Washington quarterback making the rounds Aaron Wilson
Besides the Minnesota Vikings working him out today, another quarterback-needy NFL team is also displaying interest in University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker.
Locker has a workout scheduled with the Tennessee Titans later this month as well as an official visit in April. He's also scheduled to work out for the Seattle Seahawks.
The Titans have said they don't plan to bring back starter Vince Young.
Extremely athletic, Locker ran the 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. The 6-foot-3, 231-pounder also registered a 35-inch vertical leap and a 9-7 broad jump.
Locker returned to school for his senior year, and has said he has no regrets about a decision that may have cost him financially.
"Nothing," Locker said when asked if he would do anything differently. "We made it to a bowl game and won a bowl game. We were 3-6 at one point in the season and everybody wrote us off and we won the last four games of the season. We finished beating Nebraska. I couldn't be anymore proud of a team as a whole. It was a great experience to be a part of. I wouldn't change anything about it."
Locker's athleticism, arm strength and intangibles have drawn high marks.
NFL teams tend to like quarterbacks who remain in school, often viewing it as a sign of maturity and loyalty to their teammates.
Playing one more season for Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian, Locker honed his skills. He says he's readier for the NFL game than he would have been a year ago.
"I'm a lot more comfortable in a pro-style offense, where you have two backs running, a spread-out offense, under center taking snaps and taking a drop and going through progressions," Locker said. "You look at the numbers and it may not show you that, going from my junior year to my senior year, but as a player I felt a lot more comfortable game in and game out. I feel that this transition is going to be a lot more comfortable for me because of that extra year."
Locker's statistics did take a hit over the past year.
As a junior, Locker completed 58.2 percent of his throws for 2,800 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a 129.75 passer rating.
As a senior, he completed 55.4 percent of his throws for 2,265 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions for a 124.20 rating.
He also dealt with pass protection issues and a cracked rib, but finished the season with four consecutive wins.
Most believe Locker made a mistake. He would disagree. Vehemently.
"By going back, I graduated," said Locker, who completed his history degree. "I got my degree. We won the Holiday Bowl. I finished what I set out to when I committed to the University of Washington. For me, those two reasons made it worth it to me. I wouldn't change anything about it."
After losing to the Cornhuskers 56-21 earlier in the season, Locker engineered a 19-7 win over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.
In that game, Locker completed just 5 of 16 passes for 56 yards.
However, he also rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown.
"I think one of my biggest strengths is the ability to extend plays and improvise," Locker said.
Locker has been getting pointers from former New York Jets quarterback Ken O'Brien.
Locker gets points for personality and intangibles.
"When you've got a guy who's achieved the things he's achieved and had the success he's had, most of the time they're going to be cocky," Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller said. "But if you just meet Jake on the street and didn't know his name, you wouldn't even know some of the stuff that he's done."
Locker has naturally grown tired of hearing about how much money he passed up by going back to school.
"I just cut them short," Locker said. "I've got a ring now and stuff you can't put a price on."
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