I thought it’d be worth trying to locate some information on Josh Portis’ combine performance to learn more about him. You can see highlights of his work out by clicking here. It’s interesting to note that Portis had the highest vertical jump ever registered by a quarterback at the combine. He had the 11th best short shuttle – coincidentally Charlie Whitehurst has the 8th quickest short shuttle among quarterbacks. Portis’ three cone drill was the 13th best ever recorded, tied with Blaine Gabbert. Looking specifically at the 2011 group, he ran a 4.62 forty yard dash which was 0.03 seconds slower than Cam Newton and Jake Locker. His broad jump was tied for best alongside Newton and Tyrod Taylor. Portis had the third best short shuttle and recorded the same time as Locker.
According to his agent Ray Brownell via Twitter, Portis met with twelve teams during the combine including the Seahawks. The other teams were Detroit, Oakland, Miami, Houston, New York (Jets), San Diego, Cincinnati, Green Bay, Dallas, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay.
Jim Corbett at USA Today wrote this piece chronicling the progress of Clinton Portis’ cousin. Corbett notes that he was the only Division II quarterback invited to Indianapolis (he was also the first player from Cal. (PA) to receive an invite).
Once upon a time Portis was supposed to star in the same state where Clinton emerged with the Miami Hurricanes when he was recruited to the University of Florida by coach Urban Meyer in 2005. Like (Cam) Newton, Portis left Florida because he was stuck behind two-time BCS national championship quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow on the depth chart.
I also thought this was an interesting quote from Corbett’s article:
Portis said he became more of a point guard-type quarterback under offensive coordinator Walt Harris in his pro-style offense.”I became more of a decision-maker, checking the ball down, making five reads, exhausting my progressions before I ran,” Portis said. Harris texted (SIC) him a message an hour before Portis came into the Lucas Oil Stadium media room Friday. The advice? “Go out there and show your stuff. You definitely have a chance to play.”
It’s worth noting that Pete Carroll worked with Walt Harris in New York and the pair competed in the PAC 10 with USC and Stanford. When you break it down it’s no real surprise the Seahawks ultimately signed the guy. Athletic potential that matches any quarterback that’s ever attended the NFL combine. California roots and the certainty that Carroll was familiar with the player at a young age when recruiting. Described as a point guard behind center, which is what the Seahawks appear to be looking for. Pro-bloodlines and of course the coaching connections between player and Seattle’s HC. In many ways it’s a perfect match.
Elsewhere there was sad news this week regarding Arkansas running back Knile Davis. An ankle injury sustained during a scrimmage session required surgery and he is set to miss the entire 2011 season. Davis recorded 1322 yards last season and notched 14 total TD’s. I had him down for a high first round grade with a combination of breakaway speed and tough, powerful running ability. He may declare for the 2012 NFL draft rather than return for his senior year, but this will hurt his stock. On the plus side, someone will likely have the opportunity to pick up a steal next April if he does turn Pro.
Rob,
After watching the game a couple of times the biggest difference between all three seahawks qb’s was Portis did make multiple reads. He went through progressions.
On CW’s deep under throw he had a guy wide open in the 10-15 yard range for a first. Instead of hitting the wide open man he went with the over the top one on one coverage.
TJ looked like Portis during his first drives. I don’t take anything away from that.
Id looooove to pick up Knile Davis if he drops some next year. Where you think he lands in the 2nd? i cant see him drop all the way to the 3rd.
I’ll stay away from him. He broke his ankle (Can’t confirm which one, I assume it’s the same left) his senior year in high school and re-injured it his freshman year at Arkansas requiring surgery. He would seem to be done. Also the fact he’s only had half a season of tape-albeit fantastic tape- concerns me. High risk high reward 5th rounder type to me.
Jesus H. Christ I just read that he ALSO broke his collarbone twice in the past 3 years. A wrecking ball built out of glass.
Count me in as a fan of Knile Davis. He completely dominated in every Arkansas game I watched last year. The ankle injuries are very worrisome, and he might have to play in a RB by committee offense because of it to keep his carries down. Or he could just turn into AP, and make a mountain of pre-pro injuries somehow look like a fluke as he dominates the league. A very good 3rd or 4th round gamble for some team.
I really liked the 2nd quote on Portis. He used the exact same terminology as Carroll: a “point guard” QB. Probably due to the coaching connection between the two. In the little (and I mean VERY little) of what I had seen of Portis before San Diego, I noticed that he had a smoothness to his game and generally focused on avoiding negative plays, much like a point guard QB would. So hearing this quote pretty much confirms what I saw in glimpses then.
I really liked the bragging about checking 5 reads before taking off. That’s probably an exaggeration, but even checking a 2nd or 3rd read with regularity would have put him near the top of the 2011 QB class in that department.
Literally my only complaint about Portis so far is his size and how that creates a durability concern. That’s it. In fact, even if he posts bad numbers the rest of the preseason, his potential still excites me, since nobody expects a rookie QB to light things up right away, especially a UDFA one.
This is the first time I can EVER remember feeling legitimately upbeat or excited about a late-round/UDFA Seahawks drafted QB. He’s just in a different dimension than guys like Mike Teel and David Greene. Portis has a lot of exciting things going for him, and on top of that, he’s potentially a perfect fit for what Carroll want’s at QB. It could be many years before he gets his regular season shot, but he’ll be interesting to watch in the meantime.
I too, loved watching Portis in the preseason game. His accuracy first few throws should be expected for a rookie with a new tempo. He looked so promising at the end of the game. I would love to see this guy get a start or two at the end of the season, that is, if the season turns into what I expect it to be. I am more concerned about the O’line with Okung injuries and the right side altogether.
When I went to a Seahawks practice about a week ago, the QB’s were out in front of us, throwing downfield, so you could only see them from the side at first. Two black guys and one white guy. One of the black guys carried himself like an NFL starting QB, he looked like a totally different guy than the other two… just the way he went about his business, conducted himself in the huddle, the full confidence walking up to the line and then the drop back and the ball rockets off his arm. I thought this must be Tarvaris Jackson. Then they turned, and I saw #13, and realized this was Portis, not Jackson. If first impressions are worth anything, this guy could have the right stuff and the Seahawks stole him.
Let’s hope so.
When I went to camp I watched a lot of inconsistency during 11 on 11’s from the quarterbacks. Good throws, bad throws, sacks, fumbled snaps. Kind of what you’d expect from a guy in a new system and a guy in his third or so practice.
Then Portis stepped in for his turn in it was one completion after another, and not anything consistent in terms of distance or type of throw. It was a mix of short, mid, and one beautiful deep ball to Lockette in the end zone. Also a nice little run mixed in. It was a different tempo, faster, better. He seemed more consistent, and more confident.
Anyways, it was just one day and one practice but a lot of people have noticed a lot of the same positive things from him. Can’t wait to see more.
As a Cal U alum, I saw Portis play for the past two years. Over 6,000 yards and 69 td passes. Also, as a freshman at Florida he threw 4 td’s in their spring scrimmage game. His performance against SD was no fluke. The only unexpected part was his nervousness when he first went in. I doubt you’ll see any more of that. You guys got a winner.