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Josh Portis Scouting Reports

gbill2004

By gbill2004
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gbill2004 Newbie

gbill2004

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Impressive athlete; a threat to take off running. Showed a steady improvement in final two years. Very productive at the D-II level; 69 TD-16 int over past two seasons. Strong arm; can make every throw on the field. Team captain in junior and senior year. NFL bloodlines; cousin of Clinton Portis. Has the size and speed to switch to receiver if necessary.

Weaknesses:

Some character concerns that teams will need to look into. Suspended for 2007 season while at Maryland for cheating on a quiz. Arrested in 2010 for using a stolen credit card. Bounced around from Florida to Maryland to Cal (PA); hasn’t had time to develop in one system. Will need to adjust to an NFL offense at the next level; primarily played out of the shotgun in college in a fairly simplistic scheme at Cal (PA). In limited time against top competition at Florida and Maryland he struggled with decision making; got flustered quickly when the pocket closed around him.

Comments:

Portis is a talented athlete who was highly recruited out of high school. He clearly has the raw talent to play at the next level, but he’s a developmental prospect and teams will need to look into some concerns before investing in him. For one, playing at three schools raises a red flag. It could be a case of a kid just looking for playing time, but teams will want to do their homework on that. Also, in media interviews Portis has passed the bulk of the blame in the credit card incident to others. If this is true, then it becomes a non-issue. If not, it raises further concerns about his maturity. Those are questions that only NFL teams can answer based on their interviews with him behind closed doors.

Josh Portis was a guy that was on the Seahawks' radar during the draft and may still be once rookie free agency starts. With the possibility that Portis could be Hawks UDFA signing, I thought I'd pass a little bit of information on about the QB out of California (PA).

Portis is 6'3, 211 and ran a 4.62 in the forty. He had a 4.12 20 yard shuttle (very good), a 10'12" broad jump (very good) and a 6.84 3-cone drill (very good). So he's a (very good) athlete in case you were wondering.Here's what his NFL Combine page has to say about him:

"Portis flashes the physical tools of a developmental NFL quarterback prospect but is raw, will face a jump in competition level, and has character flags. As a passer, has adequate arm strength but will likely struggle to zip balls into tight windows at the next level. Stands in the pocket allowing receivers time to break open but does not possess the accuracy to consistently hit his targets and doesn't make enough correct reads. Can be productive when the play breaks down, buying time or picking up yardage with his legs. Portis will likely be available as a rookie free agent."

"Strengths:

Portis possesses a nice combination of NFL size and impressive speed for a quarterback. Stands tall in the pocket. Has enough arm strength to make all the necessary throws at the next level. Displays a high, over-the-top release. Capable of climbing the pocket. Can pick up chunks of yards with his legs."

"Weaknesses:

Must improve his ability to read defensive coverages and run through his progressions. Needs to do a better job of settling for checkdowns. Overall accuracy and footwork are not adequate. Likely unable to fit the ball into tight spots in the NFL. Multiple off-field issues (legal, two transfers) which must be investigated."

Here are some blurbs from CBSSports blog on Portis:

"In two seasons, Portis completed 58 percent of his passes for 6,072 yards, 69 touchdowns against only 16 interceptions and led the Vulcans to the postseason twice."

"Portis is clearly a developmental prospect, but he has the size, arm strength and mobility to warrant a strong look. He can buy time with his feet, but prefers to pass the ball despite possessing excellent straight-line speed. Portis has a similar skill set to Minnesota Vikings 2010 rookie QB/WR Joe Webb, and could make a team look similarly smart if given an opportunity."

"Positives: Good height. Quick feet and balance to elude in the pocket. Rare straight-line speed for the position. Excellent mobility for the rollout and shows at least moderate accuracy when on the move. Possesses an over-the-top release and good follow-through. At least moderate accuracy to all levels. Has the arm for the deep ball. Throws the bomb with good touch and trajectory so it's an easy ball to catch. Can zip the ball between closing defenders for the slant and post. Voted a two-time team captain. Good bloodlines; cousin to Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis.

Negatives: Transferred from Florida to Maryland to California, leading some to question whether he has the work ethic to handle competition. May struggle with a complicated playbook, as he has had some struggles with academics.

Questionable competition. Floats many of his passes, showing only marginal accuracy overall. Capable of hitting his man, but isn't often enough able to hit them in stride. Has to do a better job of looking off the safety. Too often stares down his primary target."

So as you can see he sort of fits the mold as a Pete Carroll type of QB - mobile, big, can sit in the pocket but also move around a little if need-be. Interestingly enough, he's compared to Minnesota QB Joe Webb above, a guy that current Seahawk Offensive Coordinator surely had a hand in drafting when he was previously with the Vikings. Overall he has intriguing high-upside potential if given some time to develop. If he is indeed signed once the lockout ends he'll have a chance in camp to prove his place on the roster.

Eric Galko also compares Portis to Joe Webb and points out that Webb played QB in college, was drafted into the NFL as a WR, then ended up playing QB again for the Vikings. He asks Portis if he'd be open to the idea of playing receiver given the fact he's 6'3 211 and can move so well. Portis answers that ultimately he's open to doing what's best for the team but he would like to get his chance at the quarterback position. Anyway you look at it, it would be an exciting signing and he'd be a guy to watch in camp.

