I've been pretty vocal in my opinion about Ball State junior quarterback Nate Davis. I believe he is among the best deep-ball passers of this draft and a legitimate starter candidate if he is given time to sit on the bench and develop in a more pro-style offense.
Apparently, however, NFL scouts are starting to question Davis' ability, as only one team -- the Indianapolis Colts -- were represented at Davis' Pro Day Friday.Perhaps teams were comfortable enough with the fact that Davis threw -- and, in my opinion at least, threw well -- at the Combine already.
Davis, for what it is worth, again threw the ball well, completing 61 of the 70 passes he threw in a workout orchestrated by former NFL quarterback, turned QB guru Steve DeBerg. Not surprisingly, Davis was at his best throwing deep passes. Of the 9 incompletions, 5 were drops by his receivers.
There are certainly concerns with Davis. His lack of height and well-publicized learning disability are chief among them. I generally believe the Wonderlic is an overrated component of grading prospects, but at quarterback, it is important. Should Davis have scored poorly on the test (as is rumored), I can understand why he might be dropping. I was not particularly impressed by Davis during the interview process at the Combine and do not anticipate that teams were either.
However, considering the lack of talent among this year's quarterback class and the lengthy careers of past quarterbacks whose greatest asset was the long ball (Jeff Blake, anyone?) Davis remains a quality mid-round prospect with significant upside.
The film doesn't lie. Davis can play.
