Redskins UDFA Spotlight: Steven Montez adds upside to already young QB room

What Montez does well

In terms of raw tools, Steven Montez is the full package. He’s 6-4, 231 pounds, has a strong arm, and navigates the pocket very well.

The first thing that stands out about Montez is his overall arm strength. He can naturally get the ball downfield with little effort and fit the ball into tight windows. He has a good throwing motion and the ball just comes out of his hands easily.

But he’s not just a strong-armed quarterback. He knows when and how to use touch on his throws to get the ball to open receivers. And he can throw on the run pretty well. So, there is a lot of upside in terms of his ability in the passing game even if he’s not a polished product.

The other major standout trait for Montez is his mobility. He’s not a fast quarterback and shouldn’t be mistaken for a scrambler. But he navigates the pocket very well and throws on the move with relative ease. He’s not always perfectly accurate on the move, but he can get the ball to his receivers on occasion. And that’s a great skill to have.

Montez tends to know when to scramble and when to throw the ball away. His ability to escape pressure saved the Buffaloes numerous potential negative-yardage plays. But when he’s pressured, he doesn’t automatically look to scramble. He climbs the pocket and only bails out when it’s necessary. That’s the type of awareness you’d expect from a three-year college starter, but even still, few players in the 2020 NFL Draft class showed better escapability than Montez.

From a physical standpoint, Montez looks like he could be the real deal. But there are still some areas he needs to improve on, and that’s why he ultimately went undrafted despite his great collection of raw tools and athletic ability.