Logan Woodside has had to get past plenty of hurdles to get this far in his football career. Woodside was just a two-star recruit coming out of Franklin County High School in Kentucky. After receiving just a few Division I offers, Woodside decided to join the Toledo Rockets in the MAC Conference.
Woodside played in four games his freshman season, but Alabama transfer Phillip Ely put Woodside’s chances at being the full-time starting quarterback on hold. He did get to play 10 games in his sophomore season due to an injury to Ely. Toledo’s staff then decided to redshirt Woodside for the 2015 season in order to maintain his junior eligibility the following season while Ely manned the quarterback position.
Woodside did not disappoint when he finally got his chance. In his final two seasons, he won 20 games for the Rockets, throwing a combined 8,011 yards and 73 touchdowns while completing 67 percent of his passes.
Woodside also put his name in the Toledo record books and grabbed some accolades along the way. He set the school record for touchdown passes in a season (45), career passing yards (10,514), career touchdown passes (93) and career passing efficiency (162.87). That efficiency was good for 12th all time in the FBS. He was also named All-MAC first team twice, MAC Offensive Player of the Year, MAC MVP and helped lead the Rockets to their first MAC Championship victory since 2004.
Woodside has accomplished quite a bit after receiving little recognition coming out of high school. Now he is in a similar situation in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Part of the reason for that is due to his size. Woodside stands 6-foot-1, 213 pounds. He was the lightest quarterback at the NFL Combine, as well as the fourth-shortest. Size is usually the first knock on him in most scouting reports, but Woodside pointed out all the successful “undersized” quarterbacks in the NFL.
“Height only plays so big of a factor,” Woodside said. “You look at quarterbacks, obviously the ones that are really tall are successful. But man, there has been so many guys as of late that are smaller at the quarterback position that are successful. Drew Brees, Case Keenum, Derek Carr is not 6-5.”
Instead of dwelling on whether or not his height will prevent him from getting a shot, Woodside is focusing on what he can control.
“I’m not really worried about the height,” he said. “It’s something obviously I can’t control.”
Woodside showed off his athleticism at the NFL Combine, posting the second fastest 20-yard shuffle, third highest vertical jump, third fastest three-cone drill and fifth fastest 40-yard dash.
“I do think I have the quickest feet in the draft. I think my footwork, my timing, anticipation and accuracy is elite. I continue to work on that every day.
Woodside also believes NFL teams will appreciate his work ethic and his competitive nature.
“I’m a huge competitor,” he said. “Whatever team is going to get me, I’m going to give them all that I have for that organization and ultimately be successful and become a starter in the National Football League, which I think I can do.”
Logan Woodside scouting report
At 6-foot-1, 213 pounds, Woodside is on the smaller end of quarterbacks in this draft class. He will have to add weight to his frame to help prevent injury, but quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Russell Wilson have broken the mold before for shorter quarterbacks in the NFL.
After the ball is snapped, Woodside does a great job of reading defenses and is effective against zone or man to man coverage. Woodside feels the pass rush well and has decent mobility to get away from pressure. He also gets the ball out of his hands quickly, which gives defenses little time to react. His mechanics do need to be cleaned up a little, but there are no major issues.
His accuracy is his greatest strength, as he puts the ball on the money for most throws. He gives his receivers a chance to make a play on the ball with how he throws it. Woodside’s arm strength leaves a little to be desired, but he still does a lot of damage on deep throws.
His football IQ and awareness help him make good decisions. Pair that with his accuracy and he is a great fit for a system that is predicated on short throws, like the West Coast offense. With his skill set and some time to learn a team’s offense, Woodside could efficiently run an offense.
Full interview with Logan Woodside:
*Josh Burris interviewed Woodside, while Joe DiTullio provided the scouting report.
Featured image by Kurt Steiss, Toledo Blade
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