Thaddeus Lewis, 6'0.5" 215QB, Duke
Rankings: 21st-ranked QB by Pro Football Weekly, ahead of two QBs who were drafted. Graded out as a free agent and as a player who should make an NFL training camp.
26th-ranked QB by NFLDraftScout, 461st player overall.
20th-ranked QB by Draft Countdown.
Ranked by Consensus Draft Services (CDSDraft.com) as a 7th-round pick.
Biography/Honors: Duke career passing TDs and passing yards record holder. One of only two QBs in ACC history to finish career with more than 10,000 passing yards. (Philip Rivers is the other). Four-year starter.
2009: 2nd-team all-ACC. Davey O'Brien Award finalist (1 of 5). 274-449 (61%), 3,330 yards, 20 TD, 8 INT.
2008: 2nd-team all-ACC. 224-361 (62%), 2,171 yards, 15 TDs, 6 INT, 2 rushing TD. Set school record of 206 consecutive passes without an INT.
2007: ACC All-Academic Team. 199-360 (55.3%), 2,430 yards, 21 TDs, 10 INT. Threw for 428 yards and 4 TDs, and also ran for a TD, vs. Navy.
2006: 180-340 (52.9%), 2,134 yards, 11 TDs, 16 INT. Set Duke freshman record for passing yards. Threw for 305 yards vs. Wake Forest in his first collegiate start.
Major: sociology.
Injuries:
2009: Played through nagging ankle and hamstring injuries.
2008: Missed one game due to left ankle sprain.
2006: concussion.
Combine stats:
4.84 40-yard dash
28" vertical
Positives: Four-year starter, two under David Cutcliffe, who coached Peyton Manning in college. Moves well in pocket and shows good pocket awareness. Scrambling threat even without top-line speed. Throws well and is mechanically sound while on the move. Has quick release. Good accuracy on medium routes. Throws short/medium passes with zip. Nice touch on seam passes. Leads receivers well. Reads defenses well. Keeps his eyes downfield when the pocket collapses. Knows when to check down. Makes good decisions. Doesn't force throws. Experienced, coachable, durable, dual-threat QB.
Negatives: Technique, technique, technique. Throws all with his arms, doesn't step into his throws, doesn't snap his hips. Inaccurate and inconsistent on his short throws because he's lazy on his technique. Often throws too hard and too wide. Just average arm strength, accuracy and athleticism. Inconsistent accuracy on deep throws. More an aimer than a thrower. Has to gather himself for deep throws, and they hang. Has to prove he can make all the throws, especially deep outs, which he didn't really throw at Duke. Takes too many sacks. Short.
Compares to: Chase Daniel.
Fun facts: Thaddeus owns or shares 48 passing records at Duke. He was a two-time all-Dade County player in high school but was barely even recruited by the nearby University of Miami. Ken Dorsey is the only QB in Hurricanes history with better collegiate passing numbers than Lewis.
RamView: Bringing in one of the leading passers in the NCAA without using a draft pick was a mini-coup for the Rams. And after a decade of otherwise-excellent QBs who were statues in the pocket, it's good to see them finding QBs who can move. Lewis has shown good enough playing ability and coachability to be able to push Keith Null at QB3, but hasn't really done it, and observers note his continued accuracy problems with short passes. He's not without pluses, but Lewis is probably going to need an injury in front of him to stick on the Rams roster into September.
Sources: Pro Football Weekly 2010 Draft Guide, Wikipedia, About.com, WTCD-TV (Raleigh-Durham), Duke University athletics site, NFLDraftScout, CDSDraft.com, Sporting News, FFToolBox.com, NFLDraftBible, Miami Herald
Photo: ESPN.com
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