The QB position is arguably the most important position in all of sports, and in the NFL you need a good to great signal caller in order to have a shot at winning a championship in my opinion. This year’s class of Quarterback’s isn’t very strong, but I believe you could see at least 4-5 starters out of this class down the line.
1. QB Jameis Winston 6’4 231 lbs rSo. Florida St. (#3 on the Big Board) Grade: 1st round
Career Stats: 26-1 as a starter 7,964 yards 66% 65 TD 28 INT
Strengths: Winston possesses elite level passing ability for just a redshirt sophomore. He threatens all three levels of the field with more then enough arm strength, great accuracy, touch and anticipation. He’s a student of the game who understands coverage and scheme, sees the blitz, stands tall and delivers strikes under pressure. Big game QB, not scared of the moment, is a threat to bring his team back when down in ball games because he never gets flustered. Not a blazing runner, but has enough mobility to slide in and out of the pocket, extend plays, and make throws down the field.
Weaknesses: Last year he pressed too often early in games, and threw a lot of bad interceptions. Instead of taking the check downs, he trusted his arm, throwing the football in some bad spots. Shows an elongated throwing motion on film, due to his history as a pitcher, he’s worked on his delivery since the season ended, but will he go back to his old motion in game?
2. QB Marcus Mariota 6’4 222 lbs rJr. Oregon (#30 on the Big Board) Grade: 2nd Round
Career Stats: 36 wins as a starter in 3 years 10,796 yards 67% 105 TD 14 INT 2,237 yards rushing 29 TD
Strengths: Mariota has prototype height and weight, to go along with elite athleticism for the QB position. When things breakdown, he has the ability to escape out of the front or backdoor, convert first downs with his feet or arm. Really throws the football well on the move to his left and right. Not a big sample size due to the offense he played in, but he flashes some anticipatory ability when throwing the football in the intermediate areas of the field. Has the physical tools needed to be a good starting QB at the next level. Accurate on the short to intermediate throws. Has a huge learning curve, but if he’s given time to develop, he could be a good NFL QB.
Weaknesses: Because of what he was asked and coached to do, there are some flaws in his game as a passer, things he’ll have to learn as a pro. When facing teams good enough to play press man coverage across the board, he had issues pulling the trigger and making tight, stick throws on a consistent basis. A lot of times because of offensive design, his first read was open, but when it wasn’t, he had trouble getting through his reads quickly and making decisions with the football. The ability to make anticipatory passes consistently is not there right now. Will occasionally miss a layup, when under pressure, pocket is dirty and is forced to rush. Has to learn to be mechanically sound under duress.
3. QB Brett Hundley 6’3 226 lbs rJr. UCLA (#58 on the Big Board) Grade: 3rd Round
Career Stats: 9,966 yards 67% 75 TD 25 INT 30 rushing TD
Strengths: Tough, hard nosed, QB Prospect. Very gifted physically, built Ford Tough. Has more then enough arm talent to make all of the necessary throws at the NFL level. Great velocity, anticipation, and accuracy on the deep outs and comeback routes. Played in a spread offense, but the passing game had NFL concepts, he’s used to throwing the entire route tree. Threatens all three levels of the football field: short, medium and deep. Flashes the ability to make tight, stick throws with anticipation. When technically sound, he’s very good. His legs are an added weapon, he can extend plays, giving WR’s more time to get open or get key yards on the ground. Throws the back shoulder pass very well. Hundley has all of the tools, he just needs time to develop.
Weaknesses: Hundley was sacked 124 times in 1,241 passing attempts in his career, every ten times he dropped back. Some was due to bad O-line play, but a lot was due to his own doing. Hundley tends to hold onto the football too long, trying to make plays that aren’t there, instead of throwing the football away. Inconsistent field vision leads to missed open receivers, and more unneeded punishment from defenders. He is a runner, but must learn to slide and protect himself, or he won’t last in the NFL with his playing style. Has to improve his pocket awareness, and ball security in the pocket.
4. QB Garrett Grayson 6’2 215 lbs rSr. Colorado St. (#96 on the Big Board) Grade: 4th Round
Career Stats: 35 starts 9,190 yards 62% 64 TD 27 INT
Strengths: Grayson displays good accuracy and timing on the short to intermediate routes. He frequently shows the ability and poise to climb the pocket and complete passes. Has experience taking snaps from under center, and using 3,5, and 7 step drops. Wins inside of the pocket, showing the willingness to pull the trigger, pull the trigger and hit targets up the seams and on crossing routes with accuracy and anticipation. Flashes some deep ball accuracy. Has the skill set and traits that fits in a classic West Coast offense.
