Revisiting the 2006 NFL Draft: Jay Cutler

It’s NFL Draft season and I was curious to revisit what scouts, coaches and media said about Jay Cutler back in 2006. I found an article on USA Today that called Cutler a team guy who was used to the pressure. In the article there were some interesting quotes and his stat line.

Bench pressed 405 pounds and at the NFL Scouting Combine put together 23 bench reps of 225 pounds.

“Teams and scouts have fallen in love with Cutler’s size, arm, mobility and intangibles.”

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen rated Cutler as the No. 1 quarterback.

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said, “From a physical skill set, I think Cutler has the biggest arm in the draft. I think he has a quicker release than either of the other two (Matt Leinart and Vince Young). He’s tough. I think he played behind a very poor offensive line without a whole lot of help. … When I look at that kid and what he did on tape, he can make throws that I don’t think the other two kids can make.”

Cutler was named a team captain the past three seasons at Vanderbilt.

Held school records with 9,953 yards in offense, 59 passing touchdowns and 167 consecutive passes without an interception.

Vandy quarterback coach Jimmy Kiser said, “Jay’s transition to the pro game is going to be easier than for other people who have played with tremendous talent on their team. He’s used to the speed of the game and people flying around him, and throwing the ball with tremendous pressure on him.”

“He knew he was going to have to get bigger and stronger to weather all those hits. He never backed off,” Vandy head coach Bobby Johnson says. “Sometimes he tried to run over guys. We tried to get that out of him. He’s not a ‘protect me’ kind of guy. He’ll stand up and say, ‘I can handle it.’ “

We know what happens next. Cutler was selected by the Broncos after Young and Leinart, who weren’t on NFL rosters last season. When Mike Shanahan got fired, Josh McDaniels tried replacing him with Matt Cassel. Cutler knew he was better than Cassel and thought McDaniels was an idiot, in which McDaniels was later fired because he wasn’t a good coach. The Broncos gave him to the Jerry Angelo and the Bears. Angelo couldn’t build a team around Cutler and was fired… and now Phil Emery has finally given Cutler everything he needs to be successful — Marc Trestman, playmakers, an offensive line and a long term deal.

For the full article: Cutler aims to be a cut above the rest