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2012-09-08T19:49:00.001-04:00

2012 Quarterback Rankings

2011-09-14T12:29:00.001-04:00

1. Andrew Luck Quarterback Stanford Cardinal #12 Junior Redshirt Andrew Luck is an elite quarterback prospect. Luck is that quarterback prospect that comes along once every 15 years just like Peyton Manning in 1998 or John Elway in 1983. Luck has the arm strength, durability, size, pinpoint accuracy, mental attributes, top notch production, and potential of an elite quarterback prospect.

I would like to see an improvement on the mechanics within Luck's deep passing game, but I am not too concerned about Luck's deep passing game mechanics at this point with Luck's immense talent for a quarterback prospect.

Luck ran a pro style offense at Stanford so he knows how to adjust to the NFL. It also helps that he has the bloodlines to play the game. Andrew's father Oliver Luck was once a quarterback at West Virginia.

Luck is athletic also and he uses his feet to evade the pocket by scrambling. Luck finished 2nd in Heisman Voting behind Cam Newton last season. Luck looks like a clear cut to go #1 overall in 2012. Luck has already stated that this season will be his final season at Stanford.

Projected to be the Top Pick in 2012

2. Matt Barkley Quarterback USC Trojans #7 Junior Matt Barkley was the #1 overall recruit in the country straight out of high school. Matt Barkley has the physical and mental attributes to succeed in the NFL.

I like Matt Barkley's mechanics when throwing the football better than Andrew Luck's. My problem with Barkley that separates Luck from Barkley is Matt Barkley's ability to make progressions.

I love Matt Barkley as an NFL prospect because he plays in a difficult pro style offense. He has that pedigree to succeed in this league. At the same time, Barkley does have some flaws that are getting masked by the mainstream media because he received so much hype coming out of high school.

Matt Barkley is a quarterback who plays with a hot streak in the first half and he enters that game manager shell in the 2nd half. This sometimes results in Matt Barkley entering a cold streak during critical situations costing the USC Trojans the game.

Matt Barkley will lead a USC offense on a drive. The team will be up by 3 points in the 4th quarter. He needs a touchdown to put the opponent away, but poor execution on critical drives late in the 4th quarter result in USC settling for field goals allowing USC's opponents to climb back into football games.

Barkley gets rattled under pressure, he holds on to the ball sometimes, he hasn't won a big game in college, he blew some critical opportunities to put opponents away in the 4th quarter, and he does not seem to have the clutch factor at this point.

The things I mentioned about being a clutch quarterback in the previous paragraph may not seem like a big deal, but these are the qualities that General Managers look for when evaluating a quarterback.

Matt Barkley has the high upside and high potential to be an elite quarterback. Does he have the ability to lead a team from behind?

People are comparing Barkley to Mark Sanchez. Sure these two quarterbacks went to the same university, but Mark Sanchez has that ability to lead a team from behind in the 4th quarter even though he has not lived up to the bill of having that high upside as a prospect coming out of USC at this point. Barkley has high potential, but he has not been able to puzzle together a 4th quarter comeback together at this point.

Projected Round Top 5 Pick

3. Landry Jones Quarterback Oklahoma #12 Junior Redshirt Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones has the physical tools and production to succeed in this league. In 2010 Jones threw for 38 touchdowns and 12 interceptions so there is no questioning Jones production.

The one thing I am questioning with Landry Jones is the mental attributes. I am not sold on Jones ability to translate to a pro style offense. Jones plays in a shotgun spread offense at Oklahoma. How does the football IQ of Landry Jones translate to a West Coast offense? Does Jones flop like previous Oklahoma quarterbacks or does he find a way to succeed like Sam Bradford?

I was concerned with Jones in the interviews. At first during one of his earlier interviews this year he gave me the impression that he was cocky. Jones really seems humble and determined to defeat Florida State this week and that cockiness has practically vanished completely. The #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners are really putting a strong emphasis on defeating Florida State this week.

Jones could enter the conversation as a top 5 pick potentially challenging Matt Barkley as the 2nd best quarterback in this draft if he defeats Florida State this weekend.

Projected Round Top 10 Pick

4. Robert Griffin III Quarterback Baylor #10 Junior Redshirt Robert Griffin can play in any kind of offense at quarterback. He has the arm, GPA, size, accuracy, football IQ, plus he can scramble. He reminds me a lot of Michael Vick coming out of Virginia Tech. The only thing that separates Robert Griffin III from Michael Vick is Griffin's high character coming out of Baylor.

