Notre Dame, IN (UHND.com) – Brady Quinn gave a host of NFL coaches, execs, and scouts an up close look at his passing abilities on Sunday at the first of two Pro Days on the Notre Dame campus. Quinn, along with several other Notre Dame draft prospects, worked out under the guidance of head coach Charlie Weis.
Weis directed Quinn in a 63 pass workout during which he completed 58 of his passes in about 20 minutes time. Quinn looked sharp during the drill and threw a variety of passes – 3 step drops, 5 step drops, 7 step drops, and even some on the move. Quinn threw to Matt Shelton, who graduated last year, Rhema McKnight, Marcus Freeman, and Darius Walker.
Quinn only participated in the passing drill Sunday, opting to not run the 40 yard dash or the 60 yard shuttle because of the knee injury that has bothered him since the USC game. He will, however, run the speed and agility drills at Notre Dame’s next Pro Day on March 22 when his knee is closer to 100%.
After not working out at the combine, Sunday’s Pro Day was very important for Quinn’s draft stock which has taken a hit since Sugar Bowl. Quinn’s “fall” has been well documented over the last few weeks, but Sunday’s performance on top of his unofficial record for a quarterback of 24 reps of 225 at the combine should help Quinn build some positive momentum.
The Browns, owners of the 3rd pick, and the Vikings, owners of the 7th pick, both sent the house on Sunday to watch Quinn work out. Both organizations had their owner, general manager and head coach in attendance to get a close look at Quinn.
There is a large contingent of Browns fans hoping to see Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith selected by Cleveland, but it appears as though the Browns have serious interest in Quinn. They could also be trying to entice someone to trade up to the third spot to select Quinn by showing interest.
Until the March 22 Pro Day, Quinn plans to return to Arizona and continue training as he has for the last several weeks. He’s been training for the draft at the Athletes Performance Institute where he’s been non-stop working out – including being hooked up to a machine that stimulates his eye muscles in an effort to improve his react time on picking up the blitz.
It will be interesting to see what kind of 40 time Quinn turns in March 22. He’s got deceptive speed and is a lot faster than most people realize. If Quinn can turn in a 40 time in the 4.7 range it could be enough to make him a lock for the top 5 again – especially if JaMarcus Russell looks as physically unimpressive at LSU’s Pro Day as he did at the combine.
