Jake Locker has everything you want when drafting a QB and has the talent and production to be a first round pick. At Washington, Locker did not have talent surrounding him, his receivers dropped balls constantly and he was given little to no protection. Despite this, Locker was apparantly the consensus number 1 last year....how could he have fallen down the boards when he has had another years experience which would only improve him in the long haul?...He has a solid arm, good pocket presence, a nice throwing motion and actually has experience under center. Locker is definately my favourite quarterback in the draft for these reasons. He looks like he could be a great leader and player in the NFL and I know Gabbert and Newton will likely go ahead of him, but I personally like Locker over them.
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| Locker is my favourite QB in this draft. |
2. Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas
Mallett is probably the best QB in the draft in terms of raw talent (even more than Newton), he has a rocket of an arm and has fantastic numbers in his college career. He has great size and arm strength, he goes through progressions and is able to check down if he sees nothing downfield, he has patience in the pocket and can also anticipate throws. But he also has some negatives, he has character concerns (which have not been substantiated, therefore are not a concern in terms of this ranking), he is inconsistant with his throws and sometimes misses a receiver by quite a way, he struggles with footwork and he makes a lot of poor decisions which would go for interceptions in the NFL. All in all though, Mallett is a fantastic talent and if he did well in his interviews and at the combine then he could easily go in the first round, the only thing bringing him down the boards at the moment are his 'character concerns'.
3. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
Cam Newton possesses raw size and natural talent, he is a winner and proved that last season by winning the national title. But, he is not the best QB, in fact, I thought he was a better RB than QB last season. But he still possesses the arm to be an NFL QB. He has elite mobility for his size, a strong arm, is relatively accurate, is hard to bring down and has good leadership. But he has maturity and character concerns, only one season of major college experience, relies too much on athleticism over fundamentals, has poor throwing mechanics, hardly any experience under center and makes only one or two reads. He certainly has the potential to be a star but is two or three years away from being a solid NFL starter, in my opinion.
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| Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton are overrated in my opinion. |
4. Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
Blaine is a good talent, but all of the 'experts' are ranking him in the top 5 (which is probably where he will go for some reason), but I just don't see him as Round 1 talent. I think he is a good prospect, but I just don't get where all the over hype came from. Blaine possesses a quick release and good throwing motion, top shelf arm strength, an ideal NFL frame, is mobile for his size and is very accurate with short range throws. But he is the product of a spread offense, runs from pressure that is not even there, doesn't go through progressions, has limited experience under centre, has no pocket presence and has only been a starter for two years. Blaine might end up being a good QB, but he is a long way from that right now.
5. Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State
Ponder could certainly end up going in the first round now as his stock has taken a considerable rise over the last few weeks. He could be the most pro ready QB in this draft and could come in and possibly start on team in need of a new passer. He has decent arm strength, has had a pretty solid college career, makes good reads and has had experience under centre which is very valuable. His downside is his unreliability concerning injuries and he is not exactly a 'special talent', but an NFL team will like his solidity and upside and may take a punt on him in the late first or early second round. His interviews and team meetings are what could raise his stock with the coaches taking an opinion on his attitude and skill at understanding plays and communicating with the coaches.
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| Ponder has a chance to go in the first round. |
What are your views on these rankings?
