From draft daddy
As most draft fans know, yesterday was Texas quarterback Vince Young's Pro day, and if one reads the major media, it appears to have been a rousing success.
But Draft Daddy has been speaking with insiders and other influential football minds, and it is becoming clear that Vince's workout day wasn't as amazing as some have said. His throwing was good, but the types of throws he was attempting were, to be frank, easy and intermediate level throws at best. Some scouts were unhappy that more difficult throws such as long outs and deep go's were not attempted. Further, the lack of inclement weather conditions such as wind and rain inside the practice dome where the workout was held eliminated a major variable that could have answered questions about his pass technique.
Regarding the physical workout, the fact that Vince Young had to be practically begged to run a 40 yard dash speaks volumes about his true speed. Simply put, Vince Young isn't all that fast. He wouldn't run in Indy and didn't want to run in Texas - for a guy who is supposed to be blindingly fast what is Vince hiding? "Unathletic" (not our words) quarterback Bruce Gradkowski from Toledo ran in the same neighborhood of 4.6 at the Combine and no one is claiming him as the next Michael Jordan-type player to come down the pike.
What does this all add up to? Same as prior to the workout, Vince Young is a hype machine. Major media outlets and high profile draft guru's love to tout this player because he is exciting and an easy sell to casual fans. In the league he will be a jersey seller, a highlight reel, an occasional beater of bad defenses. However speed-wise he is not a Mike Vick caliber athlete, nor is he even a Matt Jones caliber athlete. Sooner or later someone just as fast (or faster) than Vince Young, but bigger and meaner (e.g. John Abraham, Shawne Merriman, Julius Peppers) will catch this running quarterback and violently convey that the NFL is not the Big 12. When (not if but when) that happens, Vince Young will be forced to become a drop-back quarterback (similar career track as Donovan McNabb, but with worse throwing mechanics).
History has shown that playoff teams don't win in bad weather with run-first quarterback's. In fact, there has never been a quarterback in the history of the league to win the Super Bowl after rushing for more than 300 yards in the regular season. Since the days of Staubach we have heard about runners that will revolutionize the quarterback position. Long story short, it never happens. Wouldn't it make sense for quarterback-needy teams just to take a pocket passer from the get-go?
Not only does draft daddy give fair assesments to white players but I think they are acurate with black players to.