Texas Tech quarterback Nic Shimonek has performed well in the lead-up to the NFL Draft and now it appears he has a great shot at being drafted later this month.
Among Texas Tech football fans, Nic Shimonek is a polarizing figure. While many respect the work he did to rise from walk-on transfer to starting quarterback, he had one of the least impressive seasons of any QB in the “Air Raid” era, consistency coming up short in critical moments.
But among NFL scouts and draft experts, Shimonek is making a strong case to be drafted in this month’s NFL Draft. In fact, many are touting the Gilmer, Texas native as a sleeper pick with the potential to be a productive NFL quarterback.
Shimonek drew praise from NFL draft writer Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com who liked what he saw at Texas Tech’s pro day.
"“Quarterback Nic Shimonek had a solid day, showing arm strength and decent accuracy. He ended the workout with a pair of 75-yard passes that were delivered with speed. The feeling leaving the workout was that Shimonek has a real chance to develop into a backup at the next level.” Pauline said."
Likewise, Doug Farrar of Bleacher Report thinks that Shimonek could be a breakout star of this draft class. Farrar points out that Shimonek was only invited to the NFL Combine to provide an extra arm for the passing drills but in doing so he garnered positive attention. He even goes so far as to compare Shimonek to some big time NFL stars.
"“He’s not a big name, but when I watch Shimonek’s tape, I see a cross between Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles and a younger version of Matt Ryan, before Ryan learned to slow things down as he read defenses and started to use mobility as an attribute.”"
So what are scouts seeing that many Texas Tech fans didn’t?
Scouts look at prospects differently than fans do. What has the NFL interested in Shimonek is his big arm and ability to push the ball down the field.
ProFootballFocus notes that Shimonek was the sixth most accurate passer in the FBS last season and he was even more impressive on deep throws.
"“Shimonek’s adjusted completion percentage of 55.6 on deep passes ranked No. 2 among all FBS draft-eligible quarterbacks.”"
And despite how Red Raider fans may feel about the season Shimonek turned in, none can argue that he has a tremendous arm. Throughout the season, he displayed the ability to make any throw on the field and NFL scouts love passers that can make NFL throws like deep outs.
Consider the play below against Arizona State. The throw Shimonek makes is an NFL caliber play against tight coverage and Shimonek makes it look routine.
Third-read TD vs. Arizona State. Quick release, great mechanics, bang-on throw. https://t.co/8pF39uOtQi pic.twitter.com/on7w5OctY0
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) April 4, 2018
Where Shimonek struggled was between the ears. In pressure situations like at the end of the Oklahoma State game or in overtime against Kansas State, his lack of game experience cost him and the team dearly.
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Though Shimonek was a senior, he had made no starts before last season and he experienced some of the same growing pains that other Texas Tech quarterbacks like Graham Harrell, Kliff Kingsbury and even Pat Mahomes experienced as underclassmen.
Tech fans have been spoiled by the successes of other fifth-year senior starters like B.J. Symons, Sunny Cumbie and Cody Hodges so when Shimonek failed in the clutch (where the others had so often excelled) frustration within the fan base mounted.
Any criticism of Shimonek was warranted. After all, he was the first Texas Tech starting quarterback in recent memory to be benched for a lack of production following his atrocious 17-33, 137-yard performance against TCU.
However, the job of NFL coaches is to help players learn their system. They can teach an inexperienced player how to read defenses and make the right plays but what they are unable to do is coach arm strength and accuracy. That is why Shimonek is an intriguing prospect for teams like Detroit, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Carolina which all sent their quarterback coaches to Texas Tech’s pro day.
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In fact, many scouts believe that if Shimonek had been a multi-year starter in college, he would be a mid-round pick. However, Shimonek likely will not hear his name called until the last day of the draft. Still, Texas Tech fans should no longer be surprised by the thought that Nic Shimonek will get a shot at the next level.