My Thoughts On The QB Class

[Tobal]

My non expert rules

- Never draft a quarterback with questionable accuracy - if that's the knock on him he's toast in my opinion.
- Slow delivery is a non starter with me

 

[IrishAnto]

A top 5 pick is supposed to be an impact player.

A guy on your bench isn't an impact player.

And yes I'm firmly in the camp if you have a top 10 qb you shouldn't be blowing premium draft capital on a future replacement.

And once your guy is gone. Hopefully you maximized his chance for a ring and then you move on.

And yes if something rarely happens and is largely luck bases.... my strategy wouldn't be trying to catch lightning in a bottle.

So he starts on the bench and given Romo's recent injury history he'll probably get to play.

If he can win 2-3 games that for the Cowboys would be an impact player.

You think Joey Bosa is going to give you 2-3 wins if Romo misses 7-8 games?

 

[sureletsrace]

So many people on here don't think there's a really good QB in this year's draft but then they think teams like SF and maybe a few others will trade up for one?

I don't think there's a clear cut, #1 overall prospect like a Luck or Newton. But I think there are 2-3 guys who could be in the better half of starting QBs in the NFL 3 years from now. Each prospect has strengths and weaknesses; ultimately it's up to the team and what they're looking for in a QB.

 

[sureletsrace]

My non expert rules

- Never draft a quarterback with questionable accuracy - if that's the knock on him he's toast in my opinion.
- Slow delivery is a non starter with me

I agree. For me, the biggest things I look for in a QB is accuracy, passion for the game, intelligence, quick decision making, and a fast release. I'll take a guy like that over someone who has the prototype body and cannon arm.

 

[Alexander]

So to those who say absolutely no QB early, what veteran is being advocated we somehow acquire?

There is no way we win anything if we bring back either Cassel or Moore as the 2nd string.

So who?

 

[chuch]

Building around Romo (which I wouldn't advocate at this stage in his career) should mean hedging your bet that he can play a full season. And it seems like the FO was doing exactly this with expensive proven backups kitna and Orton.

We've seen how ineffective this team is without any offense. No matter how good your defense is, they're going to play poorly if they have to be out there for 60+ plays/game b/c the offense can't stay on the field.

Romo deserves a shot at the championship but it's about the team first. The two objectives are not mutually exclusive in this case. Drafting a qb would mean giving the Cowboys the best chance to succeed now and in the future.

 

[pjtoadie]

I don't think there's a clear cut, #1 overall prospect like a Luck or Newton. But I think there are 2-3 guys who could be in the better half of starting QBs in the NFL 3 years from now. Each prospect has strengths and weaknesses; ultimately it's up to the team and what they're looking for in a QB.

I completely agree...I was just commenting on some posters who don't think this QB is any good but then they think teams will be dying to trade up for one lol.

 

[Tobal]

If I like a QB early I take him. I love Tony, but we need a backup and an heir. Guess what that's gonna take resources ie draft pick or picks

 

[Toruk_Makto]

So he starts on the bench and given Romo's recent injury history he'll probably get to play.

If he can win 2-3 games that for the Cowboys would be an impact player.

You think Joey Bosa is going to give you 2-3 wins if Romo misses 7-8 games?

Sure if you think a Rookie off the bench in a weak class is ready to step in and just win.

And if Romo misses 8 games the season is lost anyways.

 

[IrishAnto]

Sure if you think a Rookie off the bench in a weak class is ready to step in and just win.

And if Romo misses 8 games the season is lost anyways.

Maybe, but if the teams in the NFC East play as badly again (unlikely I know) maybe not.

Either way if the new QB is up to the job then at least we’re building for the future whereas with the likes of Weeden or Cassel we aren’t.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

Get ready for the cries that neither would be an "impact" player and therefore not worth picking.

I will nicely agree to disagree with them .

When reviewing their work, JG and Wilson have not developed any young QBs into a quality NFL starter. Ever. The best case for either would be Wade Wilson working with Rex Grossman during his bottom third of the league tenure in Chicago. Wilson was the QB coach here during the Dave Campo disaster years, the last time they needed a rookie QB to perform. That didn't work out so well.

Tony Romo was the starter when JG and Wilson came back to Dallas. He learned from 2003 through 2006 under Sean Payton and Bill Parcells. Bill Parcells was the guy that made him a starting QB in this league. People can say they helped him perfect his game if they want, but that really does not derail my concern that they have never taken in a rookie QB and turned him into a quality long-term starter in this league. It actually strengthens it. Romo had three years to learn and become a better NFL QB before Garrett and Wilson came on board. He became a starter in this league by running the scout team and listening on the sideline while the game slowed down for him.

