13
Jan
08Sleeper Watch: Ricky Santos
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By bbroman
Categories: Sleeper Watch
Tags: draft, nfl, ricky santos, Sleeper
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Ricky Santos, QB, New Hampshire, shined last night in the Hula Bowl, impressing many scouts. He also impressed me. In fact, I was so impressed I decided to do a sleeper watch on him. So here it is.
Santos was one of the better quarterbacks when he was in high school, but was relatively unheralded and unrecruited. He ended up at I-AA New Hampshire, redshirting his first season. Santos was the #4 quarterback on the depth chart, but worked his way up through hustle and coachibility. After leading the Wildcats to a win over Villanova, he gained a lot of notoriety around the nation.
Santos produced at New Hampshire. It may not have been pretty at times, but all he did was produce. He’s been considered one of the best Division I-AA players in the past few years.
The most impressive thing about Santos is his game manangement. He knows how make throws, showing good touch and loft. He’s very accurate, too. He reads defenses well - he has NFL skills, mentally. He’s very quick on his feet, as well, and buys second chances easily. Most importantly, he’s a good leader who exudes confidence.
Unfortunately, there are always cons. Obviously, his level of competition has been below-average at best. However, he did very well in the Hula Bowl against some of the better players in college football. Even more unfortunately, though, there are always more cons than competition. His arm strength isn’t really a threat to defenses. He’s very undersized, as well. His mechanics are messy, and he played in a college-style offense, meaning he’ll have to work on more dropbacks, not shotgun.
Santos really impresses me, and he’s one of my favorite players in the draft. I like his chances for a few reasons - one, mechanics can be fixed. Two, size is starting to mean less at the quarterback position. And three, the game is mentally all there.
In a minute:
Pros: Grasps the game mentally well. Good touch, very accurate. Makes plays with his feet.
Cons: Arm strength isn’t up to par. Undersized. Poor competition. Sloppy mechanics.
Pro Comparison: Think of Todd Collins with better feet.
Best Situation: The QB position would need to be relatively thin, with a coach willing to work on his mechanics and a system that focuses more on shorter passes. A dominant line to help open passing lanes would help, too.
Will Go in Round: 6. He’s the lowest sleeper I’ve ranked so far, but the one like the most. Scouts may not agree.
