Late last month, we noted the polarizing effect of Washington quarterback Jake Locker on draft analysts. Adam Caplan of FOX Sports and Russ Lande of Sporting News were thoroughly unimpressed with Locker’s Senior Bowl performance, while NFL Network’s Mike Mayock pinpointed Locker’s struggles as a pocket passer.
ESPN’s Todd McShay seemed to be Locker’s only steadfast backer left, alleging that the fifth-year senior’s “accuracy improved ... each and every day” in Mobile. McShay claimed, at the time, that Locker helped his draft stock at the Senior Bowl.
Something changed since late January.
Appearing on SportsCenter Thursday, McShay was asked about risers and fallers at this point in draft season. After running through his list of risers (e.g. Alabama running back Mark Ingram and Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller), the first name McShay gave for his fallers was Washington quarterback Jake Locker.
McShay explained that Locker’s “fall” is attributable to poor accuracy, essentially the exact same criticism offered by Caplan and Lande, and alluded to by Mayock.
Perhaps McShay has been speaking to NFL scouts since the Senior Bowl. Those scouts were unimpressed with Locker’s practices, so McShay adjusted his evaluation accordingly.
Either that, or McShay is swiping other draft analysts’ ideas without assigning proper credit.