The main event of Washington’s pro day on Tuesday came after nearly two hours of waiting, but was worth the time for scouts in attendance. Jake Locker took the field, showing off improved accuracy and footwork during a scripted throwing session with three of his Washington teammates. Locker threw every route during the 40-throw session, from quick outs to skinny posts, and looked impressive along the way.
Of the 40 throws, Locker found the target on 38, only missing two deep passes inside the numbers at about 45 yards. While completion numbers aren’t the focal point of a pro day throwing session, it does help that he was on-target and throwing the ball well, finding his receivers hands, or close to it, every time. He did have a few mis-throws, sailing a few out routes to the left side of his body, but it was nothing devastating, nor would it be a knock on his session.
More importantly, Locker’s footwork continued to look better as the work done with former New York Jets quarterback Ken O’Brien appears to have paid off. While at Washington, Locker was known for getting sloppy in his drops, leading to inaccuracy in the passing game and throws that tended to sail as he compensated for his footworks. His drops, stride and base all looked markedly better at the Washington pro day, leading to cleaned up accuracy and crisp passing throughout the session.
While a pro day is just part of the entire draft portfolio, Locker appeared to have helped himself with the strong workout. Over the next few weeks, Locker has the chance to meet with teams individually, as well as continue to workout and complete throwing drills for plenty of teams ahead of the draft. But after steady improvement in his last two workouts — the Combine and Wednesday’s pro day — It’s hard to see him falling out of the first round.
For more on Wednesday’s workouts, check out the rest of our Washington pro day StoryStream. Connect with Washington fans over at SB Nation’s UW Dawg Pound.