Dallas Cowboys Possible Quarterback Pick: The Jimmy Garoppolo File
By Jeff Magnia
Aug 31, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Eastern Illinois Panthers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) passes the ball during the first half against the San Diego State Aztecs at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
During the video game of Madden 25, as Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo runs onto the field, you can hear the announcer state, “Tony Romo, the Eastern Illinois product coming to the field.” You may hear that same phrase again but for a different quarterback, one who shattered a few records set by the #9.
Jimmy Garoppolo is a draft possibility that Dallas could use in the 2nd or 3rd rounds. According to CBSSports.com, he broke all of Romo’s career school records, as well as all of the Ohio Valley Conference passing records. The winner of the Walter Payton Award in 2013, he passed for over 5,000 and had 53 touchdowns. His career stats include 13,156 yards and 118 touchdowns. Much like Romo, this kid is a stats machine, but he also lacks in a few areas. He isn’t tall enough for NFL standards and lacks some arm strength.
Looking over the scouting report, it is said that he has excellent vision with quick eyes and natural delivery. He is a smart athlete and able to execute well. Mirroring his predecessor, he has quick feet that evade pressure, has strong leadership skills, and has confidence in his passing ability. With having a level-head, he tends to have a short memory when it comes to making mistakes.
CBS Sports also states that he lacks velocity on some of his throws, he needs to continue to improve on his decision-making, he has a bad habit of forcing a throw, and also needs to get his feet under control more consistently as he steps into his throws. He ran mostly an FCS spread, shotgun attack in college, so he will need some time to learn to acclimate under the center. He also has a tendency to hold the ball too long and take unnecessary hits.
The bleacherreport.com stated that Garoppolo has problems under pressure. Poor decision making under pressure tends to occur while under the gun. His tendency to hesitate isn’t a plus but with the type of delivery that he has, he could avoid some sacks. He has one of the fastest deliveries that I have seen in a few quarterbacks. He has said to have an effective pump fake.
Another report from the Bleacher Report stated that scouts were impressed with his performance at the East-West Shrine Game as he was also named the game’s MVP.
After watching several videos, his footwork while reading the defense reminds me of Peyton Manning, but his decision processes are of a younger Romo. I saw several times that some of the throws put his wide receivers in some dangerous situations. You want to see your receiver get up after a play. There were several throws that he threw into double coverage or the route had two receivers near each other causing more problems. I did also notice that he has his favorite receiver to throw to, that being #88 Adam Drake.
There are some that say he is a first round selection. There are some that are saying that he is a project player for the future and have him listed as a 3rd round selection. Dallas couldn’t do any wrong by making this kid the quarterback of the future as a second round pick. Let him sit behind Romo for the next few seasons, throw him in the mix every so often and let him get his feet wet during the preseason and OTA’s then in a few seasons, watch him be the quarterback that the Cowboy fans would love to see under center perhaps breaking Romo’s NFL records. He already has broken his collegiate ones. Why stop there?