Could Danny Etling be to Tom Brady what Aaron Rodgers was to Brett Favre?
On April 22, I wrote a piece about why Luke Falk would have been the perfect fit for the Patriots in the 2018 NFL Draft. But Tennessee, not New England, picked Falk–and, ironically, with “the Brady pick” (that is, draft pick #199).
The Patriots did draft a quarterback, though. And, in typical Patriots’ style, he went in the seventh round–a natural for a team that picks gems late in the draft–like Julian Edelman and a guy named Brady.
But this pick isn’t getting any attention. I mean none. I’ll change that here by introducing you to a QB named Danny Etling
Etling had a very impressive college career at Purdue, throwing for 2,490 yards with 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Before that, he played at LSU. In two seasons with the Tigers, Elting threw for 2,000+ yards each season and totaled 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
At 6’3” Etling has the size to see the field. Etling has a reliable arm, too, able to throw the deep ball. In college, he consistently threw the ball 25+ yards.
Courtesy: IndyStar
But he has weaknesses, too, including limited mobility and ill-developed footwork. Similar to Brady, Etling has difficulty escaping and moving downfield. He also has trouble sliding on the run.
Those issues will be the foci of concern for Josh McDaniels, the Patriots Offensive Coordinator and QB coach. While mobility matter easily fixed, footwork is.
The biggest issue for Etling is like to be adjusting to the Pat’s offensive scheme. At LSU, Etling ran a pro-style offense. New England has a Catch and Go offense. That scheme, modified under Bill Belichick, primarily uses a shotgun formation with short-to-intermediate passes.
The Pats’ system also includes a play-action game, which is a scheme to Etling’s advantage. In college, he had the seventh-best play-action percentage in the nation.
The bottom-line question isn’t about x’s and o’s, though. It’s about whether Etling will become the next Tom Brady.
Could Danny Etling be to Tom Brady what Aaron Rodgers was to Brett Favre? At 41-years-old perhaps the better question is whether Brady is ready to help mold the next-generation star in New England.
What do you think?
