Risen Star
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I'll just post the summary on each player. Click the link for the full breakdown.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draf...jaworski-ranks-top-five-quarterback-prospects
There's still plenty of time and plenty of evaluation to be done before the National Football League's 2014 draft, but a few things are clear about this year's crop of quarterbacks.
First and foremost, forget the hype you might have heard about this group coming into the season. This is not the 2012 class that featured Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. There's potential here, but nothing I think teams will move heaven and earth to try to snag at the top of the draft like we saw with the Commanders and Griffin. There are good QBs, but they have flaws and will need work and time to develop into NFL-caliber quarterbacks.
That doesn't mean this crop of QBs is barren, though. I actually think it has a lot of depth. There could be 12 to 13 guys drafted, but no one is really taking the bull by the horns and blowing me away. I think there are some holes in each of their games, but that doesn't mean they won't be great pros.
You may recall that I previously said I wouldn't take Johnny Manziel in the first three rounds of the draft. I've softened that stance a little bit -- we'll get to that below -- but I'm still of the mind that he presents too big of a risk to select with your Round 1 pick. In fact, after breaking down the film, only Blake Bortles of UCF stands out to me as a prospect who is clearly worthy of a first-round pick (although others may very well be drafted in the first round of this year's draft).
Below you'll find my top five prospects in this QB class. It should tell you something that my No. 2 quarterback is something of a wild card. That said, let's start my draft QB countdown at No. 5.
5. Derek Carr, Fresno State Bulldogs
Overall, Carr is a prototypical NFL passer. He's big, strong and can stay in the pocket to deliver the football. He'll have to deal with a muddier pocket in the NFL than he did at Fresno State, since he played out of a spread style offense, but he also has some functional mobility to escape it. And also, quarterbacks who know how to protect the football always have value in the National Football League. Carr may never put up the same numbers he did with the Bulldogs, but his mechanics and approach to the game should translate at the next level.
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4. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M Aggies
I said earlier I wouldn't take him in the first three rounds, which was based on five games' worth of film study -- his last four games at A&M and the earlier game against Alabama. I just didn't see many qualities in his game that put him in the first two rounds. I think there's a way you have to play QB in the NFL: from the pocket, with consistency. The NFL is about the pre-snap reads, diagnosing as you drop back and getting the ball out of your hand early, on time for the receiver. Manziel didn't do that on film. He held the ball too long and took some big hits as a result. Can he withstand that kind of punishment in the NFL? And is it worth risking your Round 1 pick to find out? I would have liked to see him stay in school. He is a wild playmaker, but that doesn't project to the NFL game seamlessly. I would have liked to see him be a calm QB for a season, and he still left a lot of plays on the field in 2013.
His pro day definitely helped him in my eyes, and he moves up a little bit in my estimation, but I still wouldn't take him in Round 1. I still see him as a bit of a project. He's worth investing in, but not at the cost of an early pick.
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3. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville Cardinals
I still like him as a prospect, though. Bridgewater sets protection at the line of scrimmage. He's got excellent mechanics. He reads defenses. All of those aspects are things you have to do at the NFL level. He's shown he can do that. He might not be the No. 1 pick in the draft, but he's got a good developmental curve ahead of him.
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2. Zach Mettenberger, LSU Tigers
Moreover, he looked like an NFL QB in the offense in which he played. The level of competition in the SEC helps too. Every day in practice he saw an LSU defense with pro defensive concepts. He ran NFL route concepts and progressions, and that's a big reason I like him projecting him to the NFL.
The concern is all about the knee. He probably won't be 100 percent, but if he drops some jaws, he could make the first day of the draft very interesting.
-
1. Blake Bortles, UCF Knights
I think the Houston Texans should take Bortles with the No. 1 overall pick, and his pro day really influenced that opinion. I wasn't sure he was the best QB before then. But you talk about the accuracy, the touch and, of course, the arm strength and he's got it all. I think he has a great future ahead of him, and if you need a QB like the Texans do, I think he's going to be a good one.
Of course, the question that will determine everything is where the Texans have him on their draft board. I look at Bortles and I see a quarterback in the mold that is favored by new head coach Bill O'Brien. But I could say something similar for Mettenberger. And if the Texans think they can get Jadeveon Clowney at No. 1 and their top-rated QB at No. 33 ... well, that just makes for a more interesting draft in May.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draf...jaworski-ranks-top-five-quarterback-prospects
There's still plenty of time and plenty of evaluation to be done before the National Football League's 2014 draft, but a few things are clear about this year's crop of quarterbacks.