Having never done it before, people want to ask JG and Wilson to draft a rookie and throw him in after Romo retires? Guys who have never once successfully developed a rookie QB before and only worked well with veteran QBs? To me, that seems like a worse waste of a pick than drafting someone and having them learn the NFL ropes from one of the best Dallas QBs to ever line up.

Just my opinion.

 

[Western]

Rebuilding and being competitive can occur simultaneously.
If Dallas is drafting in the top 4, and if the professional compensated scouting department believes that a QB is worth a top five selection, Jerry must pull the trigger.

Dallas is not one draft, one free agent, & one off-season from competing for a Super Bowl.
Jerry the Salesman must be overridden by Jerry the GM and focus on the future.

Acquiring a franchise QB is the most difficult player personnel process for a GM.
Percentages clearly state that a franchise QB is predominately found/drafted in the top half of the 1st round.
If Drew Brees, Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Tony Romo, etc. were all re-drafted in their original drafts, all would certainly be drafted in top ten of the 1st round, if not higher.

Dallas with an aging Romo and his recurring health issues/fragility (a simple sack on Romo does cause injury) and his propensity to extend plays which exposes him to more unnecessary hits, along with the fact that Dallas has no young NFL QB caliber-starter on their team, suggests that the time is now to draft the QB in the 1st round if the scouting department believes the selection is justified (the investment and reward is worth the risk).
Another issue for another day, however is whether there Dallas has the quality offensive coaching staff that can develop the young QB.

 

[sureletsrace]

I will nicely agree to disagree with them .

When reviewing their work, JG and Wilson have not developed any young QBs into a quality NFL starter. Ever. The best case for either would be Wade Wilson working with Rex Grossman during his bottom third of the league tenure in Chicago. Wilson was the QB coach here during the Dave Campo disaster years, the last time they needed a rookie QB to perform. That didn't work out so well.

Tony Romo was the starter when JG and Wilson came back to Dallas. He learned from 2003 through 2006 under Sean Payton and Bill Parcells. Bill Parcells was the guy that made him a starting QB in this league. People can say they helped him perfect his game if they want, but that really does not derail my concern that they have never taken in a rookie QB and turned him into a quality long-term starter in this league. It actually strengthens it. Romo had three years to learn and become a better NFL QB before Garrett and Wilson came on board. He became a starter in this league by running the scout team and listening on the sideline while the game slowed down for him.

Having never done it before, people want to ask JG and Wilson to draft a rookie and throw him in after Romo retires? Guys who have never once successfully developed a rookie QB before and only worked well with veteran QBs? To me, that seems like a worse waste of a pick than drafting someone and having them learn the NFL ropes from one of the best Dallas QBs to ever line up.

Just my opinion.

Agree. I want Romo helping our future QB. I don't trust Wilson and Garrett to groom them. I trust Romo more. This is why I'm really hoping they have a shot at a guy they like and take it. Rodgers wouldn't be the Rodgers we know today had Favre not been there to show him how to do it (and at time, how NOT to do it).

 

[darthseinfeld]

Building around Romo (which I wouldn't advocate at this stage in his career) should mean hedging your bet that he can play a full season. And it seems like the FO was doing exactly this with expensive proven backups kitna and Orton.

We've seen how ineffective this team is without any offense. No matter how good your defense is, they're going to play poorly if they have to be out there for 60+ plays/game b/c the offense can't stay on the field.

Romo deserves a shot at the championship but it's about the team first. The two objectives are not mutually exclusive in this case. Drafting a qb would mean giving the Cowboys the best chance to succeed now and in the future.

