Paxton Lynch’s Top Five Throws of 2015

There is not a quarterback in this class that matches up well against Paxton Lynch. He is the top quarterback. As would be expected of the top quarterback, Lynch made some of the most impressive throws of the college football season, including one throw that very well may have been the best of the year.

*Throws are in no particular order*

1.

This throw doesn’t look like much on the surface. The route is bland and Lynch gets a clean pocket to make the throw. What makes the throw special is how well Lynch placed it. This throw is more than 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage and to the far boundary. Throwing to the far boundary creates a wider angle that Pax has to make this throw from, increasing the difficulty of hitting the throw in stride. Yet, Lynch hits the throw in perfect stride. The receiver does not waste a single step and is able to slip by the lone defender for a touchdown because of it.

2.

Again! This is the same route as before, but Lynch has to throw it a bit differently this time. Instead of having the rest of the field to work with in terms of margin of error, Lynch now has to keep the ball away from the safety closing in. If Lynch leaves this ball more in bounds, there’s a good chance one of two defenders get their hand on the ball. Lynch, understanding the situation, places this throw to the outside shoulder of his receiver. The ball stays just far enough in bounds for the receiver to comfortably haul it in, yet too far toward the boundary for a defender to have a shot at it. The placement here is impeccable. And as if this play weren’t impressive enough, Lynch made this throw in a heated shootout near the end of the fourth quarter. Thanks to this clutch throw and a few others, Memphis came out on top.

3.

Make sure to watch this throw multiple times. I mean really appreciate this throw.

This was the throw of the year. Lynch was already having an outstanding game as he had Memphis well ahead of Ole Miss. 10 points wasn’t enough for Lynch, though. He needed to be up by more and he made it happen. Lynch made this 30-plus yard throw to the front corner of the end zone across his body and placed it in the most perfect spot possible. It’s mind blowing.

A lot has to happen here for Lynch to complete this throw. Of course, arm talent is huge for a play like this and luckily Lynch has plenty of it. More than that, Lynch needed to find a way to throw with comfort despite rolling out to his left and fire with confidence. After he takes a few steps to flip his hips, Lynch takes one more set to fully reset himself and lets it rip, completing the most impressive throw I can recall over the 2015 season.

4.

This throw travels more than 40 yards from the line of scrimmage to the catch point. To clarify what that means, Lynch threw the ball over 40 yards and hit his receiver in perfect stride just over his inside shoulder. It is not possible to throw this any better than Lynch did. There is not much to do with this play other than appreciate the flawless accuracy of the throw.

5.

Lynch has a handful of people directly in his face as he makes this throw and it does not phase him one bit. Lynch goes through his motion without an ounce of fear that he might get hit. He was determined to hit this throw. To no surprise, he did just that. Lynch is again throwing this ball about 40 yards for a perfect strike. Like so many of the throws above, Lynch hits his receiver here without forcing him to break his stride at all, allowing him to carry his momentum into the end zone for another Memphis score.