Height: 6-4 3/8
Weight: 223
Speed: 4.93
Arm: 32
Hand: 10
Wingspan: 77 5/8
Birthdate: 09/03/1987
Hometown: Mentor, OH
Grade: 5.53
Notes: Also earned four letters in basketball as an Ohio prep. Redshirted in 2006. Arrested in May ’07 for underaged possession of alcohol. Saw very limited action in two games in ’07, recording just an interception in four pass attempts. In the fall, started 11-of-13 games (yielded starts to Jake Christensen against Maine and Pittsburgh) and completed 150-of-254 pass attempts (59.1 percent) for 1,956 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Started all 11 games in which he played in ’09, tossing 171-304-2,417-17-15 (56.3). Missed a pair of games after severely spraining his right ankle against Northwestern and undergoing surgery. Healthy in ’10, started all 13 games and totaled 221-345-3,004-25-6 (64.1). Sprained his left knee in the season opener. Team captain. Had a 26-9 career starting record.
Positives: Outstanding size with a compact, over-the-top delivery. Played in pro-style offense and is very comfortable operating from underneath center. Good footwork and delivery quickness. Has enough arm strength, and it has improved in recent years. Nice footwork. Athletic enough to sidestep the first wave of pressure. Smart, hardworking and is passionate about the game — is wired the right way, works at his craft and has earned the respect of his teammates. Very humble and quietly competitive. Will play through pain.
Negatives: Has a very lean build, is still underdeveloped physically and needs to spend more time in the weight room and get stronger. Does not drive the ball downfield — and some balls die with low RPMs. Can be flustered by pressure and forced into making bad throws. Does not read the whole field or see undercutting safeties — needs to hone his instincts and become more confident anticipating receivers coming open and pulling the trigger. Must improve field vision, anticipation and progression quickness. Could not come through in the clutch and close out tight contests vs. Arizona, Wisconsin and Northwestern when the game was on the line. Did not exude confidence at the Senior Bowl or show well.
Summary: An excellent-sized, pro-style passer who still needs to learn to trust his eyes and get the ball out on time, Stanzi has a strong base from which to develop and could blossom with quality coaching that feeds his confidence. Has appealing intangibles, leadership traits and work habits and most of his flaws are correctable. Has potential to develop into an eventual starter and
draws some eerily similar semblance to a young Tom Brady.
NFL projection: Third- to fourth-round pick.