UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Let's set the record straight here: No, Sean Clifford was not "snubbed" because he wasn't invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
He didn't deserve to be invited, because there's pretty much no one who believes he will be selected in next month's NFL draft.
That's just the reality. If a player has no draft buzz whatsoever, there's simply no reason for him to be at the combine. That goes for any player, even one who had a pair of 11-2 seasons as the starting quarterback for a major program that includes a Rose Bowl victory and Cotton Bowl victory.
Clifford certainly is entitled to feel like he was snubbed, and he does.
"I feel like I was snubbed at the combine for sure," the quarterback said Friday at Penn State's pro day. "The body of work that I've had ... when I didn't see my name as a combine guy, I felt disrespected for sure.
"But hey, it's just more fuel to the fire."
The good news for Clifford is that he was able to use the perceived slight to motivate himself to have as good of a pro day workout as possible. That's what all athletes do -- they use everything they can as motivation, and especially criticism or doubts about their ability.
Clifford accomplished one of his goals at pro day by showing scouts that he is indeed a good athlete. Some questioned that during his lengthy Penn State career, but really at every turn, Clifford did in fact do a lot of things to prove he's a good all-around athlete.
At pro day, he ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash. That's pretty darn good for a quarterback, and by comparison, Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett ran a 4.73 last year before getting drafted in the first round.
For more comparison, former Penn State standout Trace McSorley also ran a 4.57 coming out of college. Russell Wilson ran a 4.53, and Cam Newton ran 4.56.
Some of Clifford's other testing numbers were solid, including a 30.5-inch vertical jump.
No one -- and I mean no one -- should question Clifford's leadership. His extended college career gave him plenty of opportunities to develop and prove his leadership skills, which he certainly did.
There's also lots more to like about Clifford, from being a good teammate to a high football IQ.
All of these things are desirable traits in an NFL quarterback, and reasons why Clifford feels like he was snubbed by the combine.
OK, but ...
Then he started throwing the ball Friday at pro day. And on full display was the reason Clifford should not and likely will not be drafted.
He started off OK, throwing the ball to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Malik McClain and his brother, Liam. He missed one high throw early, then came back with some good deliveries before overthrowing badly on a deep ball.
The deep ball has never been a strength of Clifford's.
About midway through his throwing session ... well, yikes. He missed high by at least a foot on four relatively routine throws in a matter of a few minutes. One of those throws missed high by a good five feet, one of those "oh man" kind of throws that you just don't see a quarterback make too often, especially in a practice setting.
From there, Clifford did fine as he wrapped up his throwing. He hit one deep ball down the middle -- I believe to McClain but can't be certain because my view was blocked for a minute -- and was on target for several short routes.
All in all, it was really what we've all come to expect from a Clifford performance. He looked good at times, really good on occasion, bad at times and then really bad on a few throws.
"On brand" is how one Twitter user described it in a thread to one of my tweets.
Look, I'm not here to pick on Clifford. I've written so much about him during his career, from how his stats have always been about average, to how he may have rewritten his legacy with the late surge and Rose Bowl victory his final season.
The plain truth is that he's not an NFL quarterback. Never has been, probably never will be.
And to that, let me say this:
I really hope I'm wrong about him. And I mean that sincerely.
I respect the hell out of Clifford. Truly. He is everything you want in a leader and teammate, and he's definitely the kind of guy you should root for in sports. He works his butt off, he does everything he can and represents his team extremely well.
It just so happens that he's not good enough throwing the football to be considered an NFL quarterback.
"I know that I'm a pro," Clifford said Friday. "So, being able to show that today, show my speed, show my athleticism and kind of silence the doubters."
That's the thing, he probably didn't silence the doubters, because it's hard to believe NFL scouts who attended pro day came away agreeing with him about being a pro.
Hopefully Clifford finds his way into an NFL training camp and makes a practice squad, for at least a year or two. He absolutely is the kind of guy who would be good for a practice squad because of his work ethic, leadership, IQ and overall athleticism. Teams don't need their practice squad QB to be a tremendously accurate passer.
Maybe, over time, Clifford could carve out a niche as a reliable practice guy and then somehow find his way into a game if there are injuries or whatnot. I would not rule out that possibility, as long as he's determined to keep working hard and keep playing as long as possible.
It's more likely that he ends up in the XFL or USFL, which, hey, would give him an opportunity to keep improving and showing NFL scouts that he's making progress.
I say good luck to Clifford. He did a lot of good things for Penn State during his career, and certainly was a first-class person for his entire tenure in the program.
