The Nick Foles project: comparing the Eagles' rookie QB to the Joe Flacco project of 2008...

While we're on the subject of quarterbacks----I hear the comparisons a lot: "The Eagles drafted Nick Foles because he reminds them of Joe Flacco..." and "They think they can turn him into Flacco Lite, maybe package him in a trade...".  I don't doubt there are shared physical traits and similar offensive system backgrounds coming out of college when you look at Foles and Flacco.

But there are some key differences. There's an arm-strength edge that went to Flacco when he came out of Delaware in 2008 as a 1st-round draft pick by the Ravens. Flacco had a quicker release than the longer-armed Foles, too. And Flacco had simply torn it up at the Combine that year, generating a huge buzz among scouts and fans who witnessed his workouts. Foles did not have that kind of buzz coming out of college.

On top of those factors, Flacco was unexpectedly handed the starting job for the Ravens in 2008 and had to learn fast on the fly [note: Ravens' projected starter that year Troy Smith went down in TC with a near-fatal case of adult-onset tonsilitis and was done for the year; their backup QB was John Beck]. Nick Foles will not be thrown into a similar learning curve opportunity with the Eagles unless total disaster befalls three other QB's in camp.

But one way to clarify some of the similarities between Foles and Flacco is to compare their senior year college scouting reports...


Nick Foles coming out of Arizona bears a physical resemblance to Flacco in size and posture...6-5, 240, with a near-identical time in the '40--- 4.95 seconds.

Here's the 2012 OG-Draft scouting summary on Foles:

Arm Strength: Without question Nick Foles has a strong arm. It’s not elite but he has more than enough arm strength necessary to be an NFL quarterback. He shows the ability to rifle passes between defenders with ease. He also does a good job of taking a bit off of it when throwing to the flats. His passes rarely float, although they have on occasion but it’s more of a mental thing rather than physical. Grade: 4.0

Accuracy: Foles can be pretty inconsistent with his accuracy. At times he will thread the needle between defenders and other times he throws a screen pass off target. It’s really frustrating to watch. It doesn’t help that his offense usually has at least 1 wide open guy on every play so rarely does he actually have to fit the ball into tight spaces. He usually struggles when he has to though. He throws a pretty deep ball but he’s inconsistent with that as well. His accuracy when throwing on the run is also poor as he fails to lead receivers consistently. Overall, his accuracy just isn’t impressive. Grade: 2.5

Mobility: Foles is a big guy but he’s quite mobile for his size. He routinely shows that he can move outside of the pocket and extend the play. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still very much a pocket passer, and he will rarely actually take off and run. He does a pretty good job of avoiding the rush and can move around quite well. Grade: 3.0

Decision Making: This is an area where Foles really struggles. His offense takes a lot of the pressure off of him as most of the time he has a set receiver to go to pre-snap. Early in his career he was a stare-down machine, and while he has improved on going through his progressions he still struggles with it. His mental clock is slow and he takes a while to go through his progressions. Only when he has a nice clean pocket with ample time will he actually go through his 3rd or maybe 4th read. Most of the time he’ll hesitate on throwing to his first read and then quickly try to find his checkdown. It just doesn’t look natural and you get the sense he’s panicking trying to do the right thing. He lacks anticipation and usually makes the throw after the receiver has come open and he’s just playing pitch and catch. He also just simply makes some bad decisions. He’ll throw into coverage and it’s usually when he gets pressured. Again, I get the sense that he panics and doesn’t really know what to do. Rarely does he throw the ball away. Grade: 2.0

Mechanics: Foles has a nice release, although he can get sloppy with it, but overall it’s rather slow. He almost never takes a drop back from under center without utilizing play action, so he’ll have to work on his footwork a lot. He doesn’t usually throw off-balance but you can tell his footwork isn’t crisp. He’ll need to work on this in the NFL. Grade: 2.0

Pocket Awareness: Foles does a good job of sensing pressure. He will hold onto the ball when given time but he also knows when to get out of the pocket. He’s good at extending plays and will always keep his eyes down-field when moving around in the pocket. He can be guilty of holding onto the ball for too long at times, but it doesn’t happen too often. Grade: 3.0

Intangibles: Foles doesn’t come across as a guy with elite intangibles. As it’s so important when pertaining to quarterbacks, Foles lacks the “it” factor. While he has matured and grown as a leader I just don’t see it on game-days. He suffered a knee injury last year but should be ok going forward. He plays top competition and has posted solid numbers for his career. He isn’t asked to operate a complex offense and his football IQ can be questioned. Grade: 2.0

Outlook: While Nick Foles has prototypical size, a strong arm, and decent mobility, he just doesn’t project to a great NFL quarterback. He’s a project. He lacks the intangibles to ever be an elite NFL quarterback and the offense he runs is rather simple. Combine that with his inability to make snap decisions under pressure and his NFL outlook isn’t great. He has the potential to be a starter in this league, a good one at that, but he will need a lot of work. I wouldn’t be surprised if it just never clicks for him and he remains a back-up his whole career.

Okay, a lot of compliments and good marks there from OG-Draft, but overall a lukewarm review, and definitely no sign of "the next Joe Flacco" kind of excitement I've heard from some fans.

Now for comparison, let's pull out the 2008 scouting report from Matt McGuire/Walter Football on Flacco as a senior coming out of the relatively small football program at the U. of Delaware...

"Joe Flacco, 6-6, 230, 4.9 in the '40....
Strengths: Has the prototypical size you want in a quarterback...Has very good arm strength...Very mobile around the pocket and does a proficient job of passing the ball accurately on the run...Does a good job of throwing the ball away when nothing is there...Doesn't make a lot of unnecessary risks throwing the football...Shows good presence in the pocket and keeps a great mental clock of when it is collapsing...Tosses a very accurate deep ball.

Weaknesses: Competition he plays against doesn't have a lot of speed, so he will certainly have to adjust to NFL defenses...Does a poor job of looking off the free safety and this shows a lack of polish and maturity as a passer...Has a lot to learn and needs 1-2 years to be developed...Not very athletic.

Notes: On film I really like Flacco, but it becomes fairly obvious that he needs some time in the NFL to develop. I think he is a solid second-round prospect. I don't see him being a superstar, but he can have a very good career."

"Player Rating: 84. Player Comparison: Ben Roethlisberger. "

And there's the Bazinga! in this story. It almost seems as if McGuire of Walter Football was scouting Nick Foles back in 2008! I hope Foles takes heart from the lukewarm review Flacco got from certain scouts back in 2008. All Flacco has done since 2008 is start every game for four years, win 69% of his games, been to the playoffs every year and gotten to the AFC Championship Game twice.

Maybe I've been too cynical about the Nick Foles project. Maybe the Eagles know exactly what they've got in the young man. Maybe it is okay to compare Foles favorably to Flacco. Better yet, maybe Foles and Flacco will hook up in the next offseason and compare notes.