Jake Locker: Is the Sky Falling?

Jake Locker has been regarded as the top NFL prospect by many draft gurus for sometime now.  He has been described as an extremely talented player that has all the tools to be great in the NFL.  Prior to the 2010 NFL Draft there were a lot of rumors swirling that he was being considered by the St. Louis Rams for the #1 overall pick and many felt that he would not have slipped past the Redskins at #4.  This was just a few months ago and now after a slow start many have reversed fields and some are going as far as saying he isn’t worthy of a first round pick.  I feel we all need to take a step back and let the season develop before we go to far.

Locker does have the skills needed to succeed in the NFL he is also a hard worker and someone that takes pride in what he does.  Those things alone are enough to keep him in the first round discussion.  We all remember the Jamarcus Russell saga where he had a great bowl game and then threw a football 80 yards from his knees in workouts which lead to him being the #1 overall pick.  While that was an obvious mistake I just wanted to point out that physical ability goes along way in NFL circles and Locker’s ability will not be lost on evaluators.

I personally think Locker can salvage his season and hopes of becoming the #1 overall pick.  I want to reference some stats from previous 1st round quarterback selections.  These stats show that Locker isn’t the first and wont be the last player to have a tough game during his last year before turning pro.  First let’s look at last season’s #1 overall pick Sam Bradford, looking back at his last season he only played in 3 total games but that was still enough to land him the top spot.  The previous season he had a terrible game on the biggest stage there is when he threw 2 interceptions and went 26-41 in a loss to the Florida Gators.  In this game Bradford was inaccurate and the two picks were a crucial part of the losing equation.  The 2009 quarterback class each suffered setbacks during their final season and this includes #1 overall pick Matthew Stafford.  In a game against Florida he went 18-33 for 265 yards and 3 interceptions with 0 touchdowns.  These stats are just that stats but it does show that 1 game will not cost a player a shot at the top spot in the draft.

Now Locker’s situation is a little different in that he is competing against Ryan Mallett and Andrew Luck for that top quarterback spot so he needs to rebound.  Overall I feel that Locker easily can still be the #1 pick and that we should give him a few more games before we declare the “Sky to be Falling”.  Nebraska has a great defense with two very good corners and lineman that create a ton of pressure.  We still have Locker at #7 on our Big Board.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts!