Paxton Lynch is a freak of nature. He’s big (like, 6-foot-7 type of big), he’s strong and he’s athletic. He’s got a full toolbox when it comes to what scouts look for in an elite quarterback prospect, and it’s earned him big-name comparisons.
Following the draft, Jon Gruden said Lynch’s only comparison was reigning MVP Cam Newton, and on Monday, Lynch’s agent, Leigh Steinberg compared him to the Steelers’ Big Ben.
“I think he reminds me of a more-athletic Ben Roethlsiberger,” Steinberg told Gil Whiteley on Mile High Sports Radio. “He is so big and strong. Nobody can fend off tacklers, but he has the ability to sort of do that. … For a big guy, Paxton is remarkably mobile. He’ll run, he’ll throw on the run, he’ll get out of the pocket. He’s very tough. He’s not just going to sit there and succumb to the rush easily.”
And it makes some sense. Much like Roethlisberger, Lynch seemingly checks off every box you’d want from a quarterback. Sometimes, the physical traits just leave you in awe.
“First of all, he’s so tall, you don’t see someone that athletic,” Steinberg said. “And second of all, he’s got arm strenght that’s incredible. On pro scouting day, you just watched. It opens up the deep ball.”
But even Steinberg understands that it’s a process, and that it may not all come quickly for Lynch.
While rookies like Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott have impressed through four weeks, they, like Lynch, are still rookies. And that means there will be growing pains.
“Paxton will still make some mistakes,” Steinberg said. “He’s a rookie quarterback, and I think it’s been a little misleading to sit and watch — Carson Wentz is really a good quarterback and so is Dak Prescott — but it’s a little misleading to watch three, four games into the season and assume those players are going to play that way for the rest of the year. … So he’ll make some mistakes, but that’s the way you grow, by being out on the field.”
To hear more from Leigh Steinberg, including why he thinks Lynch is uniquely ready for the pressure that comes with being the starting quarterback on a contending team, listen to the podcast below …
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