Mike Reilly
The Seahawks acquired a fourth QB Tuesday as they picked up former Central Washington QB Mike Reilly off waivers.
Reilly was heavily scouted by the Seahawks leading up to the 2009 draft, and he was slotted to go anywhere after the third round. However, Reilly was picked up by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent.
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He also has a connection to GM John Schneider, formerly of Green Bay, after the Packers signed him to their practice squad in November 2009. The St. Louis Rams signed him a month later but waived him in May 4.
While at CWU, Reilly broke many school records, including the passing yards mark held by former CWU QB John Kitna.
Expect Reilly to push Mike Teel for the third QB spot on Seattle's roster.
Scouting Report
Strengths
Reilly has ideal size for the NFL at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, and he combines this with excellent quickness and speed. While setting numerous passing records at Central, he was enough of a running threat to lead his team in rushing in 2008.
As said, he broke many school and conference records, including the career passing yards mark of former Seahawk quarterback Jon Kitna.
A four-year starter, Reilly displayed solid knowledge of his team's offense, as he routinely picked apart opposing defenses systematically.
He does a great job of making progressions and can make the accurate throw in the short to intermediate range.
Weaknesses
Unlike Kitna and Flacco before him, Reilly does not have ideal arm strength, which may relegate him to strict West Coast offenses only in the NFL.
Furthermore, he has run a spread offense at Central. So not only do scouts need to evaluate his talent versus a low level of competition, they have to do so in an easy stats-happy system.
At 24 years old, he won't have the luxury of youth and potential to drive up his stock, either.
Reach Aaron Weinberg at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
