Darnold participating in high-tech training

NEW YORK — Sam Darnold zipped pass after pass down the field, knowing each one of them counted. Literally.

The New York Jets rookie quarterback was at his old stomping grounds of San Clemente High School in California last month, just a few weeks before being the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft, tossing “smart” footballs equipped with computer chips calculating his every throw.

It was high-tech training that Darnold and Jordan Palmer, his mentor and a former NFL quarterback, believe will help him — as well as other signal callers around the country — improve skills through unique and meticulous data.

Darnold and Palmer are serving as advisory staff members for Wilson, which makes the official balls used by the NFL. The Chicagobased company has been incorporating technology and performance-based data with its Wilson X Connected Football, which debuted two years ago. Now, Darnold and Palmer are helping develop the next-generation version that will enhance film sessions and, possibly, on-field production.

“I think it’s really cool to come out here with Wilson and give them my feedback on what it really takes to be a quarterback and what I’m looking for in this data,” Darnold said in a video provided by Wilson.

Darnold’s involvement with the Wilson technology began over a year ago when he was working with Palmer, who played in the NFL for parts of eight seasons and has become one of the country’s elite quarterback trainers. One of the biggest criticisms of Darnold at USC before last season was a glaring flaw in his mechanics: an elongated throwing motion.

Wilson hopes to have the 2.0 version of its Connected Football technology available for a wide release to college and pro teams later this year. In the meantime, the company is gathering feedback from some players and coaches at both levels, including Darnold and Palmer.

“Before this technology, it was really just based on the naked eye,” Darnold said. “Now with this technology, it gives us hard data to be able to look back on and figure out exactly what happened and what might have gone wrong and what we can improve on and keep improving as a quarterback.”

Associated Press Wilson Labs engineer Dan Hare, left, explains to quarterback Sam Darnold, center, and his mentor and former quarterback Jordan Palmer data gathered from throwing a football using the Wilson Connected Football System, at San Clemente High School.