Michael Vick: Critics who think Lamar Jackson is a WR 'don't understand' the QB position

Lamar Jackson’s pro comparison doesn’t have to be Michael Vick. But there are similarities. Just ask Vick.

The Louisville quarterback caught Vick’s attention in 2016 against Florida State. Vick saw Jackson dominate and said on Twitter that Jackson was “five times better” than he was in college. In an interview with Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network, Vick reiterated that and offered more praise for Jackson.

“I could not believe what I was seeing, I could not believe the things he was able to do,” Vick said on NFL Network. “It was a spitting image of me. The only thing that came to my mind was ‘This kid is five times better than I was when I was at Virginia Tech,’ only because he was doing it against Florida State, and I remember how difficult it was for me to move the chains against Florida State.”

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Anyone who saw Vick’s unforgettable performance in the Orange Bowl against the Seminoles knows he is selling himself short, but Jackson has remarkable talent. The latest craze seems to be arguing that Jackson’s NFL position isn’t quarterback, which is odd. Former NFL GM and ESPN analyst Bill Polian put that argument into overdrive saying Jackson should switch to receiver. Vick, a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, scoffed at that.

“Yeah he’s a quarterback,” Vick told Jeremiah. “I’ve been hearing about things thrown out there about him playing receiver. They’ll probably say he needs to play defensive back next. But listen, the kid is 6-3, 215 pounds. For anybody to say Lamar Jackson is a receiver, I don’t think they understand the quarterback position, I don’t think they appreciate the value that can be brung from the quarterback position.”

The argument is already heated and we’re still a week away from the NFL’s scouting combine. Jackson will be drafted as a quarterback. The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner might be a tremendous success in the right organization, or fail because a lot of quarterbacks of all playing styles fail for various reasons. But the argument, more than two months before the draft, he can’t be an NFL success at quarterback is fairly ridiculous.

It will all play out over time, but that won’t stop Jackson from being the epicenter of a million pre-draft debates. But we know where Vick stands on the issue.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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