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Tracker Grand Master

Tracker

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Sounds like more negatives than positives- not all that mentally quick in US football schemes so adapting to CFL rules with all the motion may well be a hill too steep, and there is repetition of "character concerns" . His arm strength appears to be questionable as well, so all in all sounds like a long shot- a very long shot. I wonder what Danny Mac and Co. see in him? Did he suddenly mature?

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M.O.A.B. Mentor

M.O.A.B.

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Has the size and speed to switch to receiver if necessary.

 

Portis is 6'3, 211 and ran a 4.62 in the forty. He had a 4.12 20 yard shuttle (very good), a 10'12" broad jump (very good) and a 6.84 3-cone drill (very good). So he's a (very good) athlete in case you were wondering.Here's what his NFL Combine page has to say about him:

 

 

This stands out for me.

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Logan007 Newbie

Logan007

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Might be a short yardage option. We are sorely missing Goltz this year.

 

Please don't ever say that....

 

Why?  He was one of the best short yardage guys I've ever seen on the field.  He may have been a crappy QB, but you can't ignore that he was fantastic at short yardage.  The 2 guys we have are **** at it.

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coach17 Proficient

coach17

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Might be a short yardage option. We are sorely missing Goltz this year.

 

Please don't ever say that....

 

I meant it only in the context of Goltz as a short yardage QB. I don't remember him not getting the  short yards required. However when Boltus played very seldom did we ever make it in the same situation. Marve does not seem to have that sixth sense to exploit the weakest area of a short yardage defence.

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mbrg Newbie

mbrg

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Sounds like more negatives than positives- not all that mentally quick in US football schemes so adapting to CFL rules with all the motion may well be a hill too steep, and there is repetition of "character concerns" . His arm strength appears to be questionable as well, so all in all sounds like a long shot- a very long shot. I wonder what Danny Mac and Co. see in him? Did he suddenly mature?

 

The reason character concerns comes up so often in NFL scouting reports is because the signing bonuses alone for top draft picks can be more than a team's payroll for their entire starting Dline.  And every few years there is a reminder of what can happen when you don't pay enough attention to it - like 2 tonnes of fun Jamarcus Russell.  This is not really applicable in the CFL.  If a guy like this gets a signing bonus (he didn't, it was a trade) it's in the range of $500 or something paltry.

 

Strength was listed as a positive on almost every report.

 

The reason he's here is likely because Ted Goveia and coach Oshea saw enough good things from him last year that they aren't concerned about any character issues and think he has potential.

 

The asterix I would add is that the phrase "can make all the throws" applies to a NFL field.

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bearpants Veteran

bearpants

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Might be a short yardage option. We are sorely missing Goltz this year.

 

Please don't ever say that....

 

I meant it only in the context of Goltz as a short yardage QB. I don't remember him not getting the  short yards required. However when Boltus played very seldom did we ever make it in the same situation. Marve does not seem to have that sixth sense to exploit the weakest area of a short yardage defence.

 

 

I just meant the bolded part.... sure he's good at short yardage but I don't care if Goltz was the best short yardage QB in the history of football.... he was a useless QB and would be a complete waste of a roster spot to have a "short yardage specialist" dressed... at least we know Marve has some potential to actually play the QB position...

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BigBlue Collaborator

BigBlue

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"Must improve his ability to read defensive coverages and run through his progressions. Needs to do a better job of settling for checkdowns. Overall accuracy and footwork are not adequate."

 

To me the critical keys for a QB are (1) accuracy and (2) the ability to read a defence as it relates to going to 2nd & 3rd  receivers when the primary is covered  ..  don't see that here .. the opposite of a Willy

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Armchair GM Newbie

Armchair GM

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Might be a short yardage option. We are sorely missing Goltz this year.

 

Please don't ever say that....

 

I meant it only in the context of Goltz as a short yardage QB. I don't remember him not getting the  short yards required. However when Boltus played very seldom did we ever make it in the same situation. Marve does not seem to have that sixth sense to exploit the weakest area of a short yardage defence.

 

 

So Goltz was better than Boltus.

 

That's like saying a pile of **** is better than having a truckload dumped on you.

 

I sorely miss Chris Brazzell more than I sorely miss Goltz...

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TBieber Newbie

TBieber

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"Must improve his ability to read defensive coverages and run through his progressions. Needs to do a better job of settling for checkdowns. Overall accuracy and footwork are not adequate."

 

To me the critical keys for a QB are (1) accuracy and (2) the ability to read a defence as it relates to going to 2nd & 3rd  receivers when the primary is covered  ..  don't see that here .. the opposite of a Willy

 

Footwork would be the bigger issue for me. Accuracy is almost always a direct result of poor footwork.

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iso_55 Newbie

iso_55

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Might be a short yardage option. We are sorely missing Goltz this year.

 

Please don't ever say that....

 

Why?  He was one of the best short yardage guys I've ever seen on the field.  He may have been a crappy QB, but you can't ignore that he was fantastic at short yardage.  The 2 guys we have are **** at it.

 

Then the starter gets hurt & he has to start. Which means he has to read a defense & throw the football. His true future is more Snickers commercials.

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