STRENGTHS - Perhaps the best arm talent in the Draft, Bray makes 20+ yard throws on a rope with remarkable ease. When he is on and striding into throws he can fit passes into very tight spots with outstanding zip and accuracy. Although he is not a good athlete, Bray can slide within pocket to avoid rush, can re-set feet and gets rid of the ball well. He does a good job of identifying the blitz pre-snap and gets the ball to the receiver in area that was vacated by blitzer. Few quarterbacks can make the 15 to 20 yard skinny post throw with the zip and accuracy to allow the receiver to catch pass and start up the field in a flash. When he is not pressured he will sit in the pocket and goes through his progressions well to find an open receiver. Additionally, when he senses/feels pressure he has consistently shown a willingness to throw the ball away.
WEAKNESSES - Despite elite arm talent, Bray's production was wildly inconsistent; especially considering how many talented players he had to throw the ball to. While his upper body mechanics are often consistent, they are not quick and his footwork is too inconsistent. He does not stride into throws consistently and often just turns upper body and snaps off throw without setting his feet properly. His tendency to not stride into throws and keep his legs straight leads to his passes dipping low in front of receiver. Although he reads the blitz well pre-snap, I question his read of the defense as he makes some throws that defenders are sitting there waiting for. Additionally, Bray is deliberate in his throwing motion, which allows defenders to read and react to his passes. While he can be a very accurate passer, he needs to get better at leading receiver rather than throwing to the receiver. Bray's leadership and football intangibles have questions surrounding them, which definitely does not help his draft stock.
SUMMARY - I cannot remember evaluating a quarterback in recent years who frustrated me so much. There is no doubt in my mind that Bray has frontline starter's talent, but his footwork, deliberate throwing motion and inconsistent vision of the defense led to his production being so ridiculously inconsistent. While he is not a top athlete and looks extremely skinny for a 6'6 quarterback, he is nimble enough to slide and avoid rushers within the pocket and is able to re-set and throw with surprising ease. Overall, Bray's performance at Tennessee does not warrant being drafted before the third round, which is why I have given him a third round grade. However, I also have no doubt that if you put Bray's 50 best throws on a highlight reel they would be as good as any other quarterback in this year's draft class. Then when you add what I believe will be an outstanding passing display at his Pro Day (Few quarterbacks get to throw to two elite receivers and a good tight end prospect that he is completely comfortable with), I have a feeling that some team is going to gamble on Bray late in the first round or right at the top of the second round.