Jordan Palmer

Jordan Palmer is no longer just Carson's (Cincinnati Bengals) baby brother. Jordan has etched his name into the UTEP record book, holding the school career records for total yards (11,084) and passing yards (11,041). He also threw for 88 touchdowns with the Miners. Palmer was rated a top-150 player in the state of California by Super Prep at Mission Viejo High School. He was an All-CIF choice and South Coast League Offensive MVP as a senior, as he threw for 1,300 yards with 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The four-year varsity letter-winner also saw action at wide receiver as a junior. He led the team to a 14-0 record in 2001, winning the CIF championship and the Southern section of Division II, as the team was rated third in the state and 17th in the nation. Mission Viejo was 9-3 in 2000. Palmer also lettered in basketball (power forward) and track (110 hurdles, 200-meters) and was a member of the school's orchestra for four years. He led the school's chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for two years and served as the Associated Student Body athletic commissioner. Palmer was granted a medical hardship at Texas-El Paso in 2002 due to a broken collarbone. He started six of 10 games in 2003, sitting out the Southern Methodist and Louisiana Tech games with a knee injury. He finished his redshirt campaign completing 98 of 198 passes (49.5 percent) for 1,168 yards, seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He had ball security problems, as the opposition recovered five of his 11 fumbles. Palmer earned All-Western Athletic Conference honorable mention in 2004. He connected on 213 of 366 attempts (58.2 percent) for 2,818 yards, 26 touchdowns (third-best season total in school history) and 18 touchdowns. He was sacked 20 times and had five fumbles while averaging 233.4 yards per game in total defense. Palmer was named second-team All-Conference USA in 2005. He set school single-season records with 258 completions (tied mark) in 434 attempts for 3,503 yards, 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. The opposition recovered four of Palmer's nine fumbles, as he became only the second player in school history to amass more than 3,000 yards (3,453) in total offense in a season. In 2006, Palmer earned second-team All-Conference USA honors from the media and third-team accolades from the league's coaches. He ranked seventh in the nation with an average of 292.4 yards per game in total offense and 18th in passing efficiency with a 136.26 rating. He led the conference with an average of 299.6 yards per game passing, hitting on 282 of 429 passes (65.7 percent) for 3,595 yards, 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In 46 games at Texas-El Paso, Palmer started 42 times. He completed 851 of 1,427 passes (59.6 percent) for 11,084 yards, 88 touchdowns and 64 interceptions. He rushed 216 times for minus-43 yards (-0.2 avg) and seven scores. He participated in 1,643 plays, gaining 11,041 yards in total offense. Palmer registered eight tackles (six solos), but fumbled 33 times, with the opposition recovering 12. He was also sacked 89 times for losses totaling 449 yards.

positives

Has adequate lower body muscle tone with a smooth frame, good waist, legs and calves... Not bulky, but has decent upper body development with a frame that can carry additional bulk...Competitive sort who likes pressure situations, but needs to improve his game management...Shows an adequate stride dropping back from center and has the functional short-area burst to escape some pressure...Has an understanding of the playbook and when he plays with patience, he is effective at making proper reads through progression...Needs to reduce his full wind-up motion in his release, but can put some zip behind his tosses...More effective with his timing on short to intermediate tosses than while firing deep...Makes a lot of checks on the field and has a good understanding of the game...Has good toughness standing under pressure and will not hesitate to initiate contact on a defender (eight tackles during his career)...Lacks foot speed to be a running threat, but does demonstrate adequate quickness and fluidity when he drops and sets up... Makes good pre-snap reads and scans the field to locate his secondary targets...Has good upper body mechanics to follow through...Carries the ball chest-high and plants well to throw, showing adequate quickness to unload the ball...Can zip the short tosses and drive the ball well in the intermediate area... Sometimes sprays the ball going long, but he can also drill the ball into the seam with a tight spiral, keeping his receivers in their routes with minimal adjustments when he properly sets his feet...Has very good accuracy in the mid-range level vs. man coverage and throws an easy ball that comes out with a tight spiral, but still needs to improve his placement...Strong standing in the pocket, as he's not easy to knock down...Positive and confident with his body language on the field...Has enough functional foot balance to step up in the pocket and he won't run from the pocket prematurely...With his long stride, he is capable of driving back from center to get to his throwing point and while he won't win foot races in the open, he knows how to square his shoulders and throw for decent accuracy when on the move...Has improved his overall strength in the last year, which allows him to stand tall and take a hit when the pocket collapses...Can freeze a defender with his play-action and pump fakes...Times the pass well to lead the receiver rather than have his targets adjust to the ball...Despite playing behind a mediocre offensive line, he has been relatively injury-free and has no major health issues.

