Prospect Profiles
Brodie Croyle
Height: 6-3
Weight: 204
40 Speed: 4.91*
Position: Quarterback
College: Alabama
Final Grade: J 5.85 MED
SUMMARY
Croyle is a really good young man who has battled through a litany of major injuries to become a very good college player. Some of his injuries at Alabama were: 1. He missed his senior season of high school with a torn left ACL injury; 2. He separated his shoulder during the 2004 season; and 3. He tore his right ACL in 2004. Croyle was a frustrating player to evaluate, because he no doubt has the physical tools to play in the NFL, but his injury history, thin frame and struggles to convert in key situations really limit his chance to become a starting quarterback in the NFL. Teams will notice that he was prepared for every game, which enabled him to consistently make good decisions and not make big errors. Overall, Croyle is a player you have to be careful not to over-draft because of his injury history, but he would be a very good second-day draft pick. He is best suited to go to a team with an established starter and backup so that he can spend a season or two building up his body (Adding 15 to 20 pounds of muscle and not being injured for two seasons would help him a ton) while adjusting to the NFL. In the end, Croyle will end up being a very good backup quarterback who can do a solid job when he spot starts, but will struggle to become a good all-around starting QB due to injury history and struggles to consistently convert key downs into first downs.
STRONG POINTS
Croyle is a very smart quarterback, who has consistently shown the ability to make good decisions and does not make the big error to hurt his team. He can set his feet, stride into the throw and get rid of the ball very quickly when he is throwing the ball aggressively. While he lacks a cannon for an arm, he has a good enough arm to make all the throws with good accuracy, when he strides into throws with a good bend. He consistently identifies the defense well before the snap, and does a very good job of going through his reads to consistently find the open receiver.
WEAKNESSES
Obviously, Croyle's injury history is a major issue, because he has been hurt so often that observers doubt he will be able to stay healthy in the NFL. He lacks the foot quickness to consistently avoid pressure in the pocket, and ends up taking a lot of very hard hits -- while he can read the blitz well, his lack of foot quickness hinders his ability to consistently make good plays under pressure. When he does not stride into throws with good knee bend and aggressiveness, he struggles to throw the medium and deep passes with accuracy and zip. In key situations, Croyle has not consistently been able to put the offense on his back and make the key throw to convert the play into a first down.
POSITIONAL FACTORS
He has a slight wind-up in delivery, but consistently shows the ability to get rid of the ball quickly.
6.0Arm Strength
Croyle has a deceptively good arm, and when he can stride into throws, he can make all the throws with zip.
3.0Convert Pct.
Croyle's lack of foot quickness really hinders his ability to avoid rushers and convert key downs.
5.02nd Lives
He can slip and slide decently in the pocket, but can't avoid a fast rusher to buy a second chance consistently.
6.0Accuracy Short in Pocket
He consistently makes the short pass quickly and accurately when he strides into his throws aggressively.
6.0Accuracy Long in Pocket
He throws a good long ball with touch, but is inconsistent throwing the deep ball with good zip.
5.0Accuracy on the Move
He can throw accurately when he can set up on the move, but he struggles when he cannot set his feet.
6.0Big Plays
He has consistently shown the ability to make beautiful deep throws with touch and accuracy.
6.0 Under Pressure
He does a very good job of reading defenses and throwing the ball away to avoid sacks, and he does not force passes.
6.5Leadership/Poise
He's a very good leader, who can take charge of the team, and he does not panic or get flustered with pressure in his face.
7.0Read Defenses
He does an outstanding job of reading the defense and figuring out where to go with the ball fast.
8.0Big Errors
He does an excellent job of avoiding the big error -- he consistently throws the ball away instead of forcing passes.
ATHLETIC ABILITY Section Grade: 4.0
Croyle is a limited athlete, which hinders his ability to create something when the play breaks down. He lacks the foot quickness to avoid the sack and buy a second chance, and does not have the quickness and agility to move quickly in the pocket to avoid rushers consistently. When he is forced from the pocket and has to scramble, he lacks the playing speed to run for the first down. He has good knee bend and flexibility, and when he is focused and using good technique, he can throw with a good base and a bent front leg. Despite not being a good athlete, he is definitely coordinated and rarely gets out of control when moving around in the pocket and when throwing on the move.0
COMPETITIVENESS Section Grade: 6.0
Croyle is without question a very tough kid, and he has consistently fought through a ton of pain to continue his playing career at Alabama. At times, Croyle has shown an ability to step up and make the clutch throw in key situations, but in the games graded, he struggled to consistently convert in key situations -- he converted only 44 percent of the important downs in games graded. His overall production has been very consistent during his career when he has been healthy enough to play up to his ability. Despite having a slight wind-up delivery, Croyle has consistently shown the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and can make most of the throws with accuracy. He is very good at making decisions, and not making the big error -- he consistently finds the open receiver when he has time to throw and is very willing to throw the ball away to avoid the sack. There is no doubt that he is a team player who never quits, because nearly any other college player that was hurt as much as Croyle would have probably quit playing football.
MENTAL ALERTNESS Section Grade: 6.0
Croyle is a very smart young man who clearly identifies the defense well prior to the snap, has learned the importance of throwing the ball away, and will not force passes. He has very good instincts in terms of looking down the field and having a knack for finding an open receiver, but he is not as instinctive feeling pressure, which leads to him taking a lot of hard hits and punishment -- this is a big part of the reason he is going to struggle to stay healthy if he becomes a starter in the NFL. Most of the time, Croyle stays focused and uses good technique striding into and throwing the ball, but occasionally, when he has to really get zip on throws, he loses focus on technique and throws with a straight front leg.Learn/RetainInstincts/ReactionsConcentration6.56.06.0
STRENGTH/EXPLOSION Section Grade: 4.0
Despite measuring OK at nearly 6-3 and over 200 pounds, Croyle has a bad body type -- he is very thin for a quarterback (Both in arms and legs). Croyle is going to really struggle to stay healthy in the NFL for a variety of reasons -- he has suffered a lot of injuries at Alabama, is very thin for a quarterback, and takes a lot of violent hits because he does not feel pressure well. He is not an explosive player when it comes to pulling the ball down and trying to scramble for big yards, but the ball does show some burst zipping out of his hand. He lacks the playing strength to hold up physically in the NFL, and will not be able to make accurate throws in the NFL once defenders get a hand on him and are trying to pull him down.Body TypeDurabilityExplosionPlay Strength4.52.05.54.5