Nate Davis: QB of the future? A look w/ video at his preseason

He hits the receivers IN STRIDE.

I love love LOVE his pocket presence!! He can feel the rush and his natural pocket presence helps him feel where to step to avoid the rush and let the ball go. I see alot of potential in him.

Originally posted by Homo4Romo:
I know he's had some questions about intelligence...but if he can overcome his learning disability...

Not that anyone should have to point this out, but there is an enormous difference between lack of intelligence and having a learning disability. He is an intelligent person, and has very strong football intelligence, but has a learning disability which makes it difficult for him to learn in certain traditional ways. One of the main reasons he selected Ball State was because the school has a very good program that would help him with his learning disability (I think an intelligent thought process there). He can actually learn quite easily when presented things visually. Fortunately, play charts, film study, camera shots, etc. are all visual.

Originally posted by Marvin49:

31)Deep Pass to Delanie Walker overthrown. It doesn’t look like he was open anyway. I’m noticing that he was having trouble on the deep pass. He’s overthrowing them. This was a bad pass.

I think that’s more to do with chemistry and reps with the receivers. Those throws were pretty on target in his college days. In fact there were many passes in college that when they left his hands I would have sworn they would be overthrown, but by the time they got downfield, it was just about perfect. A good example is a long pass to Dante Love against Nebraska his second year. LINK Check around the 1:27 mark…this isn’t the best angle to see what I’m talking about (sorry), but ihe threw it from his own 33 yard line, Dante Love, with two defenders on him, caught it on the 3 and went on into the end zone. What is that...64 yards in there air, double coverage, and perfectly placed? I think he just has to get a bit more chemistry down with the SF receivers for the deep balls…get a feel for who has what kind of speed.

Actually, that video shows some other really good passes and scrambles. There’s also an INT he threw in there, which was a high throw off his back foot when he was scrambling. He's not perfect

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Bad: ...has a problem completing screen passes for some reason (I dunno how many he ran at Ball St.)...Good:...Nate also seems to be at his best in the 2 minute drill and in the shotgun…no doubt because of the offense he ran in college.

Not sure what’s up with his screens as he didn’t seem to have any more trouble with them in college than any other QB. I will say this, I don’t remember too many of them being behind the RB on the screen, slowing or stopping the RB’s momentum. Usually if he was off, it was leading them too much. But I would like to make a note on what kind of offense Ball State ran. I’ve heard some TV and radio guys, as well as posters here say that Ball State ran the spread and/or that he took all his snaps from shot gun. Not true (well, he did take most of his high school snaps from shotgun). Ball State ran more of a pro-style offense, and while Davis did take a lot of snaps from the gun his freshman year, he was under center more often than not by his third year. They did run the no huddle from time to time, though, and he almost always performed well when they did. I sometimes wondered why they didn't run it all the time.

I think it's clear from my other posts that I think he will be a very good QB in the NFL and yes I'm a homer Ball State Alum, but that means I've seen him play live for 3 years. He won't be great his first few times out in the regular season, he wasn't great initially his freshman year at Ball State either. But he does learn quickly. You could see marked improvement every game his freshman year until he eventually took over the starting job the last seven games. Keep in mind too, that with the QB competition between Hill and Smith, Davis hardly touched the ball in training camp. Imagine how he'd look with some actual reps in practice

Smith will leading the niners way before davis gets a chance...

Originally posted by mrgneissguy:

Originally posted by Homo4Romo:
I know he's had some questions about intelligence...but if he can overcome his learning disability...

Not that anyone should have to point this out, but there is an enormous difference between lack of intelligence and having a learning disability. He is an intelligent person, and has very strong football intelligence, but has a learning disability which makes it difficult for him to learn in certain traditional ways. One of the main reasons he selected Ball State was because the school has a very good program that would help him with his learning disability (I think an intelligent thought process there). He can actually learn quite easily when presented things visually. Fortunately, play charts, film study, camera shots, etc. are all visual.

Originally posted by Marvin49:

31)Deep Pass to Delanie Walker overthrown. It doesn’t look like he was open anyway. I’m noticing that he was having trouble on the deep pass. He’s overthrowing them. This was a bad pass.

I think that’s more to do with chemistry and reps with the receivers. Those throws were pretty on target in his college days. In fact there were many passes in college that when they left his hands I would have sworn they would be overthrown, but by the time they got downfield, it was just about perfect. A good example is a long pass to Dante Love against Nebraska his second year. LINK Check around the 1:27 mark…this isn’t the best angle to see what I’m talking about (sorry), but ihe threw it from his own 33 yard line, Dante Love, with two defenders on him, caught it on the 3 and went on into the end zone. What is that...64 yards in there air, double coverage, and perfectly placed? I think he just has to get a bit more chemistry down with the SF receivers for the deep balls…get a feel for who has what kind of speed.

Actually, that video shows some other really good passes and scrambles. There’s also an INT he threw in there, which was a high throw off his back foot when he was scrambling. He's not perfect

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Bad: ...has a problem completing screen passes for some reason (I dunno how many he ran at Ball St.)...Good:...Nate also seems to be at his best in the 2 minute drill and in the shotgun…no doubt because of the offense he ran in college.

