Devin

Gardner

Gardner, of course, played quarterback at Michigan, but was an ineffective passer and worked out at receiver during the pre-draft process. The Patriots signed him as an UDFA but cut him after two weeks. He must not be cutting it as an NFL wideout. Gardner faces extremely long odds of making an impact.

Although Gardner is a good athlete generally speaking, he isn’t a good enough athlete to make it as an NFL wide receiver. Gardner might want to try the CFL, where passing is voluminous but the game is played at a slower speed.

The ex-Michigan quarterback was waived on Monday. Gardner has an NFL frame (6-foot-4, 216 pounds), but lacks high-end athleticism. His stay in Pittsburgh probably won’t be a whole lot longer than his stopover in New England.

The undrafted Michigan product has yo-yoed between quarterback and receiver, but is apparently back at wideout for now. Gardner is not an NFL-level passer, so we’d expect him to stick at receiver through the end of camp. Yahoo’s Charles Robinson believes he has a chance to “clip” Darrius Heyward-Bey’s roster spot. (That just won’t happen because of DHB’s special teams value.)

An undrafted free agent, Gardner spent the offseason yo-yoing between receiver and quarterback. He also dropped a should’ve-been touchdown pass from Landry Jones in the Hall of Fame Game. If Gardner has an NFL future, it’s as a wideout. His odds of ever appearing in a regular-season game are low.

He’ll try to make the Pats as a slot receiver. Gardner (6'4/218) backed up Denard Robinson and dabbled at receiver early in his college career, before taking over at quarterback for his final two seasons. An ineffective passer, Gardner worked out at wideout for NFL teams this spring after managing an 18-286-4 receiving line for the Wolverines. Gardner did not exhibit NFL-receiver athleticism at the Michigan Pro Day, running 4.65 with a 35 1/2-inch vertical and 9-foot-9 broad jump. He would do well to mimic Brad Smith’s career.