Curtis Painter QB 6'4 230 Purdue

Painter gained some valuable experience as a freshman, completing 52.3% of his passes for 932 yards, and a 3/5 TD to INT ratio. As a sophomore, he threw for a school record 3,985 yards, while completing just under 60% of his passes for 22 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Painter continued to shred opposing defenses as a junior, completing a career high 62.6% of his passes for 3,846 yards and 29 TD’s to just 11 picks.

Strengths

Painter is a very good pocket passer that has shown the ability to sling the football all over the field, racking up amazing numbers in the process. He has a strong frame and the toughness to sit in the pocket until his man gets open. Painter also shows a very good arm, and should not have any problems getting the ball to his receivers at the NFL level. He also has a knack for being able to elude the rush and buy time to make things happen. Painter continues to improve, cutting back on his mistakes while improving his accuracy.

Weaknesses

The big issue with Painter is the issue all Purdue QB’s face, and that is the system. It is favorable to posting very good stats for the QB, but more importantly, has the QB lining up in shotgun formation. Painter will need to learn to take the snap from under center, and learn to start reading the action dropping back instead of getting the ball in position to see the entire field. He has shown improvements in reading a defense and not forcing the action, but he still need to continue that progression during his final season of college.

Future

Painter is the top senior signal caller available for the draft entering the season. Some underclassmen could push him down, and the shot gun questions will also hinder his draft status. Painter does have all the tools and intelligence to make it in the NFL, he just may need some time to adjust to playing out of a pro style offense. Whether underclassmen declare or not, Painter probably is not a premium prospect, but he does have a shot at landing in the first round.