2011 QB

Andrew Luck (#1)  He has IT.  He has that special intangible that makes him a winner.  As for the other attributes, he’s smart.  Seems to grasp the pro style offense very well.  Good field vision.  Good pocket presence.  Average footwork, but he’ll be fine.  Not afraid to fire it into a crowd to hit his target.  Spreads the ball well (may be a result of Stanford’s offense).  Throws well on the run, but likes to do it too much.  Can scramble well, but needs to hang in the pocket longer, because he’ll get throttled in the NFL.  Deep ball needs work, but again, he’ll be fine.  Worthy of the first overall pick.

Blaine Gabbert (1^st Round)  Good strong quick release.  Runs through his reads fast and finds the right receiver.  Good poise in the pocket.  NFL size and arm.   High ratings on short, mid, and deep balls.  As to his character, the Iowa coach praised him by saying “he’s everything you look for in a QB and a son.”  Occasionally he prematurely leaves pocket and looks terrible on the run.  Decision making while scrambling is poor.  Another negative is the spread offense he runs at Missouri.  It doesn’t translate well to NFL.  However, he looks like with enough grooming he can run an offense similar to the way Kurt Warner did.

Ryan Mallet (Top 10)  Big.  Strong.  Choke.  Doesn’t perform well in the clutch.  Has all the major attributes of an NFL QB except in the head.  He’ll be better than JeMarcus Russell, but worse than Joe Flacco, which lands him somewhere in the vicinity of Derek Anderson.  I don’t gamble a top 10 pick on him. 

Cam Newton (Top 10)  Sorry, but he’s the next Vince Young.  Another run first QB.  There is no questioning his athleticism.  But how long until he’s a real starting NFL QB?  Michael Vick had to go to prison first to get his head straight.  The jury’s still out on Tim Tebow, but it probably won’t end well.  The best of the athletic first QB’s is Donovan McNabb and he was consistently injured, just like Vince Young, Mike Vick… etc. etc.  Yes, he’s talented.  But talent goes down the toilet when Ray Lewis decleats you on a scramble.  Again, he’s too big a risk to get hurt.

Jake Locker (Top 15) Didn’t I just review this guy?  Like Cam Newton, he plays the position with his legs, not his head.  Ironically, some MLB will sever his off in his first season at QB.  He has good qualities physically, but you can’t change who he is, which is a run first QB.  They just don’t last long in the NFL.  Like Tebow, he’ll need a good season of medicine to get rid of the runs.  I don’t mind taking him in the late 2^nd, but no way am I taking him in the first.

Christian Ponder (Late First Round)  He’ll be an average NFL QB.  I like him going to a team that doesn’t count on him to win games.  He attacks the middle of the field well, but sours on deep balls.  Ball placement is only o.k. because he needs to get pinpoint accurate.  Can save a play with his legs and seems to be smart about it.  Apparently a hard worker, which is always a huge boost.  Solid 2^nd or 3^rd round pick, but don’t expect a whole lot.

Pat Devlin (2nd Round)  You want your 2010 QB steal?  This is the guy.  He’s got low end NFL size, 6-3 220, but the smarts to go with it.  Originally at Penn State, he moved to Deleware to earn a starting job.  The move cost him draft status because of the weaker talent level.  That being said he has the goods to be a solid NFL player.  He has good vision, nice arm strength, and good placement on his throws.  He boasts a high completion percentage night in and night out.  He will serve as an immediate solid backup and will eventually start. 

Ricky Stanzi (3rd Round)  Captain Average.  Looks good and then looks bad.  I don’t like his inconsistency.  Probably a good back up, but why draft a potential back up? 

Nathan Enderle (3rd Round)  Colossal project.  He has bad field vision, little pocket presence, barely average touch, not extremely athletic, poor decision making, errant throws… but hey, at least he’s tall.  Watch the Nebraska game to see what he plays like against real competition.

Nick Foles (4th Round)  Jittery.  Looks nervous in the pocket.  Checks down a lot.  Can place it well on the deep ball.  Stares down receivers too much.  If he ever gets his nerves calmed then we’ll see what he has, but I don’t like a nervous QB.  Decision making is suspect.

Terrelle Pryor (6^th Round)  No, he’s not a good prospect.  He’s athletic but not great at any one thing, except throwing on the run.  He won a lot and stayed within the framework of the program which shows he can be a team player.  He’ll be really good in the UFL playing behind Daunte Culpepper.  Why waste a pick just because he’s athletic?