The Added Extras
While a quarterback will make most of his livelihood from inside the pocket, given the schemes the Panthers have historically run, the ability to run with the ball is something they certainly wouldn’t mind seeing in a quarterback.
While Anderson is hardly going to put Cam Newton to shame running in the open field, he did show the ability to make plays with his feet:
Which, in turn, made it possible for him to extend plays when the pocket broke down:
Oh, and he also caught a ‘Philly Special’ four months before Nick Foles:
There is a lot to like from Anderson on tape, especially from an arm talent point of view, but there is also a lot of work for a perspective team to do.
He is not going to be a player who can contribute from day one and a team would be foolish to try and ask him to do that. As such, if the Panthers do look to draft Anderson in the later rounds or even target him as a priority UDFA, they should do so not as somebody to play if Cam can’t go week one, but rather as somebody to develop to be his long-term backup with trade value down the road. They also shouldn’t do so without doing their homework, as for any quarterback prospect in any draft, teams will need to do their due diligence in terms of working the player out in the film room. His arm nets him a third-round grade, but almost everything else will likely leave him undrafted.
Grade: Late 3rd Round
Best Case NFL Comparison: Eli Manning
