2015 NFL Draft Prospects: Borderline Quarterback Prospects
By Joe Wedra
When we analyze the crop of 2015 NFL Draft prospects this year, we have to break down one of the worst quarterback groups of all time. It’s possible that only five or six QBs get taken this year — two of them being Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston.
Brett Hundley, Garrett Grayson and Bryce Petty are expected to be taken in the middle rounds, but is there any prospect worth taking outside of the top-five?
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Sean Mannion, Oregon State
Strengths: experience, arm strength, size
Weaknesses: decision-making, limited scheme at Oregon State, struggles in big spots
Here’s a guy that is the center of many quarterback debates around the scouting world. He entered the 2014 season with a serious chance to be taken in the first few rounds, but things simply didn’t pan out.
He has a big arm and looks the part, but the accuracy and decision making simply isn’t there. He’s going to be a borderline 7th round prospect that may end up being a camp arm.
Shane Carden, East Carolina
Strengths: calm under pressure, can extend plays, manages game well
Weaknesses: arm strength, deep decision-making, lack of splash plays
Carden has the potential to be the “game manager” type in the NFL, but his mechanics and decision-making will set him back in a big way. He benefitted in a big way from star receiver Justin Hardy, and led most of his wins passing to wide open receivers.
Some team may take a shot in the fifth or sixth round, but Carden isn’t close to being ready to start in the NFL.
Blake Sims
Strengths: effective at making plays with feet, keeps focused through pressure, makes the throws needed
Weaknesses: small hands, below-average size, doesn’t scream QB
Sims fails to project as a quarterback at the next level, but an NFL team may take a chance at him with their last pick. He has flashes of Russell Wilson in his game and has made plays that have seriously turned heads.
He’s borderline, and probably the last prospect worth taking from the bottom-end group.
UNDRAFTED PROSPECTS
Connor Halliday, Washington State — limited scheme, injury issues
Cody Fajardo, Nevada — poor accuracy
That’s about it, folks. It’s a rough class for the teams that need a quarterback immediately. Can one or two sleepers emerge in the next few years? Of course. The likelihood however, certainly doesn’t favor this group.