The Chicago Bears Senior Bowl trip is coming to a close. Practices have concluded, leaving just the game itself to be played on January 28th. GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox haven't held back in their enthusiasm for the opportunity to coach the North team during the event. Both feel it's a prime opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the top prospects in the 2017 NFL draft class.
Of course no position was going to garner more discussion than the quarterbacks. Ask around the media community though and the general feeling is the crop this year is fairly weak. Not much in terms of pure physical talent or polished ability. Nonetheless that didn't stop some of the prospects from taking advantage of the opportunity. The Bears seemed intrigued enough to request a meeting with him.
https://twitter.com/BryanPerez_DB/status/824463560692604928
Antonio Pipkin is one of lesser known small school prospects invited to the event. He hails from tiny Tiffin college located in Ohio. Not much was expected of him other than to be an extra arm to evaluate. Turns out he had a few admirers midway through the festivities. None more so than Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
https://twitter.com/BryanPerez_DB/status/824468210254811137
It's one thing if a QB coach or offensive coordinator does something like that, but a defensive guy? That's interesting. So who in the world is Pipkin?
For starters he was a Division II standout who claimed All-American honors in 2016. He's set loads of offensive records for both his school and conference. He's classified as a legitimate dual-threat quarterback who can stand in the pocket to throw or take off and run for first downs. The talent level is considerably higher than his humble origins seem to suggest.
Where it gets really interesting though is who he should be compared to. Factor in body type, playing style, production, tape and skill set he does bear a resemblance to a quarterback in the NFL. A starting quarterback as it turns out. A Pro Bowl starting quarterback. No joke. If one to look at Pipkin and watch him play, they'd swear he is the spitting image of Tyrod Taylor.
Things do seem to match up.
Taylor:
- 6'0"
- 215 lbs
Pipkin:
- 6'0"
- 205 lbs
Taylor College Stats:
Pipkin College Stats:
Underrated Arm Strength:
[video width="854" height="480" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Marquise-Goodwin-Burns-Darrelle-Revis-for-84-Yard-TD-Jets-vs.-Bills-NFL-1.mp4"][/video] [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Pipkin-Arm.mp4"][/video] Both are undersized but athletic and faster than average quarterbacks. They each have a reputation for keeping the interception numbers down while having arms that tend to sneak up on defenses with their strength. Taylor was a backup for four years in Baltimore before heading to Buffalo where he's spent two seasons as a starter. In that time he's gone 14-14 and scored 47 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions. Of course the argument against Pipkin is the fact he's cut his teeth against such pitiful competition in Division II. Taylor went to Virginia Tech. An undeniable fact. Keep in mind though that Carson Wentz, Joe Flacco, Tony Romo, and Kurt Warner among others came from similar small school backgrounds. Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson, a longtime NFL vet and respected offensive mind, also had high praise for him.“Antonio, he’s a tremendous athlete. He can throw the ball extremely well. … All three of [the south quarterbacks] are going to play in the NFL."The fact that the Bears are taking interest at all is intriguing. Remember that John Fox has coached Pro Bowlers in his career like Jake Delhomme and Peyton Manning. Ryan Pace watched and learned from Drew Brees for years in New Orleans. These guys should know what a potentially good quarterback looks like. It's for those reasons that their interest in Pipkin is fascinating. That he compares so closely with Tyrod Taylor only strengthens the case that he might be the biggest sleeper of the quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl. Come Day 3 of the draft, don't forget about his name. There is a strong chance the Bears may end up calling it. Don't forget Taylor was a sixth round pick. If Pipkin made a similar strong impression and continues to, there is no reason to think he can follow the exact same path.
