Sean Payton on Trace McSorley: 'I wonder if he can be Julian Edelman'

Everyone at the NFL Combine seems dead-set on discrediting Trace McSorley as a quarterback.

A few days ago, a few teams requested the former Penn State gunslinger also work out as a defensive back, an offer McSorley declined. And now, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton doesn’t seem to think the ex-Nittany Lion can be a viable quarterback in the league.

“When I looked at him, my first thought was, ‘I wonder if he can be [Julian] Edelman?’ I wondered if he could be a versatile kind of guy,” Payton said in an interview with Peter King.

Most players would appreciate a comparison to Edelman, one of the top slot receivers in the NFL who is fresh off a Super Bowl MVP performance with the New England Patriots. But for McSorley, who’s trying to prove himself as a quarterback, it’s another shot fired his direction.

Scouts, coaches and analysts seem to like McSorley’s athleticism and versatility. They just don’t like that he’s at quarterback.

When he was recruited out of high school, McSorley wasn’t viewed as a quarterback, either. Four years later, he’s one of the best to ever play the position in Penn State history. Perhaps he’ll use all this doubt to prove himself at the next level.