NFL draft prospect rankings, Quarterbacks, QBs
1. Blaine Gabbert*, QB, Mizzou
Height: 6-5. Weight: 235 Projected 40 Time: 5.0
Projected Round (2011): Top 3 Pick
Blaine Gabbert has elected to come out early and should benefit immensely from Andrew Luck’s decision to stay in school. You could say January 6th was Gabbert’s Lucky Day. lol. Ok, so it wasn’t that funny. Gabbert will turn heads because of his incredible accuracy and his ability to throw in tight spaces. Todd McShay has picked him as one of the most under evaluated players in the draft class.
2. Jake Locker, QB, Washington
Height: 6-3. Weight: 223 Projected 40 Time: 4.59
Projected Round (2011): early 1st
Yet again another example of a potential #1 pick making a mistake going back to school. Jake Locker took a huge risk going back to school. Entering the year he was the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2011 class, but Andrew Luck has out performed him in every way and now even Blaine Gabbert is slotting in above him. Locker has had a solid year to follow up his 2,800 yards, 21 touchdowns performance in 2009, but he’s been under constant pressure from opposing defenses with has hurt his stock some. Luck has the upper hand right now to go higher in the 2011 NFL Draft.
3. Ryan Mallett*, QB, Arkansas
Height: 6-7. Weight: 238 Projected 40 Time: 5.05
Projected Round (2011): 1st
Ryan Mallet is huge. Huge to the tune of 6′, 7″ with an equally huge arm. Mallett certainly has the model size for a franchise quarterback. Hepassed for 3600 yards with 30 touchdowns and 7 INTs in 2009 numbers which backs that claim up as well. Problem for NFL scouts will be his accuracy and his mechanics. If someone is willing to work on him, he could leapfrog Jake Locker in the first round, but chances are that he’ll slip into the 2nd or 3rd. He reminds me of a poor man’s Drew Bledsoe. He’ll need a good line because he’ll struggle to elude NFL pass rushers.
4. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
Height: 6-6. Weight: 250 Projected 40 Time: 4.4
Projected Round (2011): 1st
Can’t tell yet if he’s the second coming of Michael Vick or Jason Campbell. He’s got insane athletic ability and is built like a Mack Truck, but so was Vince Young and he’s continued to struggle in the NFL after flashes of greatness. He has flat out dominated this year at Auburn and that will translate into someone picking him highly, but does that translate at the NFL level? He could be Tim Tebow part 2. It will be interesting to see what NFL evaluators say after seeing in at the Combine.
5. Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State
Height: 6-3. Weight: 220 Projected 40 Time: 4.72
Projected Round (2011): 2
One of the new breed of potential NFL quarterbacks, Christian Ponder makes up for a lack of arm by being smart and accurate. He’s shown mental toughness and short memory in games to snap back and have good if not great performances. That kind of response is key for young signal callers in the NFL. Ponder’s needs some coaching in how to go through his reads with confidence, but he has a good arm and has NFL caliber legs to go with it.
6. Pat Devlin, QB, Delaware
Height: 6-4. Weight: 220 Projected 40 Time: 4.84
Projected Round (2011): 3-4
Pat Devlin has been hampered by a constant barrage of injuries all season long, so scouts will need to read between the lines a bit to project his value. Devlin has elite passing potential, similar to another Delaware QB, Joe Flacco. As a junior, Pat Devlin threw for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns with only nine INTs after transferring to Delaware with very little in the way of starting experience. He’s a bit raw, but he has a howitzer for an arm. If he has a great combine, he could go in the 3rd or 4th round.
