Jackson passes on catching at combine
INDIANAPOLIS — As promised, former Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson spent Saturday at the NFL scouting combine slinging it, not winging it.
No, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner didn’t show off a big arm the way Wyoming’s Josh Allen did. But nobody else did, either.
Allen — the other prime prospect in Jackson’s throwing group Saturday — wowed the coaches with a 66-yard pinpoint pass at one point during the first of two sessions with the quarterbacks and wide receivers at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Jackson, though, was much more explosive than Allen was in his drops, consistently getting 7 yards deep on five-step drills whereas Allen made up for his poorer footwork with his superior arm strength.
Widely considered the best running quarterback since Michael Vick but a thrower who still needs polish, Jackson shook off some apparent jitters to display good enough passing prowess to justify his reticence to switch to wide receiver.
Jackson never caught a single pass at Louisville, where he threw for 9,043 yards and 69 touchdowns while running for 4,132 yards and 50 touchdowns in 38 games. On Friday, he dismissed widespread speculation about him running routes with the receivers during the combine.
“I thought I did a good job at quarterback (at Louisville). I did,” he said. “I’m here at the combine to show my ability. It (the talk of a position switch) is just more motivation, and I’m going to show them how good I am.”
The buzz began building when former Indianapolis Colts executive Bill Polian told ESPN he thought Jackson should switch to receiver because he’s not as accurate, tall or strong as the other hopefuls in this year’s deep class of quarterback prospects. Polian suggested Jackson should make the switch sooner than did Terrelle Pryor, the former Ohio State quarterback who moved to wide receiver at age 26.
Such a notion was met by skepticism from several teams this past week, though, and Jackson said he won’t switch positions even if asked.
“No, sir,” he said, “I’m a quarterback.” And he said he’s not interested in just running wildcat plays on which he’d take a direct snap and zip around right or left tackle.
“No wildcat,” Jackson said. “This is not the Dolphins with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. No, sir.”
While Southern California’s Sam Darnold chose not to throw at the combine because he’d rather show off his arm with his own receivers at his school’s upcoming pro day, Jackson decided not to run the 40-yard dash.
“Film speaks for itself as far as showing off my speed and showing I can make people miss,” Jackson said. “I’ve just got to show off my arm — because that’s where they’re doubting me.”
He assuaged some of those concerns Saturday.
Falcons make moves
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons released defensive end Derrick Shelby on Friday and announced plans to release tight end Levine Toilolo.
The moves will save a combined $6.75 million in salary cap space, and they could help the Falcons reach a new deal with quarterback Matt Ryan, who is eligible to become a free agent after the 2018 season.
Shelby, who signed a fouryear, $18 million deal in 2016, with $7.5 million guaranteed, was set to earn $4.5 million each of the next two seasons.
The Falcons will save $3.25 million in cap space with Shelby’s release and $3.5 million with Toilolo’s release. The team will still have a $2.5 million charge in dead money for Shelby and $2 million for Toilolo that will count against the cap.
Shelby, who turns 29 today, had 30 tackles and one sack in 2017, when he started 14 games. An Achilles’ tendon injury limited him to six games in 2016.
The Falcons said Toilolo will be released at the start of the new league year on March 14 with a post-June 1 designation.
A fourth-round pick in 2013, he had 74 receptions for 723 yards and seven touchdowns in five seasons. He had 11 catches for 55 yards and two touchdowns in 2017 while sharing time with Austin Hooper and Eric Saubert.