Combine advice for Pat White

The Sporting News published an article this week with some advice from Dennis Dixon to Pat White as he enters the combine as to what the NFL scouts are looking for.

West Virginia quarterback Pat White will, presumably, go into the Combine with a clean bill of health. So he has that on former Oregon QB Dennis Dixon, who was recovering from a torn ACL at this time last year.

But many of the other challenges Dixon faced in 2008, while trying to convince the NFL he was more than a dual-threat system quarterback, are the same as those staring down White this year. Dixon, who was drafted by the Steelers in the fifth round, has some words of wisdom to share:

The first thing you need to do is … Just continue to be you, and someone in this league will give you a chance. You have been drafted in baseball, so the arm is not a factor. You’ve got speed; that’s a plus. The best thing I can do is tell you to continue to do what you do best .
[Pat White always does what he does best]

They’ll grill you on … Film intelligence. They’re going to see where your head is at, where your progression is. Blitz coverages, different protections, just little things like that, because everything else will fall into place.
[by far the smartest QB I've seen in years, he'll do fine in this one]

They’ll look closely at … Your dropbacks. I’m quite sure you’ve done that. I did it my freshman and my sophomore year, so I was used to it. It’s all about repetition. Seeing as you’ve been in the shotgun for so long, the route concepts are similar, and if you can make the throws, that’s what matters.”
[After watching him in the Senior Bowl I don't there there is any question he'll ace this test]

The toughest transition is … Putting your back to the defense . Presnap reads in the NFL are very critical, what you see before you turn your back on play-action.
[I agree this will be Pat's toughest test]

I was just checking out some NFL Mock Drafts and one site has Pat going in the 4th to Dallas (my personal nightmare), but 4th round is about where I expect him to go.
Here is what WalterFoobtall.com says:

“Jerry Jones always has an eye for flashy players, so Pat White is a possibility here. In Jones’ eyes, White kills two birds with one stone – he’ll be a talented wideout Tony Romo will need if Terrell Owens is cut, and he can come in for Romo in the event of an injury.”

This blog has him going in the 5th round #121 to the Dolphins. I know the Dolphins were looking at him earlier this year. That would be a great pick up for them and for Pat since they are on the rise. Maybe the man in the front office isn’t as much of a old fart as I once thought.

When it’s all said and done I do believe Pat will make it into the NFL, once he’s there it’s going to be a little bit luck and a whole lot of talent that will make him the superstar we all know he can be.