- Watched: Clemson, Boston College, Syracuse
- Pros:
- Ball placement is generally very good, even when he’s off platform.
- Partially alleviates athleticism/velocity concerns with his quick release and timing.
- Makes adjustments at the line of scrimmage.
- Some experience lining up under center.
- Has pretty much all of the mechanics that you ideally look for.
- Will climb the pocket when pressure comes from the outside.
- Cons:
- Lackluster velocity. Not quite as bad as Nathan Peterman and Mason Rudolph from past drafts, but in that same club where they will have difficulty throwing outside the hashes.
- Not going to win foot races.
- Constantly staring receivers down.
- Rarely moves on from his initial read and almost never progresses to the reading the full field.
- Panics when pressure comes up the middle.
- General:
- A lot of production coming from screen passes and other quick hitters within a yard or two of the line of scrimmage.
- Overall Take:
- Pro-readiness: 6th (out of 6)
- Potential: 6th
- Overall: 6th
- Number Grade (out of 100): 70
- I came away from watching him confused as to why people seem to view him as a 1st or 2nd round prospect. To me, he looks like a dreaded combination of not being pro-ready, having a low floor, and also having a low ceiling. He seems like a turnover waiting to happen once he gets to the NFL. The combination of rarely moving off his initial read and lack of velocity will allow linebackers to step in front of his short passes over the middle, and the same combination will allow safeties to get a good jump on any passes that are thrown over the top of coverage. Finley will enter the NFL as an old rookie and I think he has more developing to do than most of the other QBs that I’ve scouted this season. His strengths are that he has a quick throwing motion, gets the ball out on time, and shows good ball placement most of the time, but I do not believe this is enough to overcome his physical limitations and tendency to stare his targets down.
- Most Likely Comp: Nathan Peterman
- Peak Comp: Poor Man’s Chad Pennington
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