2011 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Iowa Quarterback Ricky Stanzi

Stanzi, the fearless leader of an Iowa program that made a bowl game every year he was the starter, and every bowl they made it to, Stanzi and the Hawkeyes were able to pull off a victory. Twice in dominating fashion, and in 2010, Stanzi’s offensive unit needed a little help from the defense to get the W.

Still in his time at Iowa, Stanzi didn’t do much else other than win ball games. Iowa was always in the thick of things, and some of the greatest games in Iowa football history were played with Stanzi leading the offensive huddle. A true leader and student of the game, Stanzi is one of the most underrated quarterback prospects out there, and may have at one point this past season been the best overall quarterback in all of college football.

Throughout his career, he’s drawn comparisons to Tom Brady, and some of those are warranted, but he definitely has a long way to go to achieve that status. “America’s QB” will be one of the better mid-round finds in this year’s draft, and will surprise a lot of people with what he can do.

Ricky Stanzi, Senior

6’4″ 223

Arm Length–32 in.
Hand Size–10 in.

Accuracy

If you watch tape on his junior season and compare it to his senior season, you’re going to see a ton of improvement in this area of Stanzi’s game. This can be attributed to him getting stronger physically, making quicker reads, and knowing exactly where his receiver is going to be on every play. Stanzi hit on 64.1 percent of his passes as a senior compared to 56 percent  as a junior. He has shown great strides in this area, but still has work to do. Like we saw at the Combine, Stanzi can hit a target, and he often throws to one, not necessarily at a receiver sometimes. Stanzi doesn’t put the ball into bad spots like he used to.

Arm Strength

Doesn’t have a cannon by any means, but the important thing here is that he can make every NFL throw, and I’ve seen him make them all watching him for three years at Iowa. He can hit the deep out, the deep curl, the quick post, and his deep ball accuracy seemed to improve. Stanzi really puts a lot under his deep passes, but I don’t remember too many under-thrown balls that were picked off by defenders. Typically, if Stanzi missed, he missed long.  His technique is more polished than most college quarterbacks, but he can definitely get sloppy and throw off of his back foot at times. If he drives the ball, he can really sling it. There were times when I thought Stanzi’s passes were too strong. The arm strength is definitely there to make every throw at the next level.

Mechanics

One of his best areas. Stanzi has a pretty release, good footwork, and has worked in a pro-style offense for the past five years. He has mastered the offense, and has done a great job of refining his mechanics over that period of time. I also don’t recall Stanzi having many missed hand-offs to running backs, and he has one of the more advanced play-action moves among the prospects in this year’s draft.

Intangibles

Great leader and field general. Didn’t always seal the deal at the end of games, but Stanzi can command a huddle. He has great leadership qualities and overall intangibles. He’s a hard worker on and off the field, and was a fan favorite at Iowa.

Athletic Ability

Stanzi isn’t of Cam Newton caliber by any means, but he can make plays with his legs. He is deceptively quick and very agile in the pocket. Iowa utilized a lot of play-action and rollouts, and Stanzi ran them to perfection. At 6’4″ 223, I like his upside to take the beating that he will in the NFL, and if he adds another 7-15 pounds to his frame, he could be even better in this regard.

Overall

Stanzi should be a 3rd round draft pick based on his overall body of work, but based on his senior season, he should be rated much higher. Stanzi made a lot of bone-head throws at Iowa, but he also won a lot of games. I remember his junior season, Iowa would continually get down in the first half, and it seemed like the Hawkeyes were 2009’s version of the “comeback kids” as Stanzi always had them in the  thick of things at the end of the game.

Overall, Stanzi has the look of a solid starting NFL quarterback, but his intangibles give him the ability to be great. I would love to see him get drafted to the New England Patriots to be the heir apparent to the great Tom Brady, as he would be an absolutely perfect fit. He could learn behind Brady for a few years and be a starter when the time is right. That would be an excellent use of a third round choice by Bill Belichick and company.