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INDIANAPOLIS -- Of all the numbers emanating from the NFL Scouting Combine on Sunday -- which was quarterback workout day -- one resonated the loudest: 4.61.
That was the 40-yard-dash time turned in by Cal quarterback Kyle Boller, whose quicker-than-expected showing mirrors his relatively fast and continued climb up teams' draft boards. If there was a buzz created by anyone in the quarterback grouping on Sunday, it mostly revolved around Boller, who didn't throw a single pass at the RCA Dome.
"The one guy who made himself a lot of money and moved up today was Kyle Boller," one AFC personnel man said. "What he did today with that 40 was he separated himself so much. He was starting to really rise anyway; he really was. But his time here made people kind of stop and think, 'Hey, here's a guy who can move.'"
Coming out of the Combine and entering the final two months of the predraft process, if there was any consensus regarding the top six quarterbacks, it seems to roughly fall in this order: USC's Carson Palmer remains the clear-cut No. 1-rated passer, with Marshall's Byron Leftwich, Boller, Texas's Chris Simms, Florida's Rex Grossman and Louisville's Dave Ragone following in slots 2-6.
While Leftwich seems to be firmly entrenched in the No. 2 position for now, some personnel men were speculating that Boller could surpass him by draft day, depending on whether a team prefers a mobile quarterback or a traditional pocket passer like Leftwich.
"If you want the athletic quarterback, the quarterback who can move, Boller can do that," the AFC personnel man said. "And he's a good quarterback; he's not just an athletic quarterback. He didn't throw, not yet, but he'll have his workout day, and if he throws well that day, he's going to be in great shape."
Of the top six passers, only Boller and Leftwich declined to take part in Sunday's throwing workout, with Leftwich neither running nor throwing because of the continued rehabilitation of his late-season leg injury. So why did Boller draw mostly positive reviews despite not showing off his arm? Chalk it up to the NFL's growing trend toward quarterbacks who can make plays on the move.
"He's an athlete, and that [40 time] is certainly going to help his stock, no question," said Jon Gruden, head coach of the Super Bowl champion Bucs. "If you can run good here, that really helps you. Unfortunately, a lot of guys don't work out and don't run, which leaves us a little disappointed."
In Boller's case, he disappointed NFL talent scouts Sunday for a reason. According to Boller's agent, Mike Sullivan of Octagon, Boller opted not to throw at the Combine as part of a calculated plan designed to draw attention to his athleticism.
The thinking was this: Boller already wowed scouts with his passing arm at last month's Senior Bowl, outperforming every top-rated quarterback other than Palmer. And that was in a game or practice-field setting, rather than the artificial environment of the Combine, where quarterbacks wear shorts and no pads and throw a handful of passes to receivers they've never worked with before.
Thus, having already impressed scouts with his arm, Boller's goal Sunday was to make them notice his feet. Mission accomplished.
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