Nov 24, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Tyler Bray (8) during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won by a score of 37 to 17. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
University of Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray has one of the strongest arms coming out of college. With top wide receivers in Justin Hunter and Corradale Patterson, he had his best season to date. With 3,612 yards, 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions Bray doubled his numbers from his sophomore campaign. His stats would indicate that the Volunteers had anything but a 5-7 season, although it could have easily been 8-4 losing three of those games by seven points or less.
Measurables:
6’6” 215 lbs
Strengths:
The one aspect that Bray has above all of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class has to be his arm strength. He has a quick release from different angles, which doesn’t appear to effect the strength behind his throws. In most cases a quarterback needs to have proper footwork to get the ball down the field, however Bray can easily make this throw off of his back foot which will cause turnovers.
None the less he can still make that throw, which will come in handy when the pocket collapses around him. One thing that I have seen watching film is that he will throw the ball deep without hesitation, pure gunslinger mentality.
Bray has the size of a quarterback that makes it easy to see over the offensive line, now the size of a quarterback doesn’t meant much in today’s game. However he could use a good 15 pounds to fill out his small frame. He isn’t a very mobile quarterback but does move around well enough to give his receivers time to break from the coverage.
Weaknesses:
One thing that is a noticeable issue for Bray is his maturation level; while he seems to have the right mindset on the field, off the field is a different question. He has questionable decision making off the field but given the right situation this can be corrected. The leadership he was under at Tennessee was not the right fit from the start with Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley.
Bray does have some issues with his mechanics especially with his footwork. As I stated earlier he does tend to throw off of his back foot, which is a recipe for a disaster at the NFL level. This will be addressed by his next quarterback coach, which will also help with his accuracy issues. His career average was a 58.6 completion percentage that will need to increase.
Given that he only threw 12 interceptions is a bit misleading because he tends to force the ball to his receivers. As it relates to turnovers, Bray will need to raise the level at which he holds the ball to avoid a problem with fumbling the ball.
Projection:
I have Bray as a mid to late second round draft selection and should be drafted on day two of April’s draft. This quarterback has a tremendous upside but he will need a strong organization to get him on the right track. I definitely see the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs showing strong interest in him.