Fajardo at NFL combine looking to prove he's NFL quarterback

When Colin Kaepernick competing in the NFL Combine in 2011, he ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash.

Four years later, his protégé at Nevada, Cody Fajardo, is in Indianapolis for his shot at the NFL Combine and he's looking to not only run a similar time, but put himself firmly in the mind of NFL teams.

"Anywhere in the 4.5s," Fajardo said of his 40-yard dash goal. "High, low it doesn't matter. If I get a low 4.6, I'll take it. I know I can do better in the pro day. But I'm shooting for the 4.5 range. That's considered an electric number for a quarterback. I think that would turn a lot of heads."

Fajardo, who flew from Los Angeles to Indianapolis on Tuesday, will go through medical evaluations, interviews and the sometimes-dreaded Wonderlic test starting Wednesday. On Saturday, he and the other 14 quarterback invited to the combine will perform the on-field drills, including the 40-yard dash.

Like Kaepernick's combine experience, one of Fajardo's main goals is to be prove he can be a pocket quarterback. Since Nevada runs the Pistol offense, neither Kaepernick nor Fajardo took a single snap under center in college. Fajardo rarely was under center in high school, too, so one of his top goals while training at EXOS in Southern California has been getting more accustomed to playing under center.

"The familiarity with under-center stuff, the play action, five-step drop, seven-step drop, things I didn't do at Nevada, has been a real focus point," said Fajardo, who accounted for 12,968 yards and 101 scores at Nevada. "There are some routes we have to throw that we didn't throw in the Pistol offense."

Each quarterback will throw 22 passes during the combine. They'll also go through a variety of physical tests like the 40-yard dash, broad jump, vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle and three-cone drill. Fajardo said he'll take part in all of the drills except for the bench press, which quarterbacks usually skip.

"Obviously I want to perform well and show the scouts, the GMs, the coaches, that I can make all the throws and be good in interviews," Fajardo said. "There are a little bit of nerves because you know it's one big interview process, but the good thing about getting a combine invite is if you don't perform the way you want, you still have your pro day to fall back on. It's not like it's make it or bust. But I'd love to go out there and run good times so all I have to do on pro day is focus on throwing the football."

Since the Wolf Pack's season ended in late December, Fajardo has been training with about 15 other NFL prospects in Southern California. He's one two quarterbacks at EXOS, the other being UCLA's Brett Hundley, considered a second- to third-round pick. Fajardo's draft stock is a little harder to peg.

He was one of the nation's most productive players the last four seasons, but comes out of a non-Power 5 school and a non-pro offense in the Pistol. That makes the combine even more important.

One thing playing in Fajardo's favor is the fact he was invited to the Manning Passing Academy the last three seasons, a summer event that culls the best college quarterbacks across the nation. Having already competing in the Manning Passing Academy, Fajardo feels confident his skills measure up.

"I definitely think that's been a big thing for me," Fajardo said. "Just to be able to go out there and throw side-by-side with those best guys in the nation every summer, this is almost like the same thing. Instead of having fans in the stands, you're going to have scouts and coaches and owners. I just have to block all of that out and go out there and do what I have to do and just wing it."

Fajardo has already had one shot on the national stage in the pre-draft lead-up, playing in the East-West Shrine Game. Fajardo had to learn 107 new plays that week and after practices he'd talk to scouts in the hotel lobby. Fajardo said he spoke to about 20 scouts that week, a number that indicates strong interest.

"By the time you get done talking to all the scouts, it was 11 at night, and then you had to study the playbook," Fajardo said. "I really wasn't sleeping until 12 or 1 and then I'm back up at 6 or 7 the next morning to watch film. It was pretty exhausting and it was good to let you know what to expect."

In addition to the on-field drills, Fajardo will go through interviews with NFL teams, the more the better. He's talked with friends Joel Bitonio and Stefphon Jefferson about their combine experience. They've told him to be ready to be exhausted (interviews can go past midnight) and be ready for weird questions (Bitonio told Fajardo he was asked to name all of the things he could do with a brick in one minute).

Fajardo's end goal this week is simple.

"I want scouts and coaches to say, 'This guy is a professional. He loves football. He knows what he wants to do with his life, and that's be a professional football player,'" Fajardo said. "I want to show them I have confidence in my ability and I can play with the best of them, it doesn't matter what school you come from or what offense you ran. I can adapt and be coachable."

THE FILE ON CODY FAJARDO

College: Nevada

Position: Quarterback

Height/weight: 6-2/215

Hometown: Brea, Calif.

High School: Servite High

College stats: 864-of-1319 passing (65.5 percent) for 9,535 yards, 57 TDs, 29 INTs; 623 carries for 3,433 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and 44 TDs

NFL Combine: Fajardo is one of 15 quarterbacks invited to the combine; quarterbacks begin the combine process Wednesday and do the on-field drills Saturday