What do we have in Duck?
With 3 games as the starter and some impressive work as a sub later in the games, I'm going to take a stab at a scouting report on Delvin " duck " Hodges "
Duck is 3-0 as the starter, and 4-0 in games where he throws the football 10 times or more.
Grading scale:
Poor
Below average
Average
Above Average
Good
Very good
Excellent
Size - Below average. He's 6'1" 210 pounds. On the smaller side, however has a compact build and can take a hit.
Arm - Average to Above average. The velocity on short to medium throws is fine. He has range to throw if 50 yards or more if needed. He's not the type to zip it between defenders, or drill a deep out more than 15 yards past the line of scrimmage. Not likely a good deep curl pattern passer either.
Accuracy - Very Good to Excellent. Able to hit moving targets in stride on slant plays. Good with Screens. Understand ball placement and where to throw it. Delivers an accurate football, giving his receiver the best chance to make a play. His deep ball passes float a bit, but he doesn't hesitate to throw it once he sees and open receiver. Can throw it accurately on the run. And can throw it to a spot, where the receiver will catch it after he breaks. Shows his quality on 3rd and long plays, and to be fair he's not working with the best group or Receivers. He’s currently completing over 70% of his passes. I'm very impressed with this part of his game
Mobility / Athleticism - Good. Duck ran a 4.78 on his pro day. He also tested well on jumping tests. He can escape the rush to buy himself a second chance or run for yardage. If we send guys deep in man coverage, he can beat the rush, get outside the pocket and run for serious yardage. One of the better parts of his game
Release - Above average. Seems to get the ball out fairly quickly and can beat the blitz. Doesn’t have a classic over the top release, but it’s high enough ( which is important for the shorter QB's ), and he can throw from multiple angles.
Football IQ/ Reading a defense. - Good. He locates his recovers quickly, understands where he is on the field and when to throw the ball away. Vision to locate receivers looks to be a plus. Not the type to throw it into double coverage often. While his pocket presence could use some work, such as stepping and throwing instead of just rolling right, he's a rookie and can get better.
Ball handling. Above average. Good on handoffs or tosses. Can field bad snaps quickly and recover. Probably would be a good play action QB, but the Steelers seldom call it. Would likely be a good bootleg QB as well. Things the OC needs to put into the game plan, I think.
Intangibles. Very good. Duck is very completive and cool under pressure. Can lead come from behind scores. Doesn't seem to fold under the pressure at all.
Leadership - Good. A hard concept to define, the guys just seem to like playing with him. It’s hard for a rookie QB who isn't a first round pick to get respect from the veterans, but Duck has it. They believe with him and in seem to trust him. He inspires them.
Summary:
I don't see your Joe average back up QB here, Duck has a game. We could have a better than average NFL stating QB here, perhaps not elite but he's certainly good enough to win many games with. He's doing well, even with a collection of back up skill players around him. Singed for dirt cheap, the Steelers own him for 4-5 years, meaning if Ben were to retire tomorrow the Steelers would have 33.5 million in cap space. It's every GM's dream to find a really good starting QB on his first contract as they can load up in the other areas until his second contract comes up.
Rookies QB's tend to get a lot better in their 2nd and 3rd years. Duck doesn't look like a rookie.
Someone asked me who does he remind you of? Now comes the part where I say something that can really make me look silly in the future as I will be using familiar names. I'll go with either a slightly bigger and slightly slower version of Doug Flutie, who turned into a pretty good QB in the late 1990's on the Buffalo Bills or a poor man’s Drew Brees.
If your QB is completing over 70% of his passes and has a 2 to 1 TD to INT ratio that team is winning lots of games. While one interception really wasn't Duck fault, the point is still made. I’d like to see the coaching staff give him more passing opportunities, especially on 2nd down.
https://www.pro-football-reference.c...H/HodgDe00.htm
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