In howling crosswinds in the 30-40 mph range, Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch was on point and impressed during his pro day on Wednesday.
Originally scheduled for 1 p.m. on the Tigers' practice field, the 75-throw scripted session was moved up half an hour due to the violent winds. However, the strong gusts were no match for Lynch's rocket arm strength as he showed off his power velocity to all levels of the field from flat-outs to deep posts.
The Memphis wide receivers didn't do him many favors with several drops, but for the most part Lynch's passes were accurate and gave his targets a chance to make plays. When one of his throws was off-target, it was due to slight issues with his footwork.
Lynch has light feet and showed that on boots and rollouts, but his stride mechanics were not as crisp, which led to some placement issues. And that matches the tape - Lynch has all the physical traits from a size, arm strength and mobility perspective, but the technique is still a work-in-progress. And it starts from the ground up, refining his footwork and then tweaking his hips and shoulders to properly deliver strikes.
"I feel very confident from where I was to where I am now (since Combine)," said Lynch after his workout about his footwork. "I just wanted to show these teams what I could do in the short amount of time."
There were 26 teams on-hand for the workout, including San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Wisenhunt, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman and several quarterbacks coaches from around the league. According to several reports, the Bills, who currently own the No. 19 selection in the first round, dined with Lynch on Tuesday night. The New York Jets had four members of the personnel staff on hand, including general manager Mike Maccagnan. Noteworthy for their absence were Browns head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, who were front and center for workouts of Jared Goff at Cal and Carson Wentz at North Dakota State. The Browns hold the No. 2 overall pick, but were tied down in Berea, Ohio, on Wednesday for the start of offseason workouts under Jackson.
Lynch measured 6-6 5/8-inches and 244 pounds with 34 1/4-inch hands. He focused on throwing at the pro day, standing on most of his numbers from the NFL Combine, including a 4.86 40-yard dash. Lynch also had impressive numbers in the vertical (36-inches), broad jump (9-feet-10), short shuttle (4.26) and three-cone drill (7.14).
It wasn't an ideal setting due to the weather, but Lynch didn't allow the elements to disrupt his workout and secured his spot as one of the top-three quarterbacks in this draft class. Where will he land on draft day? That's the mystery, but it will be tough for a quarterback-needy team in the mid-first round, like the Los Angeles Rams, to pass on his talent.
