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Johnathan Lewis wraps up a solid performance at Elite 11 Finals

By Griffin Whitmer
@Elite 11 Twitter account
@Elite 11 Twitter account

St. Peter's Prep QB Johnathan has finished up what was most likely a life-changing experience at The Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles. Although he did well, he did not make the list of the final 12 quarterbacks selected.

Rankings and accolades aside, this event is a huge developmental opportunity for every single player that attended. Lewis, coming in as a dual-threat quarterback, most likely had more to learn than most of his fellow competors at the prestigious. That being said, he also learned just as much or even more than anyone else. Lewis' strengths are his size, arm strength, and power-running ability. None of these qualities are taken into account at the Elite 11, however, as it is all about being coachable, making the right reads, getting the ball out on time, and displaying control and comfort with the playbook they are given.

Lewis was able to show that he could make big-time throws as well, as he tossed four TD's in the 7-on-7 portion on Sunday afternoon. He proved that he could be accurate with his big arm, as he made several impressive throws in traffic fitting them in tight windows.

Bleacher Report was in LA covering the event and captured plenty of footage of Lewis.

Given that this is an event geared towards pro-style quarterbacks and Lewis is a very raw dual-threat, the fact that he was invited to the finals shows that he has already made incredible strides this offseason. The Elite 11 can only help him improve his all-around game for this upcoming season and for Rutgers.

With that being said, Lewis will be incredibly prepared for Rutgers, as he plays in a very similar offense at St. Peter's Prep. He is also coached by Rich Hansen, who has developed elite dual-threat QBs Will Hill and Brandon Wimbush. He has a lot going for him and will be ready to compete and possibly win the starting job as true freshman.

As for the Elite 11 Finals format, they changed it once again this year. The event this past weekend was in fact the finals. However, they selected a final 12 as opposed to 11, which would be the logical choice according to the name of the event. The final 12 go The Opening this summer at Nike HQ in Oregon. My guess for them choosing 12 is to put two QBs on each of the six 7-on-7 teams. Last year there were 3 QBs on each team and it was too difficult to split up the playing time, especially in instances where a guy like Shea Patterson takes over the whole camp and can't be stopped. The Elite "11" will instead only compete for the Elite 11 MVP as opposed to 2015 when the Finals were at The Opening and 18 of them competed for both the top 11 spots and the MVP award. The Opening Finals are from July 8-10.