Lamar Jackson Asked To Workout As WR At NFL Combine
Lamar Jackson has played two of the best statistical seasons at QB in NCAA football history. Over those two seasons, Jackson tallied 96 total touchdowns (57 passing, 39 rushing). Jackson has been compared to former NFL star Michael Vick due to his combination of athleticism and throwing ability. Michael Vick was drafted number 1 overall when he entered the NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech. Former Bills, Panthers and Colts GM Bill Polian has suggested that Jackson should make the transition to WR in the NFL. Jackson has said that no one has made that request at the Combine. Regardless, the notion that Jackson (who projects to be selected in the first or second round of the NFL Draft in April) should transition to a position that he has never played in college sends vibes of the old days of the NFL when black quarterbacks were often discriminated against. I am not suggesting that Jackson’s race played any role in forming Polian’s opinion, but I am certain that many people heard Polian and flashed back to the days when black quarterbacks faced a different set of standards than they do today.
Lamar Jackson is the Rodney Dangerfield of the 2018 NFL combine, because he can’t get no respect. Jackson, a former Heisman Trophy winner who is considered a likely first- or second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, is a quarterback.
And yet, multiple teams, according to a report from Peter Schrager of “Good Morning Football”, want Jackson to test at the combine as a wide receiver.
The logic here — of the request, not the report — is specious at best.
Essentially, because Jackson is fast and capable of ripping off explosive plays with the ball in his hands, teams are thinking he could potentially shift positions. Additionally factoring in: Jackson’s lack of accuracy, with the former Louisville quarterback completing just 59.1 percent of his passes.
These factors, along with Jackson’s “short” and “slight” frame, also led to former Colts GM Bill Polian saying Jackson should switch to wideout before the draft.
All of it ignores a couple of things.
For starters, Jackson is currently a first- or second-round prospect. He’s going to go early in the draft … as a quarterback. If he switches to a position he’s never played before at the combine, it’s going to have a negative impact on his draft stock. Maybe he still ends up going high as a QB/WR combo or as a guy willing to play some wide receiver, but he never caught a pass at Louisville. It would not be some simple transition.
And, additionally, all the complaints people have about Jackson — size, accuracy — also apply to other guys in this draft. For instance, Josh Allen, who people continue to fawn over in this process, completed 56.2 percent of his passes at Wyoming. He’s not being asked to work out at a different position.
