Assessing a quarterback’s performance at the NFL Combine is always a challenging task, and with the Detroit Lions set with Jared Goff as their starter, exploring which developmental quarterbacks have potential increases the level of difficulty.
We looked at just six quarterback prospects in our Combine preview article, and of that group, projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) didn’t participate, Ty Simpson (Alabama) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) did well to solidify themselves as top-100 prospects, and Luke Altmeyer (Illinois) underwhelmed. The remaining two players—Cole Payton (North Dakota State) and Taylen Green (Arkansas)—stood out for very different reasons, and a new prospect was added to the mix.
Here’s a closer look at the three quarterbacks the Lions might consider adding to their roster.
Payton is the only known quarterback to have a formal meeting with the Lions, and I’ve gone on record saying I believe he may be the only quarterback the Lions would consider drafting in this draft cycle.
Payton is a dual-threat left-handed quarterback who ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash, jumped 40 inches in the vertical, and cleared 10-foot-10 in the broad jump. He has a compact and smooth throwing motion, keeps his feet under him, and throws with good anticipation and timing on quick cutting routes.
Payton showed good accuracy in short and intermediate routes, both in- and out-breaking routes, but he lacks the arm strength to maintain that accuracy on deep shots. On shorter and intermediate routes, he puts some pop in his throws, but when throwing downfield, he tries to place the ball at a target, rather than just cutting it loose. On Saturday, he was able to make adjustments on deeper passes, showing nice touch on sideline bending routes, but he didn’t always get the ball where he needed to, like on shorter routes. Payton throws a repeatable ball, maintains solid footwork and a nice wide base, and looks like he did his homework on the drills and was fully prepared.
As a tough athlete, some have wondered whether Payton would consider shifting to a tight end role in the NFL, and the NFL broadcast even suggested that he compares well to Tim Tebow, a bruising left-handed quarterback who attempted a shift to tight end in his later NFL years. And while that comparison, honestly, makes a lot of sense, it would be too quick for Payton to give up on his dream of being an NFL quarterback this early in his career.
While Green will go down as a “Combine winner” due to his measurables, his on-field drills showed the need for much improvement. Despite checking in with impressive size (he was the tallest and third heaviest quarterback at the Combine), Green showed rare athleticism, running a 4.36-second 40-yard dash (!), jumped 43.5-inches in the vertical, and recorded an 11-foot-2 broad jump—setting a new record for quarterbacks by five inches.
With ridiculous measurables, the NFL Network broadcast speculated whether teams had asked Green to work out as a receiver or tight end. And when they found a break in the action to ask him about the possible request, Green said that no team had asked, and noted that if they did, he would turn them down as he views himself as a quarterback-only prospect.
While you have to love the commitment Green has to chasing his dream, there’s a reason most compare his style of play to that of Terrelle Pryor, who was also an uber-athlete drafted in the third round as a quarterback, only to shift to receiver three years into his career.
In on-field drills, Green’s athleticism showed in his movements, and his powerful arm was able to unlock some beautiful throws when his feet were gathered and underneath him—but those throws were few and far between. Green’s footwork is inconsistent, sloppy, and desperately needs to be cleaned up if he wants to stay at quarterback at the next level. He often crossed his feet and incorporated a hop step in his drop, leading to some wild misses on some easy throws. For example, on a simple 10-yard out, Green shuffled his feet inaccurately, got a tick off balance, and the ball sailed 10 feet over the receiver’s head. We also saw this show up on a 9-route, where Green rushed his feet, didn’t settle his base, and missed his target short and five yards out of bounds. To his credit, Green did adjust on the next throw, then missed again and corrected again, but in the NFL, that level of misses can lead to turnovers. He was at his best when throwing in-breaking routes, but was too often late with his throws to the outside.
Our third Combine winner was not on our watchlist, mainly because I’m not sure he’s draftable as a quarterback. King has an average arm and needs to see it before he throws it, which often leads to late throws, but he’s efficient at throwing shorter/quicker routes with accuracy. Too often, King takes an extra step in the pocket instead of cutting it loose, which can lead to accuracy issues and misses high.
That being said, King lands in the winner’s circle for this piece because of his athletic measurables, including running a 4.47-second 40-yard dash. At Georgia Tech, King was deployed as a rushing quarterback, and last season he registered 953 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns (!). I’m often asked about Payton shifting to a Taysom Hill-like role, and when that question comes up, I try to redirect those queries to King, who I believe has a legitimate chance to pull off that positional switch. Now, can he do it? I don’t know, and I would speculate the NFL doesn’t know either, which is why I believe King may have an uphill road to get drafted. That being said, I’d fully support the Lions trying to sign King as an undrafted free agent and rolling the dice that this athlete can find a role at the next level.
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