Memphis QB Paxton Lynch will test Owls

Could a potential Eagles quarterback of the future be playing in their own stadium this weekend?

No doubt when Memphis (8-2 overall, 4-2 American Athletic Conference) visits Temple (8-2, 5-1) on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, Paxton Lynch will be a featured attraction among NFL scouts.

The 6-foot-7, 245-pound Lynch has generated plenty of NFL buzz.

"He has become a first-round quarterback," Temple coach Matt Rhule said. "We have seen Teddy Bridgewater, [Blake] Bortles, and he is the next one."

Temple played against Bridgewater at Louisville. He is now starting for the Minnesota Vikings. Bortles is starting for Jacksonville after competing for Central Florida.

"Paxton can throw the ball 70 yards and he can run," Rhule said.

This season the redshirt junior has completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 3,292 yards with 21 touchdowns and three interceptions. Lynch has rushed for 235 yards and two touchdowns.

It's not as if he has just burst on the scene. Lynch has been a starter since his redshirt freshman year. Last season he completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,031 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. But this season, he has taken the next step.

"I like the way he has handled some of the attention that has come his way," Memphis coach Justin Fuente said in a conference call with reporters. "He has continued to understand the reason he has had some success is the way he goes about his business, has worked and been prepared."

When asked about Lynch, one NFL scout said it's early in the process but indicated that his team has been impressed with what it has seen.

Draft analyst Mike Mayock of the NFL Network had a similar response. "I am very early in my tape-watching process, but he looks like a potential first-round pick if he comes out," Mayock said.

Then for emphasis, Mayock added, "It is way early in the process."

While the fans' thirst for draft news is insatiable, it is best to remember that the draft won't take place until April 28-30.

Still, Mayock said he has extensively studied one tape of Lynch: Memphis' 37-24 win over visiting Ole Miss on Oct. 17. Lynch completed 39 of 53 passes for 384 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

"Ole Miss didn't pressure and used a predominant three- to four-man rush and he had plenty of time to throw," Mayock said. "He has good arm strength, probably not elite, but I need to see him in person."

Fuente says Lynch has all the intangibles a coach is looking for.

"He has a great head on his shoulders and has improved physically, mentally, emotionally just kind of through the years at quarterback," Fuente said.

In a 16-13 win over Temple at Lincoln Financial Field last year, Lynch completed 21 of 28 passes for 230 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

"He has deceptive speed," said Temple cornerback Sean Chandler, a Camden High product who has returned two of his three interceptions for touchdowns. "He has a strong arm and will try to sneak in passes even when the receivers are covered."

Memphis receiver Phil Mayhue, formerly of Winslow Township High, said Lynch is as talented as advertised.

"It is unbelievable to be with somebody so dynamic," Mayhue said. "He's always looking to get the ball in the right places."