Davis Webb, QB, California: 2017 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Sitting behind Jared Goff , Baker Mayfield, and Patrick Mahomes, Davis Webb finally got his chance to shine
Davis Webb, a 2013 three-star recruit, started 26 of 35 career games. He began his career at Texas Tech, starting 14 games in his first two seasons after beating out Baker Mayfield for the starting job. He would eventually lose the starting job to Patrick Mahomes and transfer to California prior to the 2016 season.
At California, Webb would set the school’s single-season record for pass attempts (620) and completions (382), while tying the record for touchdowns responsible for (43).
He would finish his college career with a record of 11-15 as a starter while playing for two different head coaches and two offensive coordinators. He possesses very good size on a sturdy frame with adequate athletic ability.
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Measureables
Height: 6’4” 5/8
Weight: 229 lbs.
Arm: 33-3/4”
Hand: 9-1/8”
Games Watched
2016: Hawaii, San Diego State, Texas, Arizona State, Utah, Oregon State, Oregon, USC, Washington, Washington State, Stanford, UCLA, Senior Bowl
2015: Baylor
Strengths
Davis Webb displays solid mental processing skills as he understands various coverages and how to exploit them. Although he had limited reads in Cal’s Air Raid offense, Webb analyzes the field well, going through his progressions before making a good decision on where to throw the ball. He does a solid job of extending plays by keeping his head up and eyes downfield when scrambling.
Once the decision is made, Webb demonstrates a quick release with very good accuracy to place the ball in a spot where the receiver can maximize yards after the catch. That’s exactly what happened on the first play from scrimmage against Stanford this past season. He shows off his arm talent by firing the ball into a tight window between a cornerback and linebacker. The placement of the pass allows his receiver to maintain his speed across the heart of the defense, turning a five-yard slant into a 70-yard touchdown.
Webb exhibits very good arm strength, not only to fit the ball into a closing window, but downfield as well. He possesses the arm strength to connect on deep passes, as well as throws outside the numbers from the opposite hash. The following throw is an example of both as Webb connects on a deep pass to the outside from the far hash. While the arm talent is on full display on this pass, he also showcases good football intelligence by holding the deep safety in the middle of the field with his eyes, before turning to his right once the receiver has beaten his man.
Another example of Webb’s football intelligence is in the red zone. He rarely risks a turnover with an ill-advised pass, throwing just three interceptions compared to 44 touchdowns in his career from inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. He displayed good competitive toughness in 2016, playing through a hand injury for most of the season.
Weaknesses
Davis Webb displays adequate instincts, not feeling pressure and standing in the pocket too long. When he does feel pressure, he backpedaling in the pocket rather than stepping up or rolling out as a result of marginal poise. That lack of poise causes Webb to panic and get rid of the ball before his feet are set, resulting in poorly thrown passes.
Like most pocket passers, Webb has a spot in which he wants to stand and throw the football from on every drop back. This is an example of what happens when he’s forced off his sweet spot as the Texas defense generates pressure. Webb panics, causing his mechanics to fall apart. He doesn’t reset and instead attempts to strong-arm the ball to his receiver. As he steps away from his intended target, the pass falls short of the receiver.
While that was an example of Webb moving laterally in the pocket, his accuracy is also marginal when moving towards the line of scrimmage. Against San Diego State, Webb and the Golden Bears were moving downfield with a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter. Webb escapes pressure, but adequate athletic ability hampers his accuracy on the move, leading to the quarterback missing a potential go-ahead touchdown pass to a wide open receiver in the middle of the field.
Even when leaving the pocket, Webb is not a running threat. He carried the ball just 17 times as a senior. Despite having very good size and a sturdy frame, Webb displays poor play strength and is brought down easily.
Webb demonstrates adequate situational awareness on third down, leaving a high percentage of passes short of the sticks. He completed 49 percent of his passes on third down in 2016, however only 35 percent of his throws were converted into first downs. He possesses marginal mental toughness, struggling to bounce back quickly from a mistake. Webb turned the ball over 13 times in 2016 (12 interceptions and one lost fumble) and scored on the following drive just three times.
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While winning games isn’t solely based on quarterback play, Webb’s 0.423 winning percentage is alarming. The average winning percentage for a first-round QB since 2000 is over 0.700. Among the 45 signal callers to be selected in round one over the last 16 drafts, only five have a worse winning percentage than Webb. That list would include Kyle Boller, Jay Cutler, Jared Goff, Jake Locker and Patrick Ramsey. Not exactly the caliber of QB the NFL is looking for. Some teams will ignore this fact all together, while others will downgrade Webb as a result.
Overall
Overall, Davis Webb is a developmental quarterback at the next level who wins with arm strength and accuracy from the pocket. He’s not a quarterback who currently possesses the poise to be a starter in the NFL.
Winning the Most Outstanding Player award at the Senior Bowl will help Webb’s draft stock, as he proved he could work from under center and read the entire field. However, with the opposing defense unable to blitz or confuse the offense with exotic coverages, Webb’s biggest weakness, his poise, was not tested. He certainly has the arm talent to succeed, which is why he receives an early day three grade and should come off the board in round four or five of the 2017 NFL Draft.
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