At South Carolina, Shane Beamer’s energy and conditioning workers has a complete analysis construction that features inserting grades on every participant for quite a lot of totally different metrics.
The grades for LaNorris Sellers additional present how unusual the star redshirt sophomore is from a bodily perspective in comparison with most different quarterbacks.
“The dude has like all As for like his ratio of fat-to-muscle percentage and all these types of things,” a supply informed CBS Sports activities. “I’ve never seen a human being like this, let alone at quarterback.”
These unusual bodily traits — together with the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Sellers operating the 40-yard sprint in both 4.4 or 4.5 seconds throughout testing this offseason relying on who you ask — issue into a few of the robust current suggestions that CBS Sports activities has gotten from NFL scouts relating to Sellers as an rising draft prospect.
Whereas scouts have constantly talked about LSU‘s Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson‘s Cade Klubnik as the current top two quarterback prospects for next year’s NFL draft, there’s been one thing else that’s been constant, too: Sellers developing at No. 3.
“That’s exactly how I’ve got it — Nussmeier, then Cade and then Sellers third as like the wild card,” a scout informed CBS Sports activities. “You don’t know which way it’s going to go yet, but if he hits, he’s going to be the first or second guy.”
“Wild card is a good way to put it,” one other scout added. “High highs, low lows. Needs more consistency. … But I’d say it’s obvious he’s the third QB behind those two (Nussmeier and Klubnik).”
It goes past simply the athleticism.
After modest passing numbers in his first 4 begins final yr (a mean of 139 passing yards per sport, a completion fee of 58% and solely two landing passes together with three interceptions), Sellers closed his redshirt freshman season with 16 landing passes, simply 4 interceptions, a mean of 247 passing yards per sport and a completion fee of 69% in his ultimate eight begins. That went together with posting 474 extra yards and 4 extra touchdowns as a runner.
“You thought he was maybe just a talented athlete playing quarterback, but you saw the obvious progression of him managing the game and keeping the ball out of harm’s way and leading them to drives,” an opposing SEC defensive coach informed CBS Sports activities. “He just got better with his accuracy throwing the ball down the field and knowing where he needed to go with the ball and completing throws. And you did see the improvement. You knew he was a talented guy, but I thought we would have enough because we’ve seen other guys like him, but we (struggled with him). And I thought he did a good job of being whatever they needed him to be, whether that was as a runner or also a pocket passer. I think he adapted well throughout the course of the game or whatever the game plan was for the week.”
SEC QB rankings: Arch Manning, NFL Draft prospects Garrett Nussmeier and LaNorris Sellers prepared the ground
Brad Crawford
The continued progress in areas that transcend bodily skill is a giant a part of why South Carolina is so optimistic about Sellers coming into the season. It’s additionally a big part of why the Class of 2023 three-star recruit is now firmly on the radar for NFL scouts as a first-round risk.
After some early rising pains in these areas final yr, Sellers improved together with his processing, together with pre-snap on the line of scrimmage, going via his progressions post-snap and likewise extra seamlessly determining the very best plan of action when different groups introduced strain or adjusted from a protection standpoint.
The expansion has continued this offseason with assist from new South Carolina offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Shula, who spent 16 years working within the NFL following his run as Alabama‘s head coach.
“Coach Shula has really, really helped him,” a supply stated. “Coming out of spring ball, the processing has gotten so much better. That part really has improved so much that that’s going to be what people see on tape from an NFL scout perspective. The fans are going to see the electric 80-yard runs. But what you see too is also now being able to sit in the pocket, diagnose, not just go one, two and then take off but go one, two, three, four and then make a play.”
Sellers shall be examined instantly with South Carolina opening the season in opposition to a Energy 4 opponent, a matchup in opposition to Virginia Tech Aug. 31.
Nevertheless, there shall be loads of different alternatives to impress scouts as effectively, together with head-to-head showdowns in opposition to every of these two aforementioned quarterbacks that he might find yourself competing in opposition to to be the primary or second QB chosen in subsequent yr’s draft.
