Stafford shows Lions his stuff
Mayhew has no comment after QB's workout
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News
ATHENS, Ga. -- He threw hitches, slants, drags, curls, crosses, dips, comebacks, slots and posts.
And he threw them well Thursday, completing 45 of 50. Matthew Stafford zipped the football with power and accuracy into a sturdy, quartering wind on the University of Georgia's practice field.
The extent to which he impressed those Lions executives and coaches watching from the sidelines was unknown by the time Stafford, the Georgia quarterback who could be Detroit's choice as the NFL's first pick April 25, departed at 1:30 p.m. following an 18-minute display of his considerable skills.
Martin Mayhew, the Lions general manager, was playing it coy and clever afterward. Did he see anything at all during Thursday's demonstration that he found revealing?
"I thought Mohamed ran some great routes," Mayhew said, grinning at his wry reference to Georgia flanker Mohamed Massaquoi, an early-round draft projection who caught his share of Stafford's passes during the workout -- designed to showcase Georgia's draft-eligible players for the benefit of NFL scouting staffs.
Mayhew would go no further.
"I'm not gonna comment on the workout at all," he said.
The Lions, though, are hardly finished with Stafford. They will return to Athens on March 31 for a private workout as they mull whether to make a 21-year-old junior from Dallas their first pick and a potential answer in the team's quest to develop a franchise-caliber quarterback.
Mayhew had company Thursday as he stood squinting into the sun while Stafford's passes whizzed downfield.
Scott McEwen, the Lions director of college scouting, was on Mayhew's left. Also taking notes was Lions quarterbacks coach Jeff Horton, as well as James Harris, senior personnel executive.
The debate over whether to make Stafford the first selection has been chewed thoroughly, coast to coast.
On the plus side, which would explain the Lions staff's presence, is Stafford's heavy-caliber arm. Scouts say he throws with more power than Jay Cutler, the much-maligned, much-discussed Broncos quarterback, who has been of likely interest to the Lions as he moves closer to becoming permanently estranged from the Broncos.
Stafford's quick release also has been compared to that of ex-Dolphins great Dan Marino.
But the negatives also have been mentioned, beginning with his size, which is listed at 6-foot-3 but is viewed by NFL scouts to be more like 6-2 1/2 -- a tad small by NFL standards.
There also have been whispers about his focus at times being less than intense. He and his Bulldogs team had a rough time beating some of their Southeastern Conference rivals during his career, specifically Florida, LSU and Alabama.
But for the Lions it almost will certainly come down to how they rate Stafford's physical skills against the mandate to make their first-overall draft pick a perennial all-pro.
Stafford was satisfied with Thursday's audition.
"I think it went pretty good," he said. "I missed a few that I felt like I should have hit, but other than that, I feel like I was putting it in good spots where guys could make plays."
One of his few misses came on a deep out pattern to the left sideline. Stafford's pass sailed over the sideline, leading him to clap his hands disgustedly.
"I hit that pass 1,000 times when I was here," Stafford said.
Stafford's arm is a cannon on the level of a young Carson Palmer. But it is not only arm strength and accuracy the Lions and other NFL teams will be considering.
Stafford acknowledged as much Thursday.
"It's different because this isn't real football," he said. "In the heat of the game, you've got bodies flying and guys covering people. This (Thursday's workout) is how well you can throw in your shorts to a guy in a T-shirt with nobody guarding him."
You can reach Lynn Henning at (313) 222-2472 lynn.henning@detnews.com.
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