When pundits and fans talk about quarterbacks that they would like to have on their college teams you hear names like Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, Brett Hundley, Everett Golson, and even Dak Prescott now. However, there is a name that I feel often gets left off and shouldn't be. That name is Sean Mannion, quarterback, Oregon State University.
You may be thinking, "who is this guy?". Many fans, casual fans, and pundits forget that this quarterback is getting close to setting the Pac-12 passing mark. With all of the quarterbacks that have come through the Pac-12, Sean Mannion may be the guy that stands a top the mountain after this season is complete.
He started off very inconspicuously at Oregon State. He was not one of those huge recruits that come in with a lot expectations placed upon them. However, Coach Riley knew he had something special with this young man. Riley runs a pro-style type of offense and with Mannion, that fit his style just fine. In high school, Mannion ran a similar style of offense, so running what Riley had in mind was not a big stretch for Sean.
Mannion possessed all the tangible things that Mike Riley likes. He's 6'5, 230 pounds, big arm, good mechanics, now it was on Riley and the offensive staff to help Mannion refine his skills, so that he could perform on a consistent basis at the Pac-12 level. As with any young quarterback, there were growing pains. He threw interceptions, 18 his freshman year alone. Taking sacks when he needed to throw the ball away, and injuries. He had injuries his sophomore year that forced him to relinquish his starting role to Cody Vaz. Vaz performed very well in Mannions spot, but when Sean was healthy enough, he came back into the starting role.
As he got older and more accustomed to the offense and became more in tune with his receivers, his numbers started to increase dramatically. His decision making was becoming better, therefore, his quarterback rating went up and the offense seemed to flow much better. His rating during his freshman season was 127.1, his sophomore season (injury season) was 138.8, his huge junior season was 146.5. His junior season was a season of huge numbers. He threw for 4,662 yards with 37 touchdowns. So far during this senior season he has thrown for over 1,300 yards with a rating of 129.7. How the season ends up for him depends on whether or not he stays healthy.
One thing that has helped him has been the type of guys he has been throwing to. He's had Markus Wheaton, who is now starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Storm Woods (still with Beavs, leading receiver), and Brandin Cooks (who is starting with the New Orleans Saints). When you have this kind of talent around you big passing numbers are sure to follow.
Last summer Mannion attended the Manning Passing academy when he impressed everybody with his arm strength and accuracy. He won an accuracy contest at the Elite 11 camp at the Nike Campus and then went to the Manning Academy and won that contest as well. Scouts like his size, strength of arm, and that he can make all the throws necessary at the NFL level. He wants to continue to work on his footwork and decision making skills as this season progresses, so that he gets drafted higher than the 3rd round projection the NFL had for him last year. That projection made him come back to Corvallis and work on those skills.
In the end, Sean Mannion doesn't get the huge publicity that others do because he plays at Oregon State, he's not a media hound, and he's certainly not looking for the pub. He will prove the point that just because he plays in Corvallis, doesn't mean that the NFL doesn't know where to find him and draft him. He is a shiny diamond in the rough who I believe will be drafted ahead of many of his contemporaries in college football this upcoming May.
No comments:
Post a Comment