compares to

CARSON PALMER-Cincinnati...Alright, this was an easy one, based on his bloodlines and everything. While his passing statistics are impressive, his poor decision-making and very high amount of turnovers will soon frustrate an NFL head coach. While his brother is a Pro Bowler, Jordan's chances of getting to Hawaii one day might be better as his brother's guest. There is just too much Tim Hasselback in him -- just look where Tim is compared to his brother Matt with Seattle. Jordan's questionable decision-making could bring better comparisons to Tim than his own brother. We don't see this Palmer anything more than a serviceable backup.

negatives

Lacks mobility and is no threat as a runner, but he shows enough movement skills, instincts and a quick release to make some plays out of the pocket...Has adequate flexibility and change of direction agility, but only marginal acceleration...Plays in a pro-style passing offense, but despite his knowledge of the game he makes too many questionable decisions (64 interceptions, 33 fumbles, 89 sacks in 46 games)...Does not show the body control to throw on the run...Based on his turnovers, he might not have the great field vision his brother possesses...Tends to lock on to his primary target and consequently, he might not see the defenders, especially when he simply throws right into the coverage...Will sometimes force the ball rather than take a sack...Can flick the ball deep, but sometimes has a long arc that lets the defenders settle under his pass to make the interception...Doesn't appear to struggle throwing any of his passes, but needs to use better judgment...Has a penchant to throwing the ball into zone coverage when going long...Has the arm strength to connect with a perfect strike underneath, but will miss the wide-open target when pressured (not good at throwing on the move)...When given protection, he can throw the ball on time, but when he locks on to his primary target, he is slow to come off that man to find a better choice, resulting in 64 career interceptions...Better off not leaving the pocket much, as most of his mistakes happen when he throws on the move...Needs to reduce that full wind-up motion he takes in his release...Not capable of fitting the ball into tight areas and will generally under-throw on his deep passes...Has problems throwing to the right side of the field, where 47 of his 55 passes that were deflected and 16 of his 19 interceptions occurred in 2005 (10 of 14 pass thefts in 2006 were to the right side of the field)...Threw under duress often because of his inability to escape the bull rush (can step away from some tackles, but is not a threat running with the ball)...Confident in his ability, but lacks that aggressive take-charge nature you want in a quality quarterback.

2002: Sat out the season with a broken collarbone. 2003: Missed the Southern Methodist (10/04) and Louisiana Tech (10/11) games after suffering a knee sprain vs. Sam Houston State...Did not play in the season finale vs. Fresno State after leaving the previous week's contest vs. Rice (11/22) early in the first quarter with a rib contusion. 2005: Left the New Mexico State game (9/03) after suffering a concussion...Suffered a left high ankle sprain on the last play of the first half vs. Toledo (12/21) in the GMAC Bowl, missing several series during the second half of that contest before returning to the field.

Campus: 4.93 in the 40-yard dash

308-pound bench press

374-pound squat

253-pound power clean

37-inch vertical jump

8'11" broad jump

32 1/4-inch arm length

9 1/2-inch hands

Right-handed

23/41 Wonderlic score. Combine: 4.99 in the 40-yard dash

1.75 10-yard dash

2.91 20-yard dash

4.58 20-yard shuttle

7.32 three-cone drill

30.5-inch vertical jump

8'8" broad jump.

Attended Mission Viejo (Cal.) High School, playing football for head coach Bob Johnson (father of New York Giants quarterback Rob Johnson)

Rated a top-150 player in the state of California by Super Prep

All-CIF choice and South Coast League Offensive MVP as a senior, as he threw for 1,300 yards with 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions

The four-year varsity letter-winner also saw action at wide receiver as a junior

Led the team to a 14-0 in 2001, winning the CIF championship and the Southern section of Division II, as the team was rated third in the state and 17th in the nation

Mission Viejo was 9-3 in 2000

Also lettered in basketball (power forward) and track (110 hurdles, 200) and was a member of the school's orchestra for four years

Led the school's chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for two years and served as the Associated Student Body athletic commissioner.

Communications major

Son of Dana and Bill Palmer

Brother, Carson, won the Heisman Trophy at Southern California in 2002 and was the top pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals

Nicknamed "J.P."

Born Jordan William Palmer on 5/30/84 in West Lake Village, California

Resides in Mission Viejo, California.