Saturday, May 2, 2015

Rams draft profile (3rd round, pick #89): Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State

CBS Sports
Sean Mannion, 6'5.5" 229
QB, Oregon State

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #107 player overall, #6 quarterback. 3rd-4th round grade.
Nawrocki: #126 player overall, #5 QB. Grade: 5.32, 4th-5th round pick, should make a roster and contribute on special teams.Well, I dunno about that last part.
Mayock: Not rated in top 100 players, which included 4 QBs.
Kiper: #91 player overall, #6 QB.
Draft Countdown: #136 player overall, #6 QB. Mid-round grade.
Sports Illustrated: #140 player overall, #6 QB.
Scouts Inc: #108 player overall, #4 QB. Grade: 68, good to solid prospect.
Just about all of these analysts had Brett Hundley and Bryce Petty ahead of Mannion.

Biography/Honors
2014: Honorable mention all-Pac 12. Team captain. Started all 12 games. 282-453 (62.3%) for 3,164 yards (7.0 ypc), 15 TDs and 8 INTs. Won the Air-it-Out Challenge at the 2014 Manning Passing Academy. Finished career with 18 school passing records.
2013: Honorable mention all-Pac 12. Team captain. Started all 13 games. 400-603 (62.3%) for 4,662 yards (7.7 ypc), 37 TDs and 15 INTs. Second in the nation in yards, 4th in TDs. Yards set a conference record, TDs set a school record. Seven games of 350 yards or more.
2012: Started 8 games. First sophomore team captain in team history. 200-309 (64.7%) for 2,446 yards (7.9 ypc), 15 TDs and 13 INTs. Benched for final three games after throwing 4 INTs vs. Washington.
2011: Played in 12 games, starting 10. 305-473 (64.5%) for 3,328 yards (10.9 ypc), 16 TDs and 18 INTs.
2010: Redshirted.

Academics: Graduated with degree in liberal studies in December and is pursuing his master's in interdisciplinary studies with options in sociology, political science and history. Three-time Pac-12 Academic Honorable Mention.
Twitter: @seanmannion4

Injuries

2012: Missed two games due to torn left meniscus that required arthroscopic surgery.
  
NFL Combine Stats
(2015 Combine averages for QBs in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 5.14 (Slowest QB at Combine. Average was 4.80) 
10-yard split: 1.87
Vertical: 31" (32.5")
Broad: 8'9" (9'6")
3-cone: 7.30 (Tied for 2nd-worst. Average was 7.11)
Shuttle: 4.39 (4.28)


Scouting Report
Pluses: Prototype size for the position. Very experienced QB in a pro-style offense where he worked from underneath center. Reads the defense well prior to the snap. Knows where his protection is and where his hot reads are. Stands tall in the pocket. Pure pocket passer. Good pocket awareness, keeps his eyes downfield well. Doesn't get many passes batted down, SAM BRADFORD. Very good arm strength and clean footwork. Very accurate thrower when his feet are set. Can make all the throws. Very good at throwing receivers open deep. Throws a very catchable, accurate deep ball, always gives his receiver a chance. Has major upside if he cleans up his lower-body mechanics. Has shortened his previously long, over-the-top delivery, a big reason the Rams took him after witnessing a private workout at OSU. Respected team leader (first three-time captain in school history) with calm, cool playing temperament. Very intelligent on and off field. Coach let him make his own reads and make audibles. Very hard worker who has the key to both the gym and the film room. Father John is a high school coach (but I don't think he coached Sean, at least not at his current school).

Minuses: Needs to put on some muscle. Has small hands and does not throw a consistently tight spiral. Just-average athletically. Doesn't process the defensive scheme well after the snap. If he read them wrong before the snap, he's toast. Falls apart under pressure. Doesn't step into his throws. Will take a hit but bails out and makes too many back-footed throws under pressure. Throws pretty poorly on the move. Tends to lock onto his primary target and telegraph passes. Takes too many chances forcing passes into coverage. Takes too long to scan the field, holds the ball too long, needs to speed up internal clock. Will have to time his throws better against NFL DBs. Limited mobility, stiff runner who's not a threat to scramble. With his hands and tendency to force passes, ball security will be a significant issue. Carries ball too low when he runs. Committed 84 turnovers in his college career, 30 fumbles. Needs to be more of a vocal, take-charge leader.

Compares to: Matt Ryan as a junior, but Mike Glennon as a senior. 

Fun Facts
Sean's Oregon State bio claims he is contemplating a career as a fire fighter. Besides QB, he played center in high school. That would be in basketball. He also pitched for two seasons for the baseball team. Sean roomed for a year at OSU with... Johnny Hekker.

RamView
I like that the Rams finally spent a meaningful draft pick on a QB with long-term starting potential and more upside than the current backups. And I very much appreciate they got a QB who's run a real, adult, pro-style offense. I had Grayson as the #3 QB, and should have had Mannion 4th based on this. He was the best QB to take. The Rams filled a need the best way they could. Now, he's got a lot of flaws, and it seems like with as much as he's played, a lot of them are burned in. It's also more than fair to note that a big part of his junior-senior dropoff came from Brandin Cooks going pro and OSU having nothing left at wideout. I wasn't big on what I saw of Sean at the Senior Bowl. Too erratic, too inconsistent on the sideline routes that most demand a strong, accurate arm. But you make this pick, and you pick a QB like Sean, to develop him for the future. He may step into a situation where he's got improving receivers and a gelling offensive line around him, and if Chris Weinke does his job as QB coach, Mannion's a lot more like the junior QB who would have been a first-round pick than the QB who struggled a lot more as a senior. It's not a win-now pick, but it's a pick this franchise has been overdue to make. I can talk myself into liking this pick now.

Sources: Oregon State Athletics, NFL.com

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