When the Senior Bowl extends an invitation to Washington quarterback Jake Locker, he should RSVP quickly and say he'll bring a dessert.
Against Stanford on Saturday, Locker was pressured consistently behind a pedestrian offensive line. The Cardinal were in Locker's face forcing bad throws and decisions. In the 41-0 blowout loss, Locker completed just seven of 14 passes for 64 yards and two interceptions.
Locker needs a showcase like the Senior Bowl to prove he can be an NFL quarterback. Playing for Washington, he sure doesn't look like one.
Jake Locker needs the Senior Bowl
On the year, Locker hasn’t lived up to lofty offseason expectations - expectations that were based mostly on potential. Locker is completing only 56 percent of his passes for 1,678 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions.
What’s worse is that many of the passes Locker is completing come on roll outs. As athletic as Locker is, he won’t have the fortune of being the faster player on the field in the NFL.
Locker needs to show he can throw the ball. For that, he needs an offensive line to protect him. For that, he needs the Senior Bowl.
In 2004, there were plenty of questions surrounding North Carolina State’s Philip Rivers. Could his sidearm delivery hold up against top talent? Was his attitude a detriment to his play?
During Senior Bowl practices and the game itself, Rivers showed those weren’t flaws. Locker needs to do the same, showing he can complete NFL-style throws against NFL-level cornerbacks.
But to do that, he also needs an offensive line that isn’t so porous. That’s something he’ll just have to wait on.
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