Here is a recap of my NFL Draft big board for the quarterbacks. I’ll discuss the highlights of this years draft, while also addressing some of the teams they could land on.
After watching his tape again, I’m all on board the Wentz wagon. With much inferior talent around him, Carson Wentz made every throw in every situation you’d expect from an NFL quarterback.
He went through his reads, knew when to throw the ball away, showed the arm strength everyone loves, and dominated his competition at every stage of his college career. If Cleveland passes on him with the number two pick, teams such as San Francisco, Dallas, and Los Angeles will be clamoring to snag him.
Arrowhead Addict
Once my number one quarterback prospect, Jared Goff is in now way a much diminished talent compared to Carson Wentz. He is still worthy of being taken in this years top ten and I don’t think he gets out of the top eight. I liked his athleticism, his quick release, and his arm strength.
I think Chip Kelly would love to get a hold of him in San Francisco if Colin Kaepernick continues to not want to be in the Bay area.
After Wentz and Goff, I see a big drop off in NFL-ready talent and an increase in project guys with large potential.
Let me start out by saying how much I have always disliked Connor Cook’s game. He often looks rushed, showed shoddy accuracy, and overall failed to make me go “wow, I want THAT guy on my team for the next 10 years.” In his defense, I saw a lot more dropped balls than I would expect from a college playoff team. Still, he carries a lot of questions and I don’t feel comfortable taking him in the first round. If Dallas or Los Angeles takes a flier on him in the second, he could be a decent option down the line.
Paxton Lynch was a guy I fell in love with then quickly discarded. While the arm strength is unquestionable and the Joe Flacco comparisons are fair, he plays far too inconsistently. Accuracy is also something I have an issue with regarding Paxton Lynch. Even during Jon Gruden’s QB Camps when he was standing still, he was throwing behind receivers.
Full disclosure, I am a Penn State student who has had football season tickets for the past two years. All of that aside, I think Christian Hackenberg has some of the biggest POTENTIAL in this years draft. I’m not saying he is the most NFL ready or he should be starting on day one, I’m saying in the right system with the right coaches he can be a steal. When I went to his Pro Day I saw much better accuracy and footwork, which were both spotty over the last two years. His arm strength is still the biggest plus with him. If he can harness the things we saw under Bill O’Brien his freshman season, he will be a stud in the NFL.
Now after those guys, the talent level REALLY takes a hit. The guy I like the most at this point is Jacoby Brissett from Louisville. Like former-Cardinal Teddy Bridgewater, Brissett is a mobile quarterback who can extend plays and be electrifying for an offense. Unfortunately, he’s just as inconsistent as Paxton Lynch. He’ll be a project guy on a team like San Diego with a veteran quarterback already in place.
Kevin Hogan is another guy to keep an eye on. The Stanford quarterback may not be starting right away, but he has all the tools to be an NFL starter. He’s another guy who could go to Kansas City or San Diego to sit for a year and eventually work his way into the starters role.
At the bottom, there are a couple other guys to watch for. Obviously Cardale Jones is a name people know from Ohio State’s championship run, but he’s proven to be very raw. Cody Kessler from USC is another project guy, but we’ve seen USC quarterbacks (Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley) fail to translate their game to the NFL. Finally, a guy I like is Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel. Another guy who will go on day three, but someone could sit him behind a veteran and fine-tune his mechanics.
Here’s my entire quarterback big board, color-coded by each round.
