Jake Fromm Talks Why He Chose To Leave Georgia
Jake Fromm had a much tougher decision to enter the NFL Draft than most three year starters declaring early. Being that Fromm hasn't exactly been linked to a first-round selection in this April's draft, some would say that he is taking a gamble on himself.
A consummate professional, Jake Fromm rarely says anything "click" worthy or shocking, but he is always genuine and honest in his response. Sure, there's some quarterback speak mixed in there but he's typical just Jake being Jake.
Today in Indianapolis, Jake Fromm spoke to the media about what went into his decision to leave Georgia and declare for the NFL Draft and how hard it was to tell Coach Smart he was leaving for the NFL.
Fromm on why he declared for the NFL:
"For me, it goes back to what I talked about earlier. I really thought my heart was in on this. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I really wanted to be a professional and I felt like I was ready to take that step into professional football"
We reported back in January when Fromm was making his final decision on whether or not to declare for the draft, Coach Smart was one of the last people to meet with Jake. As for what Smart said to Fromm about the decision:
"Just follow your heart. That was tough. Going to him and telling him that this is what I was going to do was definitely one of the harder things I've had to do in my entire life. That was tough and I am really thankful for him and all the information he gave me and all the guidance he gave me and the memories that I have from my time at Georgia."
One thing Kirby Smart always praised Jake Fromm for was his leadership. The ability to impact those around you, and it's something that Smart challenged Fromm with heading into his third and final season. Fromm spoke about the leadership responsibilities of a quarterback in the NFL:
"Are they competitive and do they have the ability to influence. I think the ability to influence others on the offense and the organization, really making everybody better day in and day out."
He was then asked how he describes his leadership strategy:
"I think it can be whatever it needs to be. Whether it's vocal on the field, words of encouragement behind closed doors or you know the occasional having to call you out. I think the way I approach life day in and day out gives me the ability to hit all of those. I have been extremely blessed to have people along the way to help me and mentor me and hopefully, I will have a lot of opportunities here in the National Football League."
A lot has been said about Fromm's arm strength and whether or not it's enough to win at the NFL level. Fromm addressed that and the possible mechanical issues that might have taken place throughout his final year at Georgia:
"I think I have the arm strength and the ability to make every single throw I need to in the professional football league. So, I'm not going to go out there and try to prove anything, I'm going to just be me and throw the ball around the best I can."
He then addressed the mechanical issues:
"It was really my feet. I didn't feel like my feet were as clean as they needed to be this past football season and that's something that we've really been hammering throughout this process. So, for me, I'm trying to get my feet better and get them as good as they can be because I think wherever my feet are and however they are doing is really going to take care of the rest. I think it really starts from the bottom up."
Fromm will throw during the on-field drills Thursday inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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