Mike Roach
Staff
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2013
- Messages
- 2,021
Much like players watch film of previous performances to get better, I often go back and read old pieces I write. I really like to read the commitment focus articles we do after watching the player at the college level to gauge how close my analysis was on the high school film. With all the Jerrod Heard excitement I dug up the the spotlight I did on him before he ever arrived on campus. I found some things I think I nailed, and some things I definitely got wrong. The full article can be found here.
So let's take a look at some of the big points of analysis and my final verdict on him.
[SIZE=11pt]Heard is a smooth long strider when he runs the ball. He shows excellent vision and good cutting ability, but glides more than cuts.[/SIZE]
I think I nailed this one. Heard gallops with very little effort to reach top speed and then maximizes that speed by gliding in and out rather than stop/start cutting. It has led to some really big plays.
[SIZE=11pt]He’s not blazing fast, but shows some explosion in the first five to seven yards. His short distance explosion is better than his top end speed.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]I'll give myself a 50% on this. While I still think his short area explosion is the best trait I've been surprised at how his top end speed translates to the college field. I don't know if the difference is that he was able to go 80% speed against high school athletes, or if it is simply the difference of being in a collegiate strength program for 2 years, but he looked like he was shot out of a cannon on his final run Saturday night. in saying he's not blazing fast, I was flat out wrong.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]He isn’t quick to leave the pocket and strives to be a pass first guy. Heard shows good deceptiveness on play action, and has good arm mechanics. He really improved from junior to senior year when it comes to his spiral. Heard has very good accuracy in the intermediate passing game, but loses a bit when throwing down the field.[/SIZE]
The book isn't written on this one yet, but thus far he's been quicker to leave the pocket though I do think there was some improvement there in the Cal game. The thing I love is he always keeps his eyes downfield and once he refines that part of his game he's going to be able to suck the safeties in when he takes off towards the line and hit some big plays over the top. His ability to move and re-set quickly are very strong. I also think my questions about his deep accuracy are more tied to issues with his downfield arm strength than true accuracy.
[SIZE=11pt]He has a quick release with a small load and wind up, and shows good arm strength to all areas of the field. Heard throws with good zip in the short and intermediate passing, and shows good loft on balls down the field. He has a tendency to use that loft a little more often than he should, and could work on his footwork when throwing the fade on the goal line. [/SIZE]
His release is quick with a compact motion, but you can really see him cock it when he's going to throw a deep ball. The issue is his "arm strength to all fields" isn't quite what I thought it was. He struggles a bit to put the ball over the top and hit receivers in stride. He's been bailed out a couple of times this year by Armanti Foreman and John Burt, and at times he's shown that ability such as the TD pass to Burt against Rice. It's just not consistently there. He also can throw some real lasers outside of the numbers. His throw on the wheel routes in the last game were smoked in there so this isn't exactly a Case McCoy situation. We also wrote in that article that he rarely makes mistakes with throws, and though he gave up one before the half he's taken care of the ball well thus far.
Final Verdict: While Heard certainly has aspects of the passing game he could work on, he’s got all the tools to become an all-conference performer. Heard has shown he responds well to coaching and improves quickly after instruction. His work ethic will help him improve in all areas of the field, and his athleticism and improvisation will make him a factor in the Quarterback battle from day one. I would love to see Heard get a redshirt year to find his feet, but the mental makeup he’s shown in high school suggests he could succeed if forced into action early. If Jerrod Heard reaches his ceiling, we are talking about a guy who is probably a multiple time All Big 12 player who has a shot at being named an All-American. If Jerrod Heard reaches his ceiling, there is no reason Texas isn’t in the mix for the National Championship during his tenure there.
And you know what, I still believe all of that. Maybe it was just a bad defense, or a magical performance but from everything I've seen from Jerrod heard at the HS level through last Saturday, I believe he can absolutely elevate the program there.
So let's take a look at some of the big points of analysis and my final verdict on him.
[SIZE=11pt]Heard is a smooth long strider when he runs the ball. He shows excellent vision and good cutting ability, but glides more than cuts.[/SIZE]
I think I nailed this one. Heard gallops with very little effort to reach top speed and then maximizes that speed by gliding in and out rather than stop/start cutting. It has led to some really big plays.
[SIZE=11pt]He’s not blazing fast, but shows some explosion in the first five to seven yards. His short distance explosion is better than his top end speed.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]I'll give myself a 50% on this. While I still think his short area explosion is the best trait I've been surprised at how his top end speed translates to the college field. I don't know if the difference is that he was able to go 80% speed against high school athletes, or if it is simply the difference of being in a collegiate strength program for 2 years, but he looked like he was shot out of a cannon on his final run Saturday night. in saying he's not blazing fast, I was flat out wrong.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]He isn’t quick to leave the pocket and strives to be a pass first guy. Heard shows good deceptiveness on play action, and has good arm mechanics. He really improved from junior to senior year when it comes to his spiral. Heard has very good accuracy in the intermediate passing game, but loses a bit when throwing down the field.[/SIZE]
The book isn't written on this one yet, but thus far he's been quicker to leave the pocket though I do think there was some improvement there in the Cal game. The thing I love is he always keeps his eyes downfield and once he refines that part of his game he's going to be able to suck the safeties in when he takes off towards the line and hit some big plays over the top. His ability to move and re-set quickly are very strong. I also think my questions about his deep accuracy are more tied to issues with his downfield arm strength than true accuracy.
[SIZE=11pt]He has a quick release with a small load and wind up, and shows good arm strength to all areas of the field. Heard throws with good zip in the short and intermediate passing, and shows good loft on balls down the field. He has a tendency to use that loft a little more often than he should, and could work on his footwork when throwing the fade on the goal line. [/SIZE]
His release is quick with a compact motion, but you can really see him cock it when he's going to throw a deep ball. The issue is his "arm strength to all fields" isn't quite what I thought it was. He struggles a bit to put the ball over the top and hit receivers in stride. He's been bailed out a couple of times this year by Armanti Foreman and John Burt, and at times he's shown that ability such as the TD pass to Burt against Rice. It's just not consistently there. He also can throw some real lasers outside of the numbers. His throw on the wheel routes in the last game were smoked in there so this isn't exactly a Case McCoy situation. We also wrote in that article that he rarely makes mistakes with throws, and though he gave up one before the half he's taken care of the ball well thus far.
Final Verdict: While Heard certainly has aspects of the passing game he could work on, he’s got all the tools to become an all-conference performer. Heard has shown he responds well to coaching and improves quickly after instruction. His work ethic will help him improve in all areas of the field, and his athleticism and improvisation will make him a factor in the Quarterback battle from day one. I would love to see Heard get a redshirt year to find his feet, but the mental makeup he’s shown in high school suggests he could succeed if forced into action early. If Jerrod Heard reaches his ceiling, we are talking about a guy who is probably a multiple time All Big 12 player who has a shot at being named an All-American. If Jerrod Heard reaches his ceiling, there is no reason Texas isn’t in the mix for the National Championship during his tenure there.
And you know what, I still believe all of that. Maybe it was just a bad defense, or a magical performance but from everything I've seen from Jerrod heard at the HS level through last Saturday, I believe he can absolutely elevate the program there.