Weaknesses: Grayson often eyed only one side of the field, I don’t know if that was the way the offense was schemed or not. Lacks the arm strength and velocity to complete the deep out and comeback routes. Doesn’t threaten the third level(deep) of the field consistently. Versus Utah, the best defense he faced, he had his worst game. Didn’t handle the pressure, didn’t play well in a dirty pocket.
5. QB Bryce Petty 6’3 230 lbs rSr. Baylor (#109 on the Big Board) Grade: 4th Round
Career Stats: 21-4 as a starter 8,195 yards 63% 62 TD 10 INT 21 rushing TD
Strengths: Elite arm talent, to go along with underrated athleticism. Throws the football well on the run, more so the right then left. Really good when the pocket is clean, mechanically sound. Has a tight quick release. Threatens all levels of the football field with his arm strength. Has no issues throwing the deep out or comeback route to the wide side of the field. Has great size and build for the QB Position. Flashes great deep ball accuracy(See 2014 game vs TCU). Small sample, but shows some ability to make anticipatory throws in tight windows.
Weaknesses: As for most QB prospects coming from a spread, dink and dunk offense, Petty struggles vs teams that can play press man coverage across the board, while blitzing or getting pressure with their front four. He loses his fundamental mechanics, such as transferring his weight from back to front, stepping into his passes when under duress, causing inconsistent accuracy on his passes. Has to learn and be willing to put the ball on his receivers when it’s tight coverage, which he’ll face plenty in the NFL. Dealt with a concussion and lower back injury in 2014. He has no experience under center, will need some time to develop, but some knock him because he’s coming into the NFL at age 24.
6. QB Chris Bonner 6’7 235 lbs Sr. CSU-Pueblo (#170 on the Big Board) Grade: 5th Round Grade
Career Stats: 27 games 483-835 6,704 yards 58% 63 TD 17 INT
Strengths: Small school prospect with big time arm talent. Classic overhead delivery, balls comes out of his hands very nice. Is very athletic in the pocket, has good bounce, moves smoothly, climbs the pocket pretty well. Tough, keeps his eyes down the field in a dirty pocket. Throws the deep ball on a rope with accuracy. Bonner has plenty of experience playing under center, using 3,5, and 7 step drops. Very mobile, was used a lot on play action bootlegs, and rollouts, throws the football decently on the run. Needs time to sit, and develop, has the tools and traits to be a starter.
Weaknesses: Bonner trusts his arm, too often, will gamble and throw the football into traffic. Eyes his intended target too often, has to learn to use his eyes to manipulate the defense. His footwork his in consistent, which leads to inaccuracy. Has to learn to throw a changeup on the short throws instead of the fastball. Developmental prospect.
7. QB Sean Mannion 6’6 230 lbs rSr. Oregon St. (#174 on the Big Board)
Career Stats: 43 starts 1187-1838 13,600 yards 65% 83 TD 54 INT
Strengths: Mannion has four years of experience playing in a pro style offense under Mike Riley, which amounts to the most reps of any QB in the draft under center. Has vast experience taking three, five, and seven step drops, with timing, using the entire route tree. Decent deep ball passer, and really accurate on the short to medium throws.
Weaknesses: Big time issues with turnovers, he’s played in 43 games and has 54 interceptions in his career. He has slow eyes, which leads to slow decisions, balls throw into coverage, which get picked off. He also has an elongated throwing motion which needs to be tightened up. Loses his good mechanics when under pressure. Doesn’t throw the football well on the move.
8. QB Cody Fajardo 6’1 223 lbs rSr. Nevada ( #202 on the Big Board) Grade: 6th Round Grade
Career Stats: 40 starts 878-1348 9,659 yards 65% 57 TD 29 INT 3,482 rushing yards 44 TD
9. QB Shane Carden 6’2 218 lbs Sr. East Carolina (#209 on the Big Board) Grade: 6th Round
Career Stats: 37 starts 1052-1579 11,991 yards 67% 86 TD 30 INT 24 Rush TD
10. QB/WR/RB Blake Sims 5’11 218 lbs rSr. Alabama (#233 on the Big Board) Grade: 7th Round
Career Stats: 275-430 3,731 yards 30 TD 10 INT 150 carries 705 yards 9 TD
Next 5 QB’s w/ UDFA Grades
11. Anthony Boone 6’0 231 lbs rSr. Duke Grade: UDFA
12. Hutson Mason 6’2 212 lbs rSr. Georgia Grade: UDFA
13. Brandon Bridge 6’4 230 lbs rSr. South Alabama Grade: UDFA
14. Bryan Bennett 6’2 211 lbs rSr. SE Louisiana Grade: UDFA
15. Connor Halliday 6’3 196 lbs rSr. Washington St. Grade: UDFA
Muslim Football Scout 