midwestpatsfan
Rotational Player and Threatening Starter's Job
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- Sep 15, 2004
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Hi draftniks,
Well, sadly the season came to an end a little earlier than we would have hoped, but it was a great season and now we can focus on the draft. I do not post a bunch on here, but plan on doing it more this year. I dealt with an illness this fall that left me bedridden (nothing life threatining) for a stretch and it allowed me to really watch a bunch of games this fall and I have started to put together my notes on positions. I wanted to get anyone and everyone's thoughts on what they think of my unprofessional opinions. So, here goes:
#1. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville:
Positives: Smart, instinctive, poised, high character guy. Above average arm strength, good footwork and hip rotation. Can make all the throws. Has decent pocket presence, and moves well with the ball while keeping his eyes downfield. Can make plays with his feet. No off field issues and graduated from college in 3 years.
Negatives: Slender build, could become a health risk if he does not bulk up. Needs to work on adding zip to his out route patterns. Not always willing to take the easy yards that are there with his feet, would always rather throw. Will have to work on taking the ball from under center.
#2. Derek Carr, Fresno State:
Positives: Good size and athleticism, smart. Has an NFL ready arm, probably the best arm in the draft. Can make all the throws with accuracy. Put up gaudy, video game type numbers.
Negatives: Has to do a little work on his footwork as he tends to have happy feet while sitting in the pocket. Only really has one year of good production, so is it talent coming through or a 1 year fluke? Not all that mobile and tends to lock onto his first read a little too much.
#3. Zack Mettenberger, LSU:
Positives: Great size and build, prototypical for the NFL. Possesses a really good arm, has good touch on the over the shoulder and back shoulder passes as well. Makes good reads and goes through his progressions well. Put up good numbers playing against some of the best defenses in the country.
Negatives: No threat whatsoever to run with the ball. Is heavy footed and will be confined to being a pocket passer, which some teams and really, the NFL seem to be going away from. Not me though. The other big negative is he suffered a torn ACL late in the season and will probably not be ready for training camp or the beginning of the season so you are looking at a red shirt year. If not for the injury, he would be my #2 QB, and he still might end up there. As a pats fan, I would seriously consider him at the end of round 1 because I love his talent.
#4. Blake Bortles, Central Florida:
Positives: Think Cam Newton. He is an athletic freak for a guy his size. Has a big arm and can run with the ball very well. Didn’t play elite competition, but when he did, he played well. Potential is through the roof to be one of those QB’s that is a true duel threat that can handle the beating because of his big frame.
Negatives: Seems like most of what I have seen like this kid more than me and have him in the top 10, which is a little too rich for my blood. He has a lot of work to do as a passer. His footwork is inconsistent and his read progression has been limited to this point. He will need to do a lot with his throwing fundamentals to become a real threat as a passer.
#5. Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois:
Positives: Good size and adequate athleticism. He throws a really pretty football and can zip it into tight windows as well as put nice touch on the ball. He might have the best mechanics of any QB in this draft. He has great footwork on the drops (3step, 5step, and 7step) Honestly, reminds me of Brady a bit with his size and his mechanics, I am all in on this guy as a value pick, but I would imagine after this week at the senior bowl he will shoot up draft boards. Could end up in the 1st after all is said and done.
Negatives: Needs to add a little more bulk to his frame. Did not play against elite competition so the speed of the game might take some time to adjust to. Not a real threat to run with the ball.
#6. A.J. McCarron, Alabama:
Positives: Good size and mechanics. A true winner in a tough conference. Team leader and seems to have the intangibles to be a successful QB. He has great instincts on his throws as well as in the pocket.
Negatives: Has good arm strength, but not great and it is something he is going to have to improve on especially on out routes. Played with a lot of talent, so was it him making them better or the other way around. Not happy that he is skipping the Senior Bowl and I think it will affect his draft stock. Not overly mobile and won’t really make plays with his feet.
#7. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M:
Positives: Johnny Footballs greatest asset may be his abilty to make plays out of nothing. A real threat in the running game. He has a strong arm and is probably the most accurate passer on the move. Seems to have good leadership skills on the field and is able to get his teammates to follow him. Played well against good defenses and is a winner. Has shown the ability to keep his eyes downfield when the pocket breaks down. He is a polarizing figure who seems to make the most out of every play and the most out of the players around him. He is a winner with a winners mentality on the field and will most certainly be drafted well before I would take him.
Negatives: Oh boy, where do I begin? Let’s start on the field. He is small. Not only is he short, but he has a small frame. He is careless with the ball when he runs and he tends to force some throws when he is required to go through his progressions. He has happy feet all the time. Tends to want to run more often than wait for the WR’s to run their routes. His mechanics as a thrower are adequate at best and will need to be refined if he is going to be a consistent threat throwing the ball. Off the field he is a ticking time bomb. He loves the spotlight and football may not be #1 in his life. He has had issues with authority as well as alcohol. Does not have that level headed nature you look for in a franchise QB. Was kicked out of Manning’s passing camp due to missing or being late to 2 days of the camp apparently from being hung over.
#8. David Fales, San Jose St.:
Positives: He has good size, but what I saw from him was his excellent grasp of the game. Playing on a bad team, he was able to show great anticipation on where his WR’s should be. He was one of the best at throwing the ball before his WR was open and trusting his instincts and anticipation to be where they are supposed to be. Showed great field awareness and went through his progressions. Very accurate on the short and intermediate throws. He has good mechanics and a nice quick release.
Negatives: He only has adequate arm strength, which he will have to work on to have a chance to be a starter in the NFL. Accuracy falls off on his longer throws, again, probably because of his arm strength. Might need to be in a west coast offense to take advantage of his quick release and high accuracy on the shorter throws.
#9. Brett Smith, Wyoming:
Positives: If you like Johnny Manziel but don’t want the baggage or lack of size, this is your guy. He is sneaky athletