Most pundits believe that this year's crop of signal-callers pales in comparison to last year's highly-praised passers -- five of whom were drafted in the first round.
While there may not be the instant savior/franchise type in this year's draft, there are a handful who can become reliable starters and have long careers at the next level.
What follows is a breakdown of the top five quarterbacks in this year's draft, each with an assigned Round Grade. The Round Grade is not a projection of where the player will be chosen, but where talent merits he be chosen. After the top five, all quarterbacks projected to be drafted will be listed.
1. Dwayne Haskins/Ohio State (ROUND GRADE: TOP 20
OVERALL)
PROS: Excellent placement on short
to intermediate throws; Ball gets out in a hurry and has a ton of zip,
especially on crossing and out routes; Will kill a soft zone or off man scheme;
Can make tight window throws; Very good at going through progressions, has the
patience to wait for second and third receivers to come open; Operates best in
a quick rhythm attack; Surgical in late game situations; Can make tight window
throws; Deep ball down the hash and to the sideline is excellent.
CONS: Not particularly mobile;
Sometimes slides into pressure instead of away from it; Can sail his deep
middle passes; Was rattled by pressure, especially early in the season; Eyes
don’t always stay downfield; Inconsistent footwork, which will cause him to
sometimes miss on easy out of the backfield; Doesn’t flourish outside of the
pocket; Solid mechanics that sometimes waver the longer the play takes to
develop; Lack of experience (one-year starter) could be a concern as the NFL
trash heap is littered with talented guys with limited reps under center.
2. Daniel Jones/Duke (ROUND GRADE: 1)
PROS: Strongest arm in the draft,
yet also exhibits great touch; Excellent tutelage from HC David Cutcliffe, who
has a track record of success; Very good deep thrower; Not a dynamic runner,
but nifty enough with his legs to keep plays alive; Excellent on short and
intermediate seam routes; Can throw receivers open; Consistent ball placement;
Footwork very good, nice pocket presence.
CONS: Decision making isn’t always
sound, especially on throws over the middle; Will miss easy throws, especially
out of the backfield; Durability has been an issue; Accuracy has hovered right
around 60 percent, not a great portent of NFL success; Tight window success is
lacking, and you would think someone with his size would have more velocity on
his sideline throws.
3. Kyler Murray/Oklahoma (ROUND GRADE: 1-2)
PROS: Maybe the best arm talent in
the draft; Comfortable throwing on the run; Can hit the deep ball consistently;
Dynamic runner; Throws a catchable ball; Loves chaos, operates very well
outside of the play scheme; Will typically be the best athlete on the field; Excellent
on out breaking routes, good anticipation for where the receiver will be; Has
the velocity you like to see, the ball leaves his hand with a lot of zip.
CONS: Took off if primary receiver
was covered; One read and run player, didn’t often go through progressions;
Many of his deep strikes were to open receivers – they won’t be that open the
NFL; Processing from the pocket; Footwork spotty, will sometimes jump into his
throws; Locks on to receivers; Doesn’t see receivers over the middle of the
field, maybe a byproduct of his height; Could do better about keeping his eyes
up; Slight frame, durability concerns at the next level as he won’t be able to
outrun everyone.
PROS: Big-time arm, has the velocity
to make most NFL throws; Gunslinger mentality; Can make tight window throws;
Good anticipation, especially on corner routes; Good with his eyes, can force
safeties to commit before going elsewhere; Sneaky good athlete; Had a good week
at the Senior Bowl, showed that he wasn’t merely a system quarterback; Stands
tall in the face of pressure;
CONS: Needs to improve footwork
and set up; Accuracy has been an issue though did improve as a senior;
Decision-making hasn’t been the best, will make a few WTF throws every game;
Was not asked to go through progressions, so that could be an issue; Gunslinger
mentality; Missouri went through a lot of turnover on the offensive coaching
staff, so he is missing some of the basic things you like to see in a quarterback;
Has maybe too much confidence in his arm, which results in too many forced
throws.
5. Will Grier/West Virginia (ROUND GRADE: 2-3)
PROS: Very good accuracy; Nice
touch on short and deep passes; Timing and anticipation are among the best of
any QB in this year’s draft; Good composure in the pocket, doesn’t get rattled
by chaos; Has a fiery personality that many top-level signal-callers possess;
Has innate pocket sense, can move his feet and reset in the pocket; Can throw
receivers open; Good on pre-snap reads and decision making on quick strike
plays; Is at his very best in an uptempo offense, and when he is in a rhythm
few are better; Hangs tough in the pocket; Adept at extending plays and
avoiding initial pass rusher
CONS: Footwork is inconsistent and
really affects accuracy on deep ball; Deep passes down the middle have a
tendency to die if he doesn’t set his base properly; Arm strength is good but
not elite; Field vision just average; Misses open receivers; Could be a product
of a quarterback-friendly system at WVU; Doesn’t drive the ball, lacks velocity
on sideline routes; Had a poor week at the Senior Bowl, where he looked like a
system quarterback; Doesn’t do well if he is flushed out of the pocket; Turns
his back to the play against secondary pass rushers, resulting in too many
negative plays; Longer developing plays tend to lead to mistakes; Teams will
examine his personality and ask about his PED usage at Florida, which resulted
in dismissal.
6.
Brett Rypien/Boise State (ROUND GRADE: 2-3)
7. Ryan Finley/NC State (ROUND GRADE: 3)
8. Jarrett Stidham/Auburn (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)
9. Tyree Jackson/Buffalo (ROUND GRADE: 4-5)
10. Jordan Ta'amu/Ole Miss (ROUND GRADE: 4-5)
11. Easton Stick/North Dakota State (ROUND GRADE:
5)
12. Kyle Shurmur/Vanderbilt (ROUND GRADE: 5-6)
13. Gardner Minshew/Washington State (ROUND GRADE: 6-7)
14. Clayton Thorson/Northwestern (ROUND GRADE: 6-7)
15.
Trace McSorley/Penn State (ROUND GRADE: 7)
