March 04, 2016
Darron Cummings/AP
Paxton Lynch's facial hair is undeniably terrible, but he can sling a football.
One of the lesser known drills at the NFL Combine is the radar gun test, which for some strange reason NFL Network does not air on television. Essentially, each quarterback lets it rip, and a radar gun measures the football's speed, much like a baseball pitcher.
During the drill, quarterbacks "take the snap" at the 5-yard line, do a 3-step drop, and fire a throw as hard as they can at a guy standing about seven yards deep in the end zone holding up a blocking pad. It is seemingly designed to simulate tight window throws, as space is congested in the red zone. The more heat you can put on the ball for window throws down in close, the better. A second personnel guy stands behind the quarterback with a radar gun. I got to watch this drill at the Combine in Indianapolis last week. Media is not permitted to take photographs, but here's essentially what that drill looks like:
As they have over the last few years, the folks at Ourlads.com have the results, which were as follows:
| Player | School | MPH |
| Paxton Lynch | Memphis | 59 |
| Jared Goff | California | 58 |
| Carson Wentz | North Dakota State | 57 |
| Christian Hackenberg | Penn State | 56 |
| Joel Stave | Wisconsin | 56 |
| Jacoby Brissett | NC State | 56 |
| Josh Woodrum | Liberty | 56 |
| Cody Kessler | USC | 55 |
| Brandon Allen | Arkansas | 55 |
| Trevone Boykin | TCU | 55 |
| Dak Prescott | Mississippi State | 54 |
| Nate Sudfeld | Indiana | 54 |
| Kevin Hogan | Stanford | 53 |
| Brandon Doughty | Western Kentucky | 53 |
| Vernon Adams | Oregon | 53 |
| Jeff Driskel | Louisiana Tech | 52 |
| Connor Cook | Michigan State | 50 |
Notes:
• Lynch finishing at the top of this list is not at all a surprise. Neither is Carson Wentz finishing near the top.
• Jared Goff finishing second at 58 MPH fast was surprising. I would not have expected him to finish second, as his arm strength on tape is not as good as Wentz's.
• Connor Cook -- Ew.
• Cardale Jones did not throw because he injured his hamstring.
