The NFL.com pre-draft scouting report on Cody Fajardo compares the ex-Nevada quarterback to Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Though Fitzpatrick has never been a star in the league, that’s not necessarily a bad comparison for Fajardo, who signed as a free agent with the Raiders in May after not being selected in the draft.
Fitzpatrick, after all, has been in the NFL since 2005 and has started 89 games for five teams and thrown 123 touchdown passes.
As Fajardo prepares to begin the Raiders’ mandatory three-day minicamp Tuesday, no doubt he’d take that career in a heartbeat because as it stands now, he figures to be a long shot to make the Oakland roster for the opening game.
He ranks No. 4 on the depth chart behind starter Derek Carr, Christian Ponder and Matt McGloin. During organized team activities (OTAs), Fajardo got plenty of reps because Carr was sidelined by a finger problem and couldn’t throw. When minicamp begins Tuesday, Carr is expected to throw and get in some snaps, but not as many as he normally would, to ease him back into the flow and make certain he’s good to go for training camp in July. So, Fajardo again could see more reps and get a chance to impress the coaching staff.
Fajardo certainly comes in with some credentials and a history of productivity at Nevada, where he was a dual-threat quarterback. He threw for 9,659 yards and 57 TDs and ran for 3,482 yards and 44 TDs to join Colin Kaepernick – also from Nevada – as the only college QBs ever to surpass 9,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards rushing in their careers.
Fajardo, at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, has good size and a strong arm, but some scouts believe he’s a project, noting that he needs to quicken his delivery, improve his footwork and has been inaccurate at times, especially under pressure.
Sports
Yet despite those criticisms, others see Fajardo as a dark horse, an athletic player with good upside who could have a higher upside over the long run than the veteran Ponder or McGloin.
One writer, Charlie Campbell of the analytic football website WalterFootball.com, believes an undisclosed injury may have scared off some teams from drafting Fajardo, especially because he had a good showing at the East-West Shrine Game and did well at the NFL Combine.
If healthy, Fajardo may have a chance to win a roster spot, says Campbell.
“With a new coaching staff and offense, it seems feasible that Fajardo has a shot at beating out McGloin,” he wrote. “McGloin has an edge of some starting experience from 2013, but Fajardo has a better skill set and more upside. Thus it wouldn’t be surprising if the new staff, with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, prefers to work on developing Fajardo over McGloin.”
