of the quarterbacks in this draft, but looks to make up for this with being able to read defenses and make accurate passes. Needs to work on his deep ball, where he tends to float the ball, rather than driving it down the field.

Pocket Mobility/ Mobility: Will certainly not be a running threat, but can use his legs to avoid the sack and pick up a first down. Recorded 1611 rushing yards and 22 rushing TD’s during his college career, but this mobility is not likely to transfer over to the next level. He has the ability to step up in the pocket to buy time.

Intangibles: A 4 year starter at TCU, winning MVP in 3 consecutive bowl games. Dalton was back to back player of the year in the Mountain West Conference. Ended his college career with 42 wins as the starting quarterback. Was a finalist for the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Award, semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Awards while finishing 9th in the Heisman voting. Dalton is a proven winner something that can’t be overlooked when drafting a signal caller.

Overall Stock: Dalton played in a spread offense in college, so he will have to adapt to taking snaps under center and work on his 3 and 5 step drops. He has shown that he can read defenses from the shotgun, but if can he do it under center is still to be seen. His stock is on the rise with many thinking he will be a 2nd round selection, but could see his named called on day one if a team falls in love with his accuracy and leadership qualities.

NFL Comparison: Kevin Kolb

[soulman]

Andy Dalton's 2011 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Matt Miller

March 23, 2011

 

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Andy Dalton, QB	TCU
Height: 6'2"	Weight: 215lbs
Overall Grade:	7.8
40 Time	4.82
Bench Reps	--
Vert. Jump	29.5"
20 Yard	2.75
10 Yard	1.65
Broad Jump	08'10"
Shuttle	4.27
Cone	6.93

Accuracy

Dalton’s strength as a passer is his accuracy. He consistently places the ball in an area that only his receiver can make the catch and does a great job leading the receiver and giving him room to run after the catch.

During his pro day workout Dalton showed excellent accuracy to every area of the field. There are questions about his deep accuracy, largely related to arm strength. He will get a little high throwing outside but this can be corrected with better timing coming out under center. Dalton has NFL-ready accuracy.

Arm strength

There are questions about his ability to push the ball up-field. He threw passes of 60 yards in the air during pro day, but this was in shorts and without wind. Dalton will not be a big-arm quarterback in a vertical system. He has the arm strength to throw go routes and out patterns but relies more on timing to make his throws. The ball will float down the seam too often.

 

Dalton has the strength to throw with zip and get the ball between defenders. As a West Coast Offense passer, he would excel due to his ability to fit the ball in tight spaces on short and intermediate routes. Despite not having the strongest arm, he does show nice touch on deep balls.

Athleticism/mobility

Dalton performed very well as a runner during his TCU career. He has experience running a zone option and also as a shotgun passer who was given the green light to run if needed.

Against Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, the Horned Frogs featured Dalton’s rushing ability to throw off the aggressive Badgers defensive line. Dalton totaled 1,611 rushing yards and 22 scores on the ground in his four years as a starter. He has shown the ability to make throws moving left and right out of the pocket.

Decision making

As a catch-and-throw passer from the shotgun, Dalton is not often asked to make post-snap reads. He will struggle at times if his primary is covered but really improved in this area as a senior. He will lock on to a receiver too often and threw only six interceptions in 2010 compared with 27 touchdowns.

Field vision

Dalton has benefited from a shotgun system and will need to adjust to playing under center. He has the required height to see over his linemen. He does show the ability to get outside the pocket to improve his vision down field if needed.

Mechanics

He has a strong over-the-top delivery and good follow through. He has solid footwork on delivery and follow through and keeps the ball high and does not let it drop, even when moving in the pocket. Dalton throws from his shoulder and doesn’t drop the nose of the ball. Has a quick and compact release.

 

Pocket awareness/poise

A four-year starter for TCU, Dalton is a poised and tough leader who teammates will follow. He has won three Most Valuable Player awards in four Bowl Game appearances at TCU. Dalton does not get rattled in the pocket and can use his mobility to escape if the pocket breaks down. He has a calm about himself in the pocket and is not afraid to stand in until the last minute and take a big hit.

Final word

Andy Dalton leaves TCU as one of the most decorated quarterbacks in the team’s long history. At the college level, he has done everything you could ask of a quarterback. Entering the NFL, there are questions about Dalton’s arm strength and his “upside.” Many see Dalton and too quickly write him off as a product of a spread system who will not develop farther in the NFL. When we look at Andy Dalton, we see Drew Brees.

Dalton, like Brees, is slightly undersized and leaves a spread college system that hid his lack of a rocket arm. Brees and Dalton were both given second-round grades by most draft experts.

We see a bright future for Andy Dalton if he is drafted in to the right system. Dalton will excel in a spread or West Coast offense. This makes Seattle, San Francisco, Cincinnati and Minnesota possible destinations for him in Round 2.