I really love Robert Griffin III as a quarterback prospect. His performance against TCU was outstanding and I would definitely consider taking a top 10 flyer on Griffin III at this point. That impression of Griffin III may change if he struggles against Texas A&M, but I really like Griffin as a prospect for now.

I would take a top 10 flyer on Griffin. Most NFL GM's and scouts have Robert Griffin III graded out as a 3rd round prospect. Griffin III could go anywhere between pick 10 and pick 100.

Projected Round Top 10 Pick

5. Nick Foles Quarterback Arizona #8 Senior Redshirt Nick Foles may be the quarterback who sneaks into the late part of round 1 if he can knock off Stanford this weekend and win out. People are starting to doubt his ability as a draft prospect. This weeks performance could determine if Foles names gets called late on day 1 or eventually on day 3 of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Foles has the rocket arm and the size for a quarterback. I love his ability to take off and run as a dual threat quarterback. Foles can scramble and he has impressive footwork for a prospect.

One thing that Nick Foles can do better than PAC 12 quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley is pump fake a defense. Foles sells the pump fake real well and confuses defenses by making them wonder if he will throw or run. At the same time there is some downside with this as he may hold onto the football for too long to take a sack.

Foles can execute a 1 step, 3 step, or 5 step drop. He knows how to make proper progressions with the 3 step and 5 step drops allowing him to have some success dinking and dunking the football on short and medium passes.

Even though Nick Foles the high character, production, and potential of a pro bowl quarterback I am questioning the mental toughness of Foles. There are a ton of flaws in Foles game and the quarterback has such a steep learning curve.

Foles gets rattled under pressure plus he is horrible at throwing on the run and even struggles to sell the play action pass at times. There are durability issues with Foles too so you have to wonder if Foles is capable of playing a full 16 game season.

Foles clearly lacks the mental aspects of a franchise quarterback at this point. Foles has yet to comprehend any complex West Coast plays at this point making him a major work in progress.

Nick Foles does not have the football IQ of a franchise quarterback. The guy threw 19 interceptions within a 2 year span. He just has not learned from his mistakes at this point and he is a senior redshirt. Why will that change?

Foles needs to gain more awareness. He just does not seem to have the field vision to dissect coverages that NFL secondaries bring to the table at this point.

Some scouts are even saying that Foles struggles with his progressions which I disagree with. Other pundits believe that Nick Foles supporting cast of receivers makes him look like a top 100 prospect when in reality he is a mid round top 200 prospect.

The intangibles with Nick Foles are a major issue despite his quality fundamentals for a quarterback when making 1 step, 3 step, or 5 step progressions. Nick Foles needs to improve his accuracy, mechanics, and ability to throw on the run.

Foles may have more upside than Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert. My main issue with Foles is how does he expect to channel all these flaws in his game to become an NFL franchise quarterback.

Foles could thrive in a similar situation as Aaron Rodgers or Kevin Kolb. If he is thrown into the fire right away like Andy Dalton or Jimmy Clausen then Nick Foles will probably bust.

Projected Round 2nd Round

6. Ryan Lindley Quarterback San Diego State #14 Senior Redshirt Ryan Lindley had a great supporting cast last year with his wide receivers. This year Lindley is the lone wolf on campus who will show his receivers how the Aztec offense functions in San Diego State.

Ryan Lindley does not have a rocket arm, but the durability and size for a franchise quarterback. His physical tools should be enough to enable Lindley to benefit in the NFL.

I love the intangibles and accuracy that Lindley brings to the table. His learning rate and production is average from an NFL standpoint at this point.

Lindley does possess the potential to become an NFL starter with the proper development. It really comes down to who decides to take a flyer on Lindley.

Projected Round 3rd Round

7. Kirk Cousins Quarterback #8 Michigan State Senior Kirk Cousins has a rocket arm, excellent durability, and amazing intangibles for a quarterback prospect. My one knock on Cousins is his size.

Cousins does display the upside of an NFL starter. I could see him developing into a starting quarterback with his high character and tireless work ethic.

Projected Round 3rd Round

8. Ryan Tannenhill Quarterback #17 Texas A&M Senior Redshirt Tannenhill has great, but not elite physical tools. He has the ability to translate his game to any offensive philosophy.

A lot of people thik Tannenhill is underrated. I could not disagree more. Tannenhill has an excellent supporting cast at Texas A&M that makes him look like a legit quarterback prospect. The running game with Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael works to his benefit. He has a blue chip receiver in Jeff Fuller. Ryan Swope is a legit #2 receiving target. Tight End Nhemiah Hicks has potential to be a 2013 underclassmen at tight end if he declares. Plus Texas A&M has two underrated bookend offensive tackles with Luke Joeckel at left tackle and Jake Matthews son of Bruce Matthews at right tackle.

