What can WSU’s Gardner Minshew do at Senior Bowl to improve draft stock?

Gardner Minshew racked up some serious accomplishments in his one season as the WSU Cougars’ quarterback.

Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. A nation-leading 367.6 passing yards per game. Pac-12 single-season records in passing yards (4,779) and completions (468). Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner.

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So why isn’t the 22-year-old Mississippi native getting more attention at this week’s Senior Bowl? Brock Huard explained what the no-longer-only-mustachioed wonder needs to do while in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl to improve his stock for April’s NFL Draft.

“He’s gotta flash,” Huard said during the daily Blue 42 segment of Brock and Salk on Wednesday. “He has just gotta flash some arm strength. You gotta have some of those ‘wow’ throws.

“He’s an accurate guy. He’s not too small, he’s strong, he does some things fundamentally. I think he throws with anticipation. To me, this is all about he’s gotta have that ‘wow’ moment – ‘Man, this guy’s got a strong arm’ – like a Baker Mayfield.”

So far, all that has really helped set Minshew apart at the Senior Bowl are his hands – “He had the biggest hands of all of these guys,” noted Huard – but it’s only that big arm everybody saw at WSU in 2018 that can really turn the tide for the Cougar fan favorite.

“I need to see that 40-yard laser beam between the safety and corner that (scouts) are looking for,” Huard said. “They’re gonna set up in these practices an opportunity to ‘wow’ them. … Internally amongst those scouts, he needs a few more ‘wow’ moments with his arm strength.”

You can listen to the full Blue 42 segment in this podcast from Wednesday’s edition of Brock and Salk.

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