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6’3”

5’11”

"If you're 6-feet tall and throw the ball well at the college level or you're 6-foot-3 and throw the ball OK, the 6-3 guy is probably going to get the nod,"

-Joe Theismann

University of Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson became the latest player whose ability was questioned strictly because of his height. Wilson passed for 11,720 yards, 109 touchdowns while learning two entirely different offensive systems at two schools in his college career.Yet if Wilson were a few inches taller, many pundits suggested he would have been a first-round selection. Since 1952, only two quarterbacks as short or shorter than Wilson have excelled in the NFLLast season, 29 of the 32 quarterbacks who started the majority of games for each franchise in the NFL were 6-2 or taller. The average height among 55 quarterbacks to start at least one game last season was 6-3.

"No quarterback that's 6-4 is going to throw over a 7-footer with his hands up, and then he jumps," "They always talk about batted balls and all these things. Even the tallest guys, Tom Brady gets the ball batted down

regularly because of the types of routes they throw."

-Ty Detmer

Wilson had just two balls batted down at the line of scrimmage last season while playing behind an offensive line at Wisconsin that averaged 6-5, 322 pounds His success is predicated on having an over-the-top delivery, a high release point and a strong armPlaying behind the offensive line you play behind, you don't really see over guys, you throw through lanes, deliver an accurate ball, throw the ball with arc and pace and just make plays." Being a quarterback isn’t about being tall it’s about being smart, having a good arm, and knowing where to throw the ball.

What a lot of people don’t know is Russell was playing pro baseball for the Colorado Rockies, and he was really good.Wilson finished his season batting .228 with three homers, 15 RBIs and 15 steals. “I first recognized him as a baseball talent at a Virginia event called the Commonwealth Games. They have teams from four regions that play a two-day round robin. He was an unknown player coming into the event, but by the time he came out of the event, everybody was like: Who’s this Russell Wilson guy? So we invited him to the East-West Professional Showcase in North Carolina. That’s when his athleticism was noticed. He became a prospect.” said Jay Mathews, Colorado scouting supervisor.

Wilson is fast, he has a 4.55 second 40 yard dash and can move around in the pocket extremely well. He has done some major improving throwing from behind the line but for all his improvement, Wilson is still only an average QB inside the pocket. It’s once he gets outside the pocket, whether a designed rollout or when he’s just extending the play, that Wilson becomes an elite passer. He can cut like a running back making it difficult for the defense to get a solid hit on him.