/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45733602/usa-today-8390867.0.jpg)
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was asked about the scouting process for quarterbacks on Thursday when he addressed the media at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Arians said so many guys coming out of college are nowhere near ready to play in the NFL.
"So many times, you're evaluating a quarterback who has never called a play in the huddle, never used a snap count," Arians explained. "They hold up a card on the sideline, he kicks his foot and throws the ball. That ain't playing quarterback.
"There's no leadership involved there. There might be leadership on the bench, but when you get them and they have to use verbiage and they have to spit the verbiage out and change the snap count, they are light years behind."
That's where a guy like Marcus Mariota is a bit behind.
This statement also reveals a little bit about how Arians handled Logan Thomas down the stretch in 2014. The Cardinals drafted Thomas in the fourth round last year and, while they like his upside, when both Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton went down with injuries, Arians went with Ryan Lindley instead of Thomas.
Arians insisted Thomas simply wasn't ready yet.
Now, combined with these comments from the Combine, it makes sense. Thomas was never asked to read coverages or manage snap counts, both which are things you have to do in the NFL. Thomas was, in the eyes of Arians, "light years behind" in terms of being an NFL quarterback.
Are there any other quarterbacks in this draft that Arians might consider, especially with how he feels about Thomas?