Paul Pinegar attended Woodland High School in Woodland, California where he was a two-year starting quarterback on the football team. As a junior, Paul completed 78 of 160 passes for 1,616 yards and 22 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions. As a senior he completed 89 of 167 attempts for 1,520 yards and 15 touchdowns with 6 interceptions, despite playing with a torn ligament in his thumb. He was named first team all-league in both his junior and senior seasons. He accepted a scholarship to Fresno State where he sat out the 2001 season as a redshirt. He started 12 games the following season, passing for 2,929 yards and 20 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions. He became the team’s first freshman starting quarterback since Trent Dilfer and owns the school’s freshman passing record. He was named WAC freshman of the year for his performance in 2002. Paul tore his right pectoral muscle just prior to the 2003 season, causing him to miss the first six games of the year. He returned to pass for 1,773 yards and 11 touchdowns against 9 interceptions. As a junior, Pinegar started all 12 games, passing for 2,099 yards and 23 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. His senior season was Paul’s most productive year in college. He had career highs in attempts (416), completions (265), yards (3,335), and touchdowns (30). He threw just 15 interceptions on the year, giving him his best touchdown to interception ratio since his freshman season.

Paul Pinegar has a great deal of experience, having started at quarterback for the past four years in a pro style offense at Fresno State. He has prototypical size for an NFL quarterback and he sees the field well. He is a hard worker and a good game manager. He knows how to read defenses and goes through his progressions well. He will stand in the pocket and deliver the football with a defender in his face. He is very accurate on his short to intermediate range passes and he does a good job of leading his receivers, allowing them to get additional yards after the catch. He lacks great mobility and won’t make many plays with his feet but he can make an accurate throw on the run. He lacks great arm strength and may not be able to make all the throws required of an NFL quarterback. When he does throw the deep ball he has problems with his accuracy. He has a slow release and a tendency to make poor decisions, forcing ball into coverage too often. He is a tough player who will play through injuries, but his durability is questionable as he has battled minor injuries since high school. Paul Pinegar lacks some of the tools you look for in an NFL quarterback and may need to be in the right offense to be successful. He has a chance to be a late round pick or sign as an undrafted free agent.