BEAVERTON -- Travis Waller is fast and athletic and he can make plays with his feet. It seems as if he has always been able to do that.

But Waller, a class of 2015 quarterback who committed to the Oregon Ducks last week, doesn't want to be shackled by the constraints of a "running quarterback" label. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound signal-caller thinks he can fling the ball as effectively as any other recruit in the country.

For Waller, that's part of what his performance at the Elite 11 was about. And he believes he's made strides in his footwork and throwing motion while competing with the nation's top-rated quarterbacks in drills and 7-on-7 workouts at the Nike Headquarters over the past two days.

Waller went 4-for-6 during his opportunity to run an offense in noncontact drills Monday afternoon and flashed a powerful arm while Elite 11 coach Trent Dilfer — a former NFL star — shouted compliments.

"Something I never thought I'd do is just go through those progressions. My footwork from when I got here to how I am now is night and day," said Waller, who will continue competing in The Opening this week. "They've taught me so much in two days."

At the beginning of the day, coaches ranked Waller as the eighth quarterback in the group. And the Anaheim, Calif., native is in a unique situation while in Beaverton.

Waller's competing against other quarterbacks who have also fielded offers from Oregon — such as three-star recruit Sam Darnold — meaning he may be trying to convince Ducks coaches that he's the best option for the program in the 2015 class.

Darnold has garnered buzz in recent weeks and received praise for his play in the Elite 11 this week. He said he wouldn't shy away from committing to a school that already has a quarterback pledge from the 2015 class.

"I'm going to have to compete wherever I go because there's going to be quarterback's wherever you go," Darnold said. "So it won't affect my decision that much."

Darnold, like Waller, discussed the mechanical improvements he's made while learning under Dilfer during the Elite 11. Darnold also mentioned Monday that he's been able to prepare himself mentally for the college game by sharing a field with the nation's most heralded signal-callers.

"It's the best competition in the world, I think, for a quarterback in high school," Darnold said.

Waller, meanwhile, has taken the opportunity to continue his aim of morphing into a top-rated passer.

During his sophomore season at Servite High School, Waller said he looked like "a wide receiver playing quarterback." His biggest issue has always been an elongated throwing motion, one that he's worked tirelessly to quicken.

And if Waller can tune up his release, he believes he can begin to draw comparisons to Marcus Mariota, the Heisman trophy candidate who's been under center at Eugene the past few seasons.

"I could relate myself a lot to him. He's a fantastic runner," Waller said. "They way he passes the ball, he's so accurate."

Mariota's reputation appeals to Waller. So while he's in Beaverton, he hopes to show coaches, fellow quarterback and anyone in attendance that he can do more than scramble and sprint.

"My running skills, that's what a lot of people know me for, but really this year I want to focus on passing the ball more, being more of an actual quarterback," Waller said. "I want to known as the guy that, 'Hey, that guy can really throw the ball.'"

-- Aaron Kasinitz | @AaronKazreports