First and foremost, forget the hype you might have heard about this group coming into the season. This is not the 2012 class that featured Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. There's potential here, but nothing I think teams will move heaven and earth to try to snag at the top of the draft like we saw with the Commanders and Griffin. There are good QBs, but they have flaws and will need work and time to develop into NFL-caliber quarterbacks.
That doesn't mean this crop of QBs is barren, though. I actually think it has a lot of depth. There could be 12 to 13 guys drafted, but no one is really taking the bull by the horns and blowing me away. I think there are some holes in each of their games, but that doesn't mean they won't be great pros.
You may recall that I previously said I wouldn't take Johnny Manziel in the first three rounds of the draft. I've softened that stance a little bit -- we'll get to that below -- but I'm still of the mind that he presents too big of a risk to select with your Round 1 pick. In fact, after breaking down the film, only Blake Bortles of UCF stands out to me as a prospect who is clearly worthy of a first-round pick (although others may very well be drafted in the first round of this year's draft).
Below you'll find my top five prospects in this QB class. It should tell you something that my No. 2 quarterback is something of a wild card. That said, let's start my draft QB countdown at No. 5.
5. Derek Carr, Fresno State Bulldogs
Overall, Carr is a prototypical NFL passer. He's big, strong and can stay in the pocket to deliver the football. He'll have to deal with a muddier pocket in the NFL than he did at Fresno State, since he played out of a spread style offense, but he also has some functional mobility to escape it. And also, quarterbacks who know how to protect the football always have value in the National Football League. Carr may never put up the same numbers he did with the Bulldogs, but his mechanics and approach to the game should translate at the next level.
-
4. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M Aggies
I said earlier I wouldn't take him in the first three rounds, which was based on five games' worth of film study -- his last four games at A&M and the earlier game against Alabama. I just didn't see many qualities in his game that put him in the first two rounds. I think there's a way you have to play QB in the NFL: from the pocket, with consistency. The NFL is about the pre-snap reads, diagnosing as you drop back and getting the ball out of your hand early, on time for the receiver. Manziel didn't do that on film. He held the ball too long and took some big hits as a result. Can he withstand that kind of punishment in the NFL? And is it worth risking your Round 1 pick to find out? I would have liked to see him stay in school. He is a wild playmaker, but that doesn't project to the NFL game seamlessly. I would have liked to see him be a calm QB for a season, and he still left a lot of plays on the field in 2013.
His pro day definitely helped him in my eyes, and he moves up a little bit in my estimation, but I still wouldn't take him in Round 1. I still see him as a bit of a project. He's worth investing in, but not at the cost of an early pick.
-
3. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville Cardinals
I still like him as a prospect, though. Bridgewater sets protection at the line of scrimmage. He's got excellent mechanics. He reads defenses. All of those aspects are things you have to do at the NFL level. He's shown he can do that. He might not be the No. 1 pick in the draft, but he's got a good developmental curve ahead of him.
-
2. Zach Mettenberger, LSU Tigers
Moreover, he looked like an NFL QB in the offense in which he played. The level of competition in the SEC helps too. Every day in practice he saw an LSU defense with pro defensive concepts. He ran NFL route concepts and progressions, and that's a big reason I like him projecting him to the NFL.
The concern is all about the knee. He probably won't be 100 percent, but if he drops some jaws, he could make the first day of the draft very interesting.
-
1. Blake Bortles, UCF Knights
I think the Houston Texans should take Bortles with the No. 1 overall pick, and his pro day really influenced that opinion. I wasn't sure he was the best QB before then. But you talk about the accuracy, the touch and, of course, the arm strength and he's got it all. I think he has a great future ahead of him, and if you need a QB like the Texans do, I think he's going to be a good one.
Of course, the question that will determine everything is where the Texans have him on their draft board. I look at Bortles and I see a quarterback in the mold that is favored by new head coach Bill O'Brien. But I could say something similar for Mettenberger. And if the Texans think they can get Jadeveon Clowney at No. 1 and their top-rated QB at No. 33 ... well, that just makes for a more interesting draft in May.
