Penn State Football: Note to the NFL, Trace McSorley is a QB

A few teams asked Penn State football quarterback Trace McSorley to work out at DB. Apparently, they need a refresher on the greatest passer in PSU history.

Ugh – that’s the way I reacted toward yesterday’s news that a few NFL teams asked Penn State football’s all-time leader passer Trace McSorley to workout at defensive back. The three-year starting QB and resurrector of Penn State’s football program deserves better.

After answering the question of whether he could play quarterback at the collegiate level with a resounding yes, he’s here to prove himself yet again. Coming out of college, more schools were interested in McSorley as a safety, and he proved all of them wrong.

This is nothing new for him, but it’s getting old for supporters of his game, like me. For the naysayers and doubters, I’ll lay out a rebuttal to all the so-called “holes” in his game.

First and my favorite of all jabs at his QB ability, is his size. McSorley is 6-feet tall and weighs 202 pounds. Plenty of QBs have played, are currently playing and will play at or below that height. Whether it’s the goat of sawed-off QBs, Drew Brees, or Michael Vick, Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield etcetera – this question is old, tiring and has no merit.

Prototypical QBs bust out too. There’s no exact science to quarterbacking in the NFL, but shorter QBs are succeeding at a higher rate than ever in college-influenced offenses.

In fact, Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray, who measured in at 5-foot-10, is seen as an early, first-round selection. Clearly, he’s a better passer and had a higher level of success, but the narrative seems to change in order to fit teams’ agendas. McSorley carries the scrambling ability, check his NFL combine 40-time of 4.57 for proof, arm strength and accuracy to make it work in the NFL.

The latter of those three attributes I listed was probably the biggest knock on McSorley’s NFL chances. He completed just 53.2-percent of his passes last year, and multiple scouts, writers and teams soured on his ability at QB and the Mayfield comparisons. Obviously, 2018 was by far his worst season as a passer for the Nittany Lions, but the stats don’t tell the whole story.

His passes were dropped at an abysmal rate last year, especially early last season. The veteran receivers expected to star for the Nittany Lions never emerged. In addition, he suffered numerous injuries and played through them, making it appear as if his game had regressed.

People have a short-term memory these days too, as he was just one year removed from a completion percentage of 66.5-percent. To some, it might look like he didn’t play as well without star players Chris Godwin, Mike Gesicki, Saquon Barkley or DaeSean Hamilton. However, he actually brought the younger receivers along and improved their games in KJ Hamler and Pat Freiermuth in 2018. He makes other players around him better.

Above all these things, McSorley proved he could win, notching the most wins of any starting QB in Penn State football illustrious history with 31. Some players have the “It” factor and that’s McSorley. It’s time for the NFL to get that he’s a pro QB, even if he has to go elsewhere to prove it first. I certainly wouldn’t bet against him.