The James Madison passer is a late-round/UDFA favorite of me and ITP’s Mark Schofield.
Vad Lee is a quarterback who can run. He’s not a runner who played quarterback in college football.
What’s the difference?
When a team will need to do more work to get less out of a player by converting him to a new position than they will bey developing his talents at his current position, you know that player is a better fit in his current role. What this film room episode with Lee taking on SMU and I bet you’ll also be convinced that Lee is a promising quarterback.
Lee’s performance against SMU displays what anyone should seek from a quarterback:
- Controlled pocket movement.
- Intelligent game management.
- An attacking mindset as a passer.
- A quick processor to read the coverage, his receivers, feel pressure, and integrate this “data” into a a well-executed decision.
- Good accuracy that can be transformed into pro accuracy.
- Multiple examples of progression reads that cover the entire field.
- Performing and winning inside and outside the structure of the play.
- Toughness.
And by the way, Lee happens to have the body type and mobility of past quarterbacks like David Garrard and Steve McNair.
Schofield and I agree that if we were part of a draft day process, we’d recommend Lee as a late-round player above several options who might be higher on our lists based solely on what they offer “now,” because of the combination of things Lee offers now and should be able to offer later.
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