[soulman]

One reason I created this thread was to show and summarize Dalton's specific skill set from his pre-draft scouting reports which has been much the same as an NFL pro as his college scouting reports indicate.  IMHO it's his strengths as an intelligent accurate passer who can read coverages at the LOS and adjust that has made him as desirable to Matt Nagy as his initial 2021 starter as he is.  Andy Dalton isn't exactly a schlub QB.

He's a good fit for Nagy's schemes if only because of two talents he has that Mitch could never seem to acquire.  One is his ability to actually read coverage pre-snap and adjust and the other which Nagy has crowed about is Dalton's ability to throw his receivers open by anticipating his throws with great timing.  Given the speed an elusiveness of some of our receivers this should result in more YAC than we ever saw out of Mitch.

It's true that Dalton doesn't have a cannon for an arm but an ability to throw 50-60 yard bombs does no good if you can't put it where your guys can catch it.  Mitch may have had the stronger arm of the two but his downfield accuracy sucked whereas Dalton can throw a far more accurate deep ball and should also be more accurate on short and intermediate routes. He's a QB who should get great production from his TEs.

We all want to see Fields as soon as possible and it will happen but for now we need to get accustomed to what to expect from Dalton and also what not to expect based on his limitations.  Personally I don't believe were as bad off with him as a starter as some do and that we could not have found any better bridge QB for Fields to learn behind.  I really wish we would have been able to get Dalton last year instead of Foles.

[BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW]

6 hours ago, soulman said:

 

I'm not even saying you're wrong, but it really really doesn't matter. The offensive roster is pretty average, and Dalton isn't going to suddenly drag it into contention. 

If there was a stat for"holds down the fort while the newly configured ol gets good" it would be key here. 

[soulman]

2 hours ago, RunningVaccs said:

I'm not even saying you're wrong, but it really really doesn't matter. The offensive roster is pretty average, and Dalton isn't going to suddenly drag it into contention. 

If there was a stat for"holds down the fort while the newly configured ol gets good" it would be key here. 

I don't think the offense looks bad at all as it relates to the skill positions.  We have decent talent there and good depth.  It's the OL and more specifically the OT positions we need to be concerned with at least for starters.  Otherwise RB, WR, and TE look better this year than last.

If we can finish the regular season 10-7 I'd call it a successful year.

[Sugashane]

2 hours ago, soulman said:

I don't think the offense looks bad at all as it relates to the skill positions.  We have decent talent there and good depth.  It's the OL and more specifically the OT positions we need to be concerned with at least for starters.  Otherwise RB, WR, and TE look better this year than last.

If we can finish the regular season 10-7 I'd call it a successful year.

Agree,  depth is better than its been in a while,  we just lack stars imo.  ARob is great,  but then we have Monty and Mooney who are promising guys that need to take a big step forward this year to be either a bellcow back or legit starter.  Same for Kmet. 

 

If say the OL has both a higher ceiling and lower floor than in recent years.  I'll take that gamble rather than accepting absolute mediocrity at the OT spots.  

[G08]

7 hours ago, RunningVaccs said:

The offensive roster is pretty average

I dunno... it's likely the kool-aid which kicks in for me this time of year but I like ARob and Mooney at WR, Kmet at TE and Montgomery at RB. 

[Sugashane]

12 hours ago, G08 said:

I dunno... it's likely the kool-aid which kicks in for me this time of year but I like ARob and Mooney at WR, Kmet at TE and Montgomery at RB. 

Potential is there for sure, just have to have them all take a step forward to be above average. My biggest issue is relying on Dalton. He's not someone I see elevating players much. He will absolutely be good enough to let them make plays, hopefully they can take the step forward without hm limiting them.

[G08]

7 hours ago, Sugashane said:

Potential is there for sure, just have to have them all take a step forward to be above average. My biggest issue is relying on Dalton. He's not someone I see elevating players much. He will absolutely be good enough to let them make plays, hopefully they can take the step forward without hm limiting them.

Dalton will make plays that are there to be made. I don't think we're going to see him hitting elite throws off-script, but if the routes are run correctly he will get the ball where it needs to be.

[soulman]

On 7/28/2021 at 5:47 PM, Sugashane said:

Agree,  depth is better than its been in a while,  we just lack stars imo.  ARob is great,  but then we have Monty and Mooney who are promising guys that need to take a big step forward this year to be either a bellcow back or legit starter.  Same for Kmet. 

 

If say the OL has both a higher ceiling and lower floor than in recent years.  I'll take that gamble rather than accepting absolute mediocrity at the OT spots.  

A whole lot of "stars" get that kind of tag because their team is winning games and championships.  Some of it also is laid at the feet of coaches and the schemes players are required to perform in.  I care less about the label than I do about each player performing to the best of his ability within the framework of his team.  IMHO it's teamwork that wins championships far more than star power.  Win one and players become stars.

Reference:  The '85 Bears.