Romo has the OL and the #1 WR to take this team very far. To me they have already built around Romo and the next guy will come in in very good shape supporting cast wise

 

[jterrell]

Ranked in my order on initial lookssome I have seen 5+ games, some, like Wentz only a couple).

pick value/player
2-5 Jared Goff. Tremendous touch and accuracy with NFL arm strength. A lot of pre-snap reads or quick decisions. Will be good in spread and 2 minute stuff. Issue is size. 210 is really light for the NFL. Needs to add muscle. Would benefit from at least 1 year on sidelines imho. NFL Comp... Eli Manning.
5-8 Paxton Lynch. Strong and aggressive. Got some Big Ben and Cam to his game. Not quite as athletic as either but could be used to score close to GL and pick up short yardage. Not sure he's faced many elite defenses but he isn't raw. Need to see arm accuracy
in his post-season workouts.
25-40 Carson Wentz. Health and lack of QB time a concern. Elite level athlete. HUGE upside. Very raw. Could move most in the draft process. Definitely needs a year or two to sit and learn. NFL Comp: VERY RAW Aaron Rodgers
35-50 Connor Cook. Cook is IMHO the epitome of back up QB in the NFL. Nothing wrong with him he just lacks any elite aspect to his game. Could see him start for a team like Chicago. Some cold weather team running a pro style set.
65-90 Kevin Hogan. I believe Hogan is the most underrated QB in this class. Prototype size with plus arm. Hurt by Stanford lacking many WR options. Could give you a strong developmental option. Knows pro style offense, needs to learn spread concepts to fit more schemes and score late in halves/games.

I am not sure I *WANT* a QB this season but I would be OK with Dallas choosing either Goff or Lynch high r1. You don't get to pick high very often and getting a QB is really hard. Having one learn from Romo is a good way to give the guy a chance to succeed long term in Dallas. A year plus to have fans clamor for him and build up some margin for error.

 

[jterrell]

Agree. I want Romo helping our future QB. I don't trust Wilson and Garrett to groom them. I trust Romo more. This is why I'm really hoping they have a shot at a guy they like and take it. Rodgers wouldn't be the Rodgers we know today had Favre not been there to show him how to do it (and at time, how NOT to do it).

If we draft a QB the next call I make is to find the best QB coach in football. I am willing to pay that guy almost OC money. I'd try to get Holmgren, lol. Do nothing but develop my new QB.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Ranked in my order on initial lookssome I have seen 5+ games, some, like Wentz only a couple).

pick value/player
2-5 Jared Goff. Tremendous touch and accuracy with NFL arm strength. A lot of pre-snap reads or quick decisions. Will be good in spread and 2 minute stuff. Issue is size. 210 is really light for the NFL. Needs to add muscle. Would benefit from at least 1 year on sidelines imho. NFL Comp... Eli Manning.
5-8 Paxton Lynch. Strong and aggressive. Got some Big Ben and Cam to his game. Not quite as athletic as either but could be used to score close to GL and pick up short yardage. Not sure he's faced many elite defenses but he isn't raw. Need to see arm accuracy
in his post-season workouts.
25-40 Carson Wentz. Health and lack of QB time a concern. Elite level athlete. HUGE upside. Very raw. Could move most in the draft process. Definitely needs a year or two to sit and learn. NFL Comp: VERY RAW Aaron Rodgers
35-50 Connor Cook. Cook is IMHO the epitome of back up QB in the NFL. Nothing wrong with him he just lacks any elite aspect to his game. Could see him start for a team like Chicago. Some cold weather team running a pro style set.
65-90 Kevin Hogan. I believe Hogan is the most underrated QB in this class. Prototype size with plus arm. Hurt by Stanford lacking many WR options. Could give you a strong developmental option. Knows pro style offense, needs to learn spread concepts to fit more schemes and score late in halves/games.

I am not sure I *WANT* a QB this season but I would be OK with Dallas choosing either Goff or Lynch high r1. You don't get to pick high very often and getting a QB is really hard. Having one learn from Romo is a good way to give the guy a chance to succeed long term in Dallas. A year plus to have fans clamor for him and build up some margin for error.

One of the things with Lynch us that he combines excellent arm strength with very good touch. Its not very often cannon arm QBs can do that at that stage in there careers.

 

[JW82]

Ive seen many many times that this is a weak QB class. I get it, thats what experts say when there is no Andrew Luck, or even a Matt Stafford or Cam Newton. After looking past that I strongly disagree. While its true there is no Luck, Stafford or Cam. There are 2, maybe even 3 Matt Ryans.

This class reminds me of the 2014 class where similarly there was no sure fire top pick type QB, but it was very deep in starting caliber QB's with Carr and Bridgewater showing themselves to be starting caliber QBs as rookies, top 5 pick Blake Bortles coming on strong his second year with over 30 TDs already, much maligned Johnny Manziel making a late season to redeem his place as Clevelands QB of the future and Jimmy Garpopolo waiting in the wings in NE.

