[Otter]

Ryan FitzpatrickPosition: Quarterback College: HarvardHeight: 6-2Weight: 221Hometown: Gilbert, Az.Analysis | Injury Report | Agility | High School | Personal

OVERVIEW

One of the most skilled quarterbacks in the NCAA Division 1-AA ranks, Fitzpatrick is the type of player capable of taking over a game on offense. He is a tough competitor with quick feet, a strong arm and very good accuracy passing in the short area. … A three-sport (football, basketball and track) star at Highland Gilbert (Az.) High School, Fitzpatrick was a second-team Class 5A all-state selection, adding Arizona High School All-Star team, Fiesta Region first team and Fiesta Region MVP honors as a senior. He set 12 school records and one state mark (throwing a 99-yard touchdown pass) while leading the team to the state playoffs from 1998-2000 and to the 1999 Fiesta Region title. He graduated in the top 1 percent of his class and received the Presidential Award of Excellence. … Fitzpatrick served as a very capable backup to record-setting QB Neil Rose during his first two years with the Crimson, excelling in five starting assignments during the 2001-02 seasons when Rose was injured. In 2001, he gained 323 yards with a pair of touchdowns on 25 of 37 passing (67.6 percent) and followed by completing 94 of 150 attempts (62.7 percent) for 1,155 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions in 2002. He also ran for five scores and 523 yards on 115 carries (4.5 avg.) that year. … Fitzpatrick took over the starting job in 2003 and was having a banner campaign until fracturing a bone in his throwing hand when he hit an opponent's helmet going through his release in the Cornell game. That injury cost him two games, and he also was banged up (knee, ankle) later in the year vs. Pennsylvania. However, he put up some very impressive performances when he was on the field, whether healthy or injured. He is the first QB in over a decade to run for over 100 yards in a game (vs. Holy Cross in 2003). Fitzpatrick finished his junior campaign completing 107 of 178 passes (60.1 percent) for 1,770 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions in seven games. He also carried 109 times for 430 yards (3.9 avg.) and six scores. … Fully recovered from his 2003 injuries, Fitzpatrick would earn Ivy League MVP honors (Asa S. Bushnell Cup) as he amassed 1,986 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions on 158 of 276 passing (57.2 percent). He ranked second on the team with 118 carries for 448 yards (3.8 avg.) and five scores in 2004. … For his career, Fitzpatrick connected on 384 of 641 passes (59.9 percent) for 5,234 yards, 39 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He collected 1,487 yards with 16 scores on 365 carries (4.1 avg.) and totaled 6,721 yards, an average of 224.0 yards per game, while seeing action in 30 contests. He ranks second on Harvard's career list for pass completions, touchdowns, yards passing and pass completion percentage, topped only by Neil Rose (5,949 yards, 41 touchdowns, 455 completions, 62.4 percent, 1998-2002). … His 641 pass attempts rank fourth in school history. His 1,006 total plays for 6,721 yards in total offense broke the old school career records of 1,005 plays by Mike Giardi (1991-93) and 6,519 yards by Rose. He is the first quarterback in Harvard annals to rush for over 1,000 yards in a career.

ANALYSIS

Fitzpatrick is a well-built athlete with a muscular upper body, quick feet and very good field vision. He is a player that possesses good leadership poise and smarts for the position, a student of the game who is a quick thinker and communicator on the field. He also is effective in running the one-back multiple system or operating out of a pro set. … Fitzpatrick operates mostly out of the shotgun formation, but when he does take snaps from under center, he shows decent quickness driving back to his set point. He is very accurate in the short area passing game but has a tendency to lock on to his primary target, failing to go through progressions and find his second and third receivers. He is consistent in completing passes between the hashes and displays good accuracy with throws outside the hash. Fitzpatrick has the arm strength to also throw the deep-outs, but does not show as much zip as he does on his short throws. While he has a bit of a wind-up in his throwing motion, he does a good job of coming over the top with his release. … He is a tough competitor with no fear of contact, as he will take the hit whether standing in the pocket or on the run and still make the play. He's an athletic mover when setting up and drifting to throw screens. He will not hesitate to throw an aggressive block on the reverse and runs strong on several effective QB draws near the end zone. Fitzpatrick shows good touch on his throws, but needs to protect the ball better, as he is prone to fumbling it when on the run (leaves the ball too exposed). Still, he is the type of player who can create things with his feet when his targets fail to get open. He does a good job of squaring his shoulders to throw on the move or head up field on the ground. … Fitzpatrick has good poise in the pocket, displaying the mobility to step up and slide. He is a good scrambler who might not be the fastest runner around, but has the agility and leg drive to break arm tackles and fight for yards. He is good at making checks at the line and will usually audible at least half the time. He scans the field effectively and is always looking for ways of putting the team into position to score, whether with his arm or feet. … He rarely overshoots the receiver on short and intermediate routes. He is a good thinker vs. the rush and reads coverage well. His feel for the pass rush is instinctive, as he knows when to run with the ball to move the chains. His throws on fades or sticks are effective when he can find the small spot in the zones. … Fitzpatrick has a good throwing motion, getting good velocity, even when he throws off-balance or flat-footed. The level of competition he faces is mediocre, at best. He has great confidence in his ability vs. this competition, but it will get him into trouble, as he will make some poor decisions in attempts to challenge the coverage. When he throws into tight quarters, it will sometimes result in a costly interception. … Fitzpatrick did not show in postseason all-star action that he can play just as effectively at the next level. Even though he could not answer that question, he is certainly is an intriguing talent that is well-worth further examination on the second day of the draft.

INJURY REPORT

2003: Suffered a fractured bone in his throwing (right) hand when he hit an opponent's helmet while going through his release vs. Cornell (Oct. 11), missing the Lafayette and Princeton games … Sat out the Columbia game (Nov. 8) with hand, knee and ankle injuries. Re-injured his knee and ankle vs. Pennsylvania (Nov. 15), but played with those injuries in that game and the following week vs. Yale.

AGILITY

4.87 in the 40-yard dash … 295-pound bench press … 415-pound squat … 325-pound power clean … 30½-inch vertical jump. HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Highland (Gilbert, Az.) High School … Second-team Class 5A all-state as a senior, adding Arizona High School All-Star team, Fiesta Region first team, Fiesta Region MVP and team MVP honors … Set one state record -- throwing a 99-yard touchdown pass -- and 12 school records (school records include yards passing for a game, season, and career; TD passes for a game, season and career; and completions and completion percentage for a game, season and a career) … Led the team to the state playoffs from 1998-2000 and to the 1999 Fiesta Region title … Member of the school's basketball and track teams … Graduated in the top 1 percent of his class … Also was named to Boy's State and served as its 2000 Treasurer … Recipient of the Presidential Award of Excellence.

PERSONAL

Economics major … Born Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick on Nov. 24, 1982 … Resides in Gilbert, Az.