Scouting Report: Browns QB Connor Shaw Part 2

Part 1 looked at the basic traits Connor Shaw brings to the quarterback position. This second part investigates what he can do as a passer.

Deep Ball

Nice job fitting the ball in to TE over the LB's shoulder. We've seen this pass in the Browns offense before, coming off play action and finding Jordan Cameron, Jim Dray, and Gary Barnidge.

Good accuracy on deep ball considering the coverage, but could have led more.

Drops throw in to receiver deep downfield on corner route.

Deep ball miss. Drives with his hips through the throw, losing accuracy. This is a common mechanical flaw, where a quarterback uses the additional power of his hip rotation to add strength to the throw. On the downside, this adds rotation to the ball, often causing it to tail off wide of the mark (usually to the left for right-handed throwers).

Not bad here, but he could use just a little more air under the ball.

Intermediate

Shaw drives the ball outside the numbers. This is an NFL-caliber throw to find the open space in front of the Cover 2 safety.

Nice touch on this one to drop it in the bucket. Very slightly underthrown, still very good placement here.

Finds the receiver sitting down in the void. Keeps the ball down and puts power behind the throw to prevent any chance of defenders getting in on the play.

Leads too far here and too flat of a trajectory. Needs to put more arc on this one to give his receiver a chance.

Rotates his hips and throwing shoulder too much here (appears to be in an attempt to add velocity to his throw). The throw tails to the left on him, matching his hip and shoulder rotation.

Once again makes the technical error of rotating his hips into the throw, but his accuracy doesn't suffer on this one (placement is within the area where he wants it). The ball has nice zip on it here.

Very good placement on this fade. Defender has no chance.

Short Passes

This is an area where Shaw may in fact look better than both Hoyer and Manziel. He consistently displays NFL-caliber ball placement and timing on slants. He can also likely be expected to hit other short West Coast Offense passes inside the numbers such as shallow crosses, hitches, speed outs, sticks, and whip routes.

Good velocity and placement on a slant. Fits ball between defenders and delivers it on time to hit receiver in stride.

Not a ton of power behind this throw, but Shaw puts the ball on the mark on this quick slant:

Connor Shaw consistently hits his receivers in stride so they can run after the catch.

He does so again on this pass to the back in the flat:

On this slant, Shaw's pass is a little slow and behind. Usually he's on time and puts enough on it, though.

This trips bunch creates space for the receiver running a stick route.

Inaccurate Throws

Rolls hips, knees, and ankles through the throw to turn to the left rather than squaring up to his target and driving through it. Consequently, the ball tails to the left and misses the mark.

Rolls through his throw again -- and even spins in his follow through this time -- and sees a similar loss in accuracy.

Rolls hips and rotates shoulder through the throw and the ball sails high and left of his aiming point:

Setting Feet On The Move

Shaw consistently sets his feet when throwing on the move, especially when rolling to his right. He seems to be consistently aware of his mechanics: his deviations come when he's trying to put more power on the ball or when he's throwing without being square to his target.

Connor Shaw has limited arm strength. To generate good velocity, he compensates by adjusting his throwing mechanics (rolling hips and shoulder into the throw). Sometimes this hurts his accuracy and sometimes it doesn't.

Part 2 Overview

- Shaw has a decent deep ball. Over half of the time he throws it with good touch and accuracy. Other times it comes out flat and results in an overthrow.

- His accuracy problems come from rotating his hips and shoulder into throws to generate more power.

- His accuracy issues are the most pronounced on intermediate passes and passes to his left.

- Shaw consistently hits his receivers in stride on short passes, allowing them to pick up yards after the catch.

- Shaw sets his feet well on the move and is comfortable rolling out, especially to his right.

Connor Shaw doesn't have tremendous upside due to his arm strength and awareness limitations. That being said, he is an athletic quarterback with a lot of experience with the option and a West Coast Offense route tree. Being well-accustomed to what he will likely be asked to do in the Browns offense, plus his poise and a matchup against a battered Ravens secondary, gives him a decent chance of having a productive outing in his first career NFL action.