Top 5 QB (positional rankings thread)

[jterrell]

My own top 5.

1) Can Newton. He is hardly Andrew Luck but he is the only guy in the draft more athletic and with even more upside. Huge gamble taking him here and he could get on the sizzurp like JaMarcus Russell... but he is undoubtedly athletic and has a will to win games.

2) Blaine Gabbert. The anti-Newton. I see him as a system QB but a very hady guy who would fit a WC offense well. He has a lesser upside but is not much risk at all. He is good at worst and potentially a big time player.

3) Ryan Mallett. He is stiff and moody and spoiled. He is basically Big Ben without the athleticism. Has the classes best arm for accuracy and raw strength, provided he has a runway for the take off.

4) Colin Kaepernick. He is more athlete than QB but has prototype size and athleticism. Has to convince scouts and teams general managers he is able to pick things up quickly and will work on technique tirelessly. Has Romo-like upside.

5a) Christian Ponder. Cheated with two 5th QBs because I do not know how Ponder will grade medically. Ponder is athletic enough and a bright enough guy to have major upside but his health is a real concern.

5b)Jake Locker. Locker was everyone's All-American entering the season but he lead Washington no where. His accuracy is simply terrible for a guy with his level of college experience. He has tools and you have to ask yourself if the accuracy steps up with small tweaks. He has the overall arm and athleticism to be solid but is overrated as a pure athlete. Is not a good player on the move.

 

[fortdick]

Everytime I read anything about Cam Newton I can only think of Jumbo Russell.

Can't wait to see the Wonderlick.

 

[alohawg]

Gee, wonder where you got this opinion of Mallett and Gabbert for that matter. I will be back to remind you and others how wrong you were.

 

[jterrell]

Gee, wonder where you got this opinion of Mallett and Gabbert for that matter. I will be back to remind you and others how wrong you were.

People are going to disagree and I certainly don't expect to bat .1000... all that said, what part of the assessments do you disagree with?

Mallett is a very big, strong-armed QB who has apparently got attitude issues and quite clearly has a slow release. He reminds me a bit of Drew Bledsoe with a slower release. That's not an insult by the way, Bledsoe we all know where Bledsoe was drafted. I think Mallett ends up as a system QB as well. Just a more pocket-passing based system with lots of protection. IMHO how he fares will depend upon his ability to pick up blitzes and make adjustments.

Gabbert has questionable overall arm strength but is accurate and has a quick release. He obviously played in a Missou system that gets rid of the ball quickly and requires making reads at the line. I think his success will be determined by how efficient he can be to keep the chains moving. He is likely not a back up and bomb style QB or a natural gunslinger. He'll try to remain mistake-free and take the open WR you give him even if it is underneath.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

Im not going to waste my time watching ANY of the QB's this year but Locker always passed the eyeball test for me for years.

The guy wasnt in competition with Bradford by accident. A bad year should be attributed to many other things besides a regression when its a player that has that work-ethic.

 

[jterrell]

Im not going to waste my time watching ANY of the QB's this year but Locker always passed the eyeball test for me for years.

The guy wasnt in competition with Bradford by accident. A bad year should be attributed to many other things besides a regression when its a player that has that work-ethic.

The only way I could see drafting locker was if I didn't watch him play this year or perform in skills challenges.

He has serious accuracy issues. That is the biggest no-no for me.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

The only way I could see drafting locker was if I didn't watch him play this year or perform in skills challenges.

He has serious accuracy issues. That is the biggest no-no for me.

I didnt watch the Skills competition, but I know he finished 2nd. IMO the idea that he cant throw has been mentioned a few times and is being spread around as if its fact.

I wouldnt say he spins it like Mallet, but he gets the ball where he needs to be and has tons of power on the throw.

I think a good comparison for him is Donavan McNabb w/ more moxie and better placement. Which sounds like an insult nowadays, but Mcnabb had a nice run.

 

[ThreeandOut]

Not saying that they will or should take him, but I could see Dallas liking Ponder. He seems to fit their mold in terms of his size and mobility. Perhaps they would consider him if he were to fall in the draft due to health concerns. There would be no rush to play him so the health concerns shouldn't be an issue.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

Not saying that they will or should take him, but I could see Dallas liking Ponder. He seems to fit their mold in terms of his size and mobility. Perhaps they would consider him if he were to fall in the draft due to health concerns. There would be no rush to play him so the health concerns shouldn't be an issue.