Not sure what’s up with his screens as he didn’t seem to have any more trouble with them in college than any other QB. I will say this, I don’t remember too many of them being behind the RB on the screen, slowing or stopping the RB’s momentum. Usually if he was off, it was leading them too much. But I would like to make a note on what kind of offense Ball State ran. I’ve heard some TV and radio guys, as well as posters here say that Ball State ran the spread and/or that he took all his snaps from shot gun. Not true (well, he did take most of his high school snaps from shotgun). Ball State ran more of a pro-style offense, and while Davis did take a lot of snaps from the gun his freshman year, he was under center more often than not by his third year. They did run the no huddle from time to time, though, and he almost always performed well when they did. I sometimes wondered why they didn't run it all the time.

I think it's clear from my other posts that I think he will be a very good QB in the NFL and yes I'm a homer Ball State Alum, but that means I've seen him play live for 3 years. He won't be great his first few times out in the regular season, he wasn't great initially his freshman year at Ball State either. But he does learn quickly. You could see marked improvement every game his freshman year until he eventually took over the starting job the last seven games. Keep in mind too, that with the QB competition between Hill and Smith, Davis hardly touched the ball in training camp. Imagine how he'd look with some actual reps in practice

Well...to be honest, I was really looking for bad things to say because I was trying to make the observation fair and balanced, just like FOX news!! J/K. ;-)

Seriously tho, I didn't want it to be completely homerish so I was trying to present both the good and the bad. Thats also why I didn't make a vid of just the completions. I wanted ALL the throws. I almost included the runs and the sacks, but I had time constraints. :)

Originally posted by 49ersMan420:
Smith will leading the niners way before davis gets a chance...

god I hope not... Smith is terrible

Originally posted by Giggiddy:

Originally posted by 49ersMan420:
Smith will leading the niners way before davis gets a chance...

god I hope not... Smith is terrible

LOL....

...actually, Smith isn't my concern.

My concern is that the 49ers will take a QB in the first round next year and Davis will never get his shot. I want him to earn that shot, I'm just hoping he gets the chance.

Great video... I hope he gets his shot because he really does look like the real deal. Wouldn't it be nice to have a QB set to go for next season and be able to use draft picks on other positions.

Originally posted by 49ersMan420:
Smith will leading the niners way before davis gets a chance...

sarcasm i hope

Reminds me of Big Ben. The way he can evade pressure, and throw bullets on the run

Originally posted by DSGB:
Reminds me of Big Ben. The way he can evade pressure, and throw bullets on the run

...and they even played in the same college conference. ;-)

nice vid man, thanks!

Pocket presence
quick release
good footwork

I like what I see. Can't wait to see what he can do with a year of NFL coaching under his belt.

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by excelsior:
You people are too easily dazzled by tinsel.

Did you see the pass rush we displayed against ARIZ in any of our pre-season games? Of course not, and there is a reason for that. What Warner, one of the game's most experienced and best QBs, and what our Hill faced, in the first game of the regular season represents what Davis would have to deal with if we had put him in there.

Preseason and regular season are two different worlds. Enough said.

Well...when you find a way to evaluate a guy who doesn't play in the regular season DURING the regular season you let me know.

Until then...

It happens all the time and is called the NFL draft. That must have been a trick question coming from the school teacher who has received well deserved notoriety for his time and effort put towards the NFL draft.

But given that Davis played as well as he did while getting limited practice due to the QB competition, I think that he has a bright future.

Very nice assessment and video

Originally posted by ttime1:

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by excelsior:
You people are too easily dazzled by tinsel.

Did you see the pass rush we displayed against ARIZ in any of our pre-season games? Of course not, and there is a reason for that. What Warner, one of the game's most experienced and best QBs, and what our Hill faced, in the first game of the regular season represents what Davis would have to deal with if we had put him in there.

Preseason and regular season are two different worlds. Enough said.

Well...when you find a way to evaluate a guy who doesn't play in the regular season DURING the regular season you let me know.

Until then...

It happens all the time and is called the NFL draft. That must have been a trick question coming from the school teacher who has received well deserved notoriety for his time and effort put towards the NFL draft.

But given that Davis played as well as he did while getting limited practice due to the QB competition, I think that he has a bright future.

Very nice assessment and video

yea, i dont think anyone's crowning him NFL MVP or anything like that. But he does appear to have natural talent for the position. Which is more than I can say for a certain 2nd string QB on our team. Davis should be #2.

Originally posted by SybErkRimInAL:

Originally posted by ttime1:

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by excelsior:
You people are too easily dazzled by tinsel.

Did you see the pass rush we displayed against ARIZ in any of our pre-season games? Of course not, and there is a reason for that. What Warner, one of the game's most experienced and best QBs, and what our Hill faced, in the first game of the regular season represents what Davis would have to deal with if we had put him in there.

Preseason and regular season are two different worlds. Enough said.

Well...when you find a way to evaluate a guy who doesn't play in the regular season DURING the regular season you let me know.

Until then...

It happens all the time and is called the NFL draft. That must have been a trick question coming from the school teacher who has received well deserved notoriety for his time and effort put towards the NFL draft.

But given that Davis played as well as he did while getting limited practice due to the QB competition, I think that he has a bright future.

Very nice assessment and video

yea, i dont think anyone's crowning him NFL MVP or anything like that. But he does appear to have natural talent for the position. Which is more than I can say for a certain 2nd string QB on our team. Davis should be #2.

Ya...I actually like Alex Smith.

I have to admit tho, Nate has shown more instinct for the position in 3 preseason games than Smith has shown in 4 years.

While Smith seems to almost be fighting himself out there, Davis just seems so smooth and in command.

Again, its only preseason, but I like what I see.