Kid Dynamite

Another impressive showing keeps Boller's stock rising

The buzz that Kyle Boller created at the NFL Scouting Combine last month continued to build Thursday when the University of California quarterback turned in an exceptional showing at the school's pro workout day.

With personnel men or coaches from 15 NFL teams looking on, Boller put on a tremendous display of passing, missing on only a handful of his 110 passes. He showed accuracy, arm strength and mobility, and capped it off with a flourish, throwing one pass nearly 75 yards on a scramble drill near the end of the workout.

"He's having some dynamite workouts," said Ravens head coach Brian Billick, whose quarterback-needy club was represented at Boller's workout by offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. "The Boller kid has it all. He has all the measurables. I'm very impressed with him. Everybody's impressed with him. How far he'll come [in the draft], we'll see. There's nothing you're going to see or hear from this kid that you won't like. It's hard not to like him."

Boller was one of the few quarterbacks who did not throw at last month's Combine in Indianapolis, but he dazzled scouts there with his athleticism, clocking a blazing 4.59 in the 40-yard dash. That only furthered Boller's climb up most teams' draft boards, a push that began in earnest when he outperformed every quarterback but USC's Carson Palmer in the Senior Bowl workouts in January.

Boller exited the Combine the third highest-rated quarterback in the draft, behind Palmer and Marshall's Byron Leftwich, but he continues to push Leftwich for the No. 2 spot, and some league talent evaluators already are predicting the fast-rising Boller will be the second passer selected. Said one: "People aren't comparing Boller to Leftwich any more, he's being compared to Palmer."

At least three teams in the draft's top 10 are thought to be considering quarterbacks: No. 1 Cincinnati, No. 4 Chicago and Billick's Ravens at No. 10. But several teams in the top 10 are looking to trade down, which could create opportunities for other teams to move up and select a quarterback.

After his official workout concluded, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Boller pulled off a feat he had colorfully described to the national media at the Combine. From his knees at the 50-yard line, Boller threw a ball through the uprights, drawing a round of applause from the gathering of NFL scouts and coaches.

Besides Cavanaugh, other league personnel present on Thursday included a 49ers contingent of head coach Dennis Erickson, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and general manager Terry Donahue; Green Bay head coach Mike Sherman and offensive coordinator Tom Rossley; as well as Jacksonville quarterbacks coach Kenny Anderson, and Dallas quarterbacks coach Sean Payton.

Boller didn't run again for scouts on Thursday, because he handled that portion of his pre-draft work at the Combine. Besides his impressive 40 time, Boller at the Combine ran a 3.99 20-yard shuttle, which was faster than every other quarterback and running back who ran in Indianapolis, and better than all but two receivers.

Don Banks covers pro football for SI.com

 

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