He might be a 1st rounder

 

[Avery]

I've never seen such a group of boom or bust QB's in my life than in this draft.

Mark my words, after workouts, there will start to be whispers of Newton #1 to Carolina. I think he ultimately goes to the Bills, but you will hear them.

 

[jterrell]

I didnt watch the Skills competition, but I know he finished 2nd. IMO the idea that he cant throw has been mentioned a few times and is being spread around as if its fact.

I wouldnt say he spins it like Mallet, but he gets the ball where he needs to be and has tons of power on the throw.

I think a good comparison for him is Donavan McNabb w/ more moxie and better placement. Which sounds like an insult nowadays, but Mcnabb had a nice run.

I actually watched the skills comp and he shouldn't have finished 4th. They gifted him points between rounds.... He missed a few targets VERY badly and looked bad in general. Mallett was 100 times better and more accurate.

Locker is no where near as strong as McNabb so he'll break less tackles. I'd agree with the accuracy comparison but I do not think Locker has as much overall arm strength or is as good on the move. I don't expect Locker to ever win a full-time starting job in the NFL. If he does it will be because he fixed some severe mechanical flaws and it greatly improved his accuracy.

And I definitely don't care what others think as my many threads will attest I grade the guys how I see them perform and go from there. Bottom line is Locker was a severe let down this season and hasn't shown that was a mirage to this point. Another far more accomplished Pac 10 QB had the same SR year fall down boards and Leinart hasn't done much as a pro.

 

[jterrell]

Not saying that they will or should take him, but I could see Dallas liking Ponder. He seems to fit their mold in terms of his size and mobility. Perhaps they would consider him if he were to fall in the draft due to health concerns. There would be no rush to play him so the health concerns shouldn't be an issue.

Ponder is another local kid.

If Dallas wants a new 3rd QB they can certainly get all they want about Ponder, McElroy or even just drive over to TCU.

 

[alohawg]

People are going to disagree and I certainly don't expect to bat .1000... all that said, what part of the assessments do you disagree with?

Mallett is a very big, strong-armed QB who has apparently got attitude issues and quite clearly has a slow release. He reminds me a bit of Drew Bledsoe with a slower release. That's not an insult by the way, Bledsoe we all know where Bledsoe was drafted. I think Mallett ends up as a system QB as well. Just a more pocket-passing based system with lots of protection. IMHO how he fares will depend upon his ability to pick up blitzes and make adjustments.

Gabbert has questionable overall arm strength but is accurate and has a quick release. He obviously played in a Missou system that gets rid of the ball quickly and requires making reads at the line. I think his success will be determined by how efficient he can be to keep the chains moving. He is likely not a back up and bomb style QB or a natural gunslinger. He'll try to remain mistake-free and take the open WR you give him even if it is underneath.

"He is stiff and moody and spoiled..."

Stiff- He's no stiffer than Manning.

Moody- he's emotional, fiery and competitive, qualities I like in a leader. He is somewhat immature however, but that's something I believe he will overcome quickly.

Spoiled- How so, that's a label I could see with Newton but Mallett???

Anyway, it's all speculation, an inexact science so we will see soon enough.....or not maybe.

 

[Doomsday101]

One thing that would scare me about Newton is he only had the 1 season. No doubt he had a great year but 1 season would leave some doubts in my mind.

 

[SDogo]

I know we are talking top 5 but I would love to get Kentucky QB Matt Hartline into camp on a UDFA deal and let him develop on the practice squad and eventually as a #3. Kid has all the tools but he is just a clump of unmolded clay at this point.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Don't want to bother with hitting up PFT, but apparently Florio came out today citing sources that scouts are going to ask Mallett about not just possible drug use, but past drug addiction. Not good.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

Don't like any of em really.

 

[alohawg]

Don't want to bother with hitting up PFT, but apparently Florio came out today citing sources that scouts are going to ask Mallett about not just possible drug use, but past drug addiction. Not good.

Gee, if Mallett was that good high imagine what he could do sober.