Scouting Report: Devin Gardner, QB - Inkster, MI

Curiously, Devin Gardner told everyone that he was committing to Michigan but thinks he hasn't. He has stated that he wants to wait until his basketball playoffs are done before he holds any interviews. But he's committed to Michigan. Except not really. It doesn't count until he says it to a camera. I guess. Really, I have no idea. But he's good at playing football, so yay.

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Position: Quarterback
School: Inkster High School in Inkster, MI
40 Yard Dash: 4.6 seconds (reported)
Vertical:

Notes: Holds offers from LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Purdue, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and others . . . Rushed 115 times for 1,401 yards and 22 TD's as a junior in 2008 . . . Completed 98/170 passes (58%) for 1,886 yards, 26 TD's, and 7 INT's as a junior . . . Attended U of D Jesuit as a sophomore and threw for 1,000 yards while rushing for 475 . . . Former Inkster teammate Cameron Gordon was part of Michigan's 2009 recruiting class . . . . . . #1 player in Michigan, according to Scout.com . . . #177 player nationally, according to Rivals.com . . . Wears #7

Scouting report: Strong runner . . . Difficult to bring down on first contact . . . Shows good leg drive in traffic . . . Excellent pocket presence and ability to feel pressure . . . Superb ability to change direction quickly when scrambling in the pocket . . . Can throw accurately running to either side . . . Good mechanics when working from under center . . . Above average arm strength . . . Puts plenty of air under deep balls . . . Very good passer when he squares his shoulders (see play at 9:15 in video below for best example) . . . Inconsistent passing mechanics from the shotgun . . . Often fails to square his shoulders to passing target (see play at approximately 4:32 below for best example) . . . Poor mechanics lead to reduced velocity and short throws that tend to sail high and to the right . . . Throws with accuracy - but poor velocity - when moving to the left



Projection: Gardner will be a very good BCS-level player in any offensive system. If his college coaches choose to do so, his poor mechanics are fixable.

Reminds me of: Vince Young (it's cliched, but the throwing motion and his ability to shake off tacklers make the comparison pretty accurate)