Rookie Lamar Jackson strives to 'show off' QB growth
By admin - 2018-11-03 08:01:52

NFL fans will be presented with the opportunity of a first-time glance at one of the game’s more intriguing rookies, Baltimore’s first-round passer Lamar Jackson.

“I’m a quarterback. That’s the first thing I want to show off,” Jackson said, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “Just show the growth, from college to my new chapter of life.”

According to ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio, Jackson explained that a Los Angeles Chargers scout told him about a number of teams being interested in seeing him compete in wideout drills.

“He was the first one to come to me about it. I’m like, ‘What?’ He caught me off guard with it,” he explained, recalling the conversation the pair had.

It’s because of that interest that he refused to run the dash, wanting to primarily workout as a quarterback – and that’s what he told the Chargers scout on the spot.

“‘I don’t remember telling you guys I’d go out for receiver routes.’ I’m like, ‘No, quarterback only.’ So, that made me not run the 40 and participate in all the other stuff,” Jackson confirmed a month ago.

Notably, Jackson is a daily topic, as he has left national media impressed by his rare, on-field athleticism in camp, and the Ravens have vowed to find a way to get him snaps alongside veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco.

Contraritwise, Jackson has also shown streaks of inconsistency in camp, with NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo noting last week that the rookie produced a practice where he tossed a pick and underthrew a receiver on a wheel route, only to “drop a beautiful ball 40 yards up the sideline into the receiver’s hands.”

Understandably, Harbaugh is eager to see what Jackson pulls off against the real-live competition. “You have to run the show, and to see him run the show with confidence and get things right would be the main thing for him,” Harbaugh said. “After that, play football and let’s see what happens.”