Right now the top of the QB class features Paxton Lynch and Jared Goff. I see some Blake Bortles in Lynch. Big, talented, strong armed and mobile QBs that check most of the franchise QB boxes, but not all. Like Bortles, I see Lynch as a clear top 5 value but a reach at #1 overall. If you start Lynch in 2016 you probably have a replay of Bortles ineffective rookie year. Goff on the other hand has drawn widespread comparisons to another top QB in Matt Ryan. And like Ryan he may give you quality play out of the box, but with as much upside.

A real wildcard in that top tier in North Dakota's Carson Wentz. Similar in a lot of ways to Lynch, but he needs to prove it against NFL level talent. As a prospect he reminds me a bit of Flacco.

After that you have two questionable talent, but both are potential NFL caliber QB's in Conner Cook and Christian Hackenberger. Cook to me could be a high floor low ceiling type who due to his play in a pro style offense has a good chance of success as an NFL QB. However he is a mistake prone gunslinger with a middling arm and questionable accuracy. I think his floor is that of his fellow MSU alumni Kurt Cousins and his ceiling is that of Andy Dalton 2015. Dont like him as a first round prospect, but as a second you can do much worse IMO. Probably the best 2016 backup in this draft. Hackenberg is almost the complete opposite in terms of floor/ceiling. He has the highest ceiling of anyone in this draft, but his floor is that of Brandon Weeden. A QB with a rocket arm who struggles with accuracy and turnovers and confidence. He could/should be evaluated withing the second round as while his play has been bad he did thrive as a freshman in a pro style offense and has been a round peg in a square whole since. Its also been noted ad nauseam that he has had a very poor support cast around. Like Cook I see him as a guy worth a round 2 pick. Unlike Cook its more for his upside then what he gives you in 2016. Also a high risk/reward type.

After those two a name that is gaining momentum is Brandon Doughty of Western Kentucky. Doughty like Wentz will need the Senior Bowl to make a big move in draft stock, he has the look of an NFL caliber starting prospect. He has a good arm, but excellent touch as well as a sense of timing. Unlike Wentz he doesn't have the physical ability to hear his name called Day 1, but he is reminiscent of Jimmy Garpopolo. A small school guy thought to be a mid rounder who worked himself into the second round. With a strong offseason he could become a 2nd rounder. He has to awnser some questions first.

After that, there are QB's like Kevin Hogan, Jacoby Brissett, Nate Sudfeld Gunner Keil and possibly even Cody Kessler who could be fighting to get themselves into the third round

I am with you on the Lynch/ Bortles comparison. If I think back to Ryan at BC I remember a more firey leader type but the physical traits are comparible to Goff. I am Ok if they get a stud defensive player or offensive weapon in the first if you can guarantee me Wentz in the second. We always seem to be a few picks off from landing our guy. I watched every game Cook played and just like you said mediocre accuracy at best. No thanks. If we didn't get the top 3 guys I would not be mad at Hogan in the 3rd. Like him a lot and think any issues with his mechanics can be corrected but his leadership can't be taught.

 

[darthseinfeld]

I am with you on the Lynch/ Bortles comparison. If I think back to Ryan at BC I remember a more firey leader type but the physical traits are comparible to Goff. I am Ok if they get a stud defensive player or offensive weapon in the first if you can guarantee me Wentz in the second. We always seem to be a few picks off from landing our guy. I watched every game Cook played and just like you said mediocre accuracy at best. No thanks. If we didn't get the top 3 guys I would not be mad at Hogan in the 3rd. Like him a lot and think any issues with his mechanics can be corrected but his leadership can't be taught.

I prefer Hogan to Cook.

Hogan is a pro style guy as well

 

[jterrell]

One of the things with Lynch us that he combines excellent arm strength with very good touch. Its not very often cannon arm QBs can do that at that stage in there careers.

Critics have generally knocked his accuracy on the move, stating his completion percentages are well below 50% on the move but over 70 in the pocket. Not a huge deal just an area he could/should shore up for post-season showings. He hasn't shown elite arm strength but that's never been a major concern for me provided he can make all the throws accurately.

He is a Texas born kid(we are really churning out QBs!!) and I like him.

But I don't think he faced a single draftable CB this year. Level of comp tags will apply.
Auburn may offer some more data but the DC is already gone to SCar and the defense was very soft this year anyway.

Can I see this kid winning a SB? Yea, I can. But he also could flounder and max out as a short-term starter. It'll come down to accuracy and efficiency.