Anthony Boone is viewed as a fringe draft prospect entering the NFL Combine, but that will not keep the Duke product from being ambitious entering the critical evaluation period.
Larry Brown Sports spoke with Boone by phone last week and talked about the former Duke quarterback’s progress as he prepares for the next step in his career. Boone just completed his college career where he led the Blue Devils to their best two-year stretch in over 50 years. He threw for 2,700 yards, 19 touchdowns and rushed for five more scores while leading Duke to a 9-4 season.
Boone is preparing for the combine where he will throw and go through whatever is asked of him by interested parties. He talked with LBS about what he is doing to get ready for the draft.
“I’m preparing for a typical combine workout for the quarterback — drive series, some of the routes I’m going to be throwing, working on reads and progressions, knowing the ins-and-outs of my offense in college,” Boone said. “Just getting more knowledge of NFL pro style offenses and defenses.”
Many quarterbacks refuse to throw at the combine for fear of hurting their draft stock. That is not the case for Boone, who is willing to show his stuff.
“I just feel like they have you throw for a reason,” said Boone. “They want to see it, so why not do it? Why not give them what they want? You prepare for all kinds of stuff. They might throw something at you that’s kind of different, but for the most part it’s still playing the game, so you have to compete. So I’m just going to go out there and do the best I can and go from there.”
Boone played under David Cutcliffe at Duke, who has become known for being a quarterbacks guru. Boone feels like playing for Cutcliffe has given him an edge entering the next level.
“I feel like Coach Cutcliffe has prepared me with reading defenses, preparing me with going through progressions, understanding protections, understanding the run game, defensive schemes … it’s really helped me at Duke.
“He really breaks it down,” Boone said when asked what makes Cutcliffe a good coach. “He’s one of those guys when he recruits a quarterback, he recruits guys that can already throw. He doesn’t waste time trying to reinvent the wheel of throwing a football. He really tries to break it down mentally — understanding raw concepts, understanding defenses, understanding the ins-and-outs of the game. And once you understand that, your physical tools will take care of the rest. That’s what I think that he does that helps his quarterbacks the most.”
Asked about his strengths and weaknesses as a player, Boone was not shy about his talents and did not hide from the knock against him.
“I feel like I have great arm strength. I feel like I have great pre-snap, post-snap awareness, great understanding of offenses. As far as weaknesses, obviously my height — there’s a knock on the height.”
Boone realizes that height is not something he can control, so he does not concern himself with that criticism.
“It doesn’t bother me. It’s not something I can control. I just gotta deal with it. I’ve been playing at the same height for all my life at a high level. It’s really a thing that I don’t put much weight into. If you can play, no matter what height you are, I feel I can help a team out in every aspect — mentally, in the film room, on the practice field, around the community — and I feel that carries a lot more weight than my height.”
Boone is projected by some as a 7th-round pick, but he’s not concerning himself with those projections.
“I don’t really read much, look into pre-draft predictions and Mel Kiper and all that stuff. I’m not the kind of guy that looks into it. I just kind of stay away from the hype. At the end of the day, predictions don’t play for you on Saturday or Sunday or Friday, so I don’t listen to it or look for it.”
He talked about what he hopes to prove to teams.
“I’m hoping to show that I’ve spent the time to separate myself on the field. That I’m willing to put in the work that it takes. I’m going to work to master whatever system I’m in help the players around me, keep a good family-like atmosphere around me in the locker room, and find a way to lead grown men. I think I’ll show I have good leadership qualities. I know what it takes to change a program and keep it where it’s at at the next level.”
Our conversation veered back to his time at Duke, and Boone reflected on his path from high school to college. Unlike other strong prospects coming out of high school, Boone did not go to a traditional football power. He decided to go to a school like Duke to try cutting his own path, he told LBS.
“That’s the reason I went there. I could have gone to other places where I would have had a chance to be a part of a winning tradition, possibly play in the SEC, but I wanted to have a different story. I wanted to be a part of something special, something different, be a part of something nobody in the country they could say that they were a part of. And that’s what it was.”
Because of the success he had there, Duke is being considered a destination for many top players. Guys like Braxton Miller and Jeff Driskel were rumored to have interest in transferring there.
Boone explained what makes Duke special.
“At Duke we’re different people. It’s hard to explain the mentality around Duke. If you don’t love your team like you love your brothers, then we’re not the place for you. It takes a special person to wake up early and go to practice and excel in the classroom. We don’t change for anybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re an All-American, it doesn’t matter what — that’s just how we are. That’s they way Coach Cutcliffe built the program. From walk-ons down to starters, we’re all treated the same. That’s just how it is. You’re not treated differently; you have to go out there and earn your stripes.”
If he goes undrafted, Boone would be able to choose where he wants to sign as a free agent. We asked him where he would like to play if he had his choice.
“There’s definitely a lot of guys I look at that I’d love to play for — I’d love to play for a Rex Ryan, or back in Charlotte at home. Growing up in Charlotte it would be awesome to be a backup quarterback behind Cam Newton who’s a tremendous athlete and learn from him. I’m excited to be around guys I grew up watching — like your Aaron Rodgers, your Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady — I’d love to have the chance to be a backup or third-string guy and be in the same film room with future Hall of Fame guys, guys who have put in the work, are good leaders, good men in their community. That’s what I want to be around — guys who really understand what it takes to be a successful quarterback.”
It’s clear that Boone understands what it means to be a good leader. We are confident in saying he will be a good addition to the locker room for whatever club drafts him.
