Michael Vick
By: Dave-Te' Thomas

#7-MICHAEL VICK Virginia Tech Institute Hokies 6:00.7-214

ANALYSIS
Positives... Versatile scrambler who is very tough to defend...Shows quick feet and excellent balance, smoothly dropping back from center in his set-up...Has a snappy overhead delivery and a good feel for reading defenses...Knows how to lay the ball away from defenders on his deep tosses and shows good touch on his post patterns... Confident on the field, proving that improvising is one of his stronger suits...Well-respected by his teammates as he rarely loses his cool...Puts impressive zip behind his short tosses, threading the needle on his slants...Leads his receivers well into the pass on his long outs...Eludes the rush with fluid agility and steps up in the pocket to absorb punishment rather than making a costly throw into coverage...Excels at getting outside the pocket and throwing on the run...His ability to run with the ball causes opponents to defend the entire field...Anticipates coverages, throwing to receivers away from defenders.

Negatives... Tries to carry the "weight of the world" on his shoulders too much...Seems very uncomfortable being in the limelight...Still needs to mature as a player...Sometimes gets too confident in his running skills, forgetting to eye his secondary receivers in order to run with the ball when his primary target is not available...Tends to get into a three-quarter throwing motion as the game wears on, taking a little zip off his tosses... Has a little bit of a wind-up in his release when throwing long, which makes his receivers work a little harder in order to get to the ball...Has good arm strength, but needs to refine his throwing mechanics, as he is not that quick to load and reload in his delivery.

CAREER NOTES
Considered by many to be the most exciting player in college football... Gutsy performer who plays with injuries that would sideline most...Despite playing only two seasons with the Hokies, he is only the second quarterback in school history to rush for over 1000 yards in a career (1202)... Ranks seventh on Virginia Tech's all-time passing list with 3074 yards and sixth with 4276 yards in total offense...Including post-season action, the he compiled a 20-2 record in the games he's played in at Tech (20-1 as a starter).

REMINDS ME OF... Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb.

GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL... While San Diego continues to show strong interest in Vick as their overall top pick, some within the organization are openly questioning his ability to read defenses. After dropping $25 million into Doug Flutie's lap, that is a tremendous amount to pay a guy to tutor the youngster. If the Chargers do not trade this pick, they reluctantly take Vick, but I still feel that either Atlanta or Kansas City will make a big push to trade up before draft day.

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