I would rather have Stephen McGee than Ryan Tannehill on my roster. Tannenhill is listed as a 2nd round prospect in some mock drafts. Ranking Tannenhill that high is simply asinine in my opinion because there are quarterbacks with more upside and potential even if Tannenhill is a safe bet as a backup.

Projected Round 4th Round

9. Kellen Moore Quarterback Boise State #11 Senior Redshirt Moore may have the football IQ, accuracy, and production of a Peyton Manning type quarterback. He doesn't have the physical tools or the size to succeed in the NFL and I seriously doubt that he is the 2012 NFL drafts version of Drew Brees.

Kellen Moore may thrive as a backup quarterback in the proper situation. Moore is not starter material due to his 6 foot 191 pound frame.

Projected Round 4th Round

10. Chandler Harnish Quarterback Northern Illinois #12 Senior Redshirt The only quarterback at this point who I see having a remote impact as a starting quarterback past round 4 who could be a Tom Brady quarterback is 5th round sleeper Chandler Harnish.

Harnish has the physical tools to play plus he can adjust to any NFL offensive philosophy. Harnish is 2012's version of Ricky Stanzi.

Harnish may need a year or two to develop his mental attributes, but he has the potential to develop into a starting quarterback in this league.

Harnish threw 5 touchdowns and 1 interception in Northern Illinois's season opener. Harnish also managed to get 5 total touchdowns against a Kansas Jayhawks defense. Harnish obtained those touchdowns by throwing and scrambling with the football.

Projected Round 5th Round

11. Brandon Weeden Quarterback Oklahoma State #3 Senior Redshirt Weeden has the arm and the size. Despite having these physical traits, I am concerned about Weeden's durability from a long term perspective.

Another concern with Weeden is how he translates his game from running that shotgun spread offense at Oklahoma State to running a pro style offense at the next level. Weeden could be a special player if he translates that skill set. Right now, I am not counting on that. The plays that Weeden ran against Arizona looked like gimmick no huddle shotgun plays that Cam Newton ran at Auburn last season.

Weeden is a quarterback with 3rd string ability at this point. If he masters a pro style offense he could become a starter.

Projected Round 5th Round

12. Case Keenum Quarterback Houston #7 Senior Redshirt Case Keenum brings amazing arm strength and production to the table. I love Keenum's production because of his records he has managed to set at Houston. Other than that his ability as a quarterback is limited to a severe degree.

Keenum lacks the size for a quarterback and injury issues seem to linger with Keenum every year. Keenum could thrive as a backup if he stays healthy. Keenum is no Kevin Kolb by any stretch of the imagination.

Projected Round 5th Round

13. GJ Kinne Quarterback Tulsa #4 Senior Redshirt GJ Kinne has elite physical tools with the arm strength, durability, and size for a quarterback prospect. Kinne even has great production and displays some moments on tape as the Tulsa signal caller.

Kinne does struggle translating his mental attributes to a pro style offense which is the main reason why Kinne is a late round prospect despite his mind boggling statistics at Tulsa.

Projected Round 6th Round

14. John Brantley Quarterback Florida #12 Senior Redshirt Florida quarterback John Brantley has elite physical tools. Brantley also has great production for a quarterback based on his numbers at Florida in 2010.

I am not sold on his mental attributes, but that may change because Chiefs offensive coordinator Charlie Weis left Kansas City to go to Florida as an Offensive Coordinator.

Brantley could propel himself into the top 100 conversation with a strong senior redshirt campaign. John Brantley reminds me a lot of the quarterback that Weis coached in Kansas City Matt Cassel.

Brantley is a quality backup who can manage games well. Brantley probably should not be starting in the NFL because his mental attributes and accuracy may not translate. Brantley could given an opportunity to start like Cassel if his accuracy improves down the road.

Projected Round 7th Round

15. Dominique Davis Quarterback East Carolina #4 Senior Redshirt Dominique Davis has elite physical tools like John Brantley and GJ Kinne. Davis also has great production.

Davis does not display the mental attributes of a franchise quarterback. His learning rate, intangibles, and accuracy is a major work in progress.

One thing that Davis has done well is pick apart 1st round cornerbacks. Davis has had success picking apart South Carolina and Virginia Tech's secondaries. If your in round 7 looking for a quarterback with a rocket arm, size, and dual threat ability this is the guy to gamble on.

Projected Round 7th Round

Content

2011-09-12T02:14:00.001-04:00

We will start posting content in the upcoming weeks for Draft Creator. There are still some modifications I want to make with this site and it takes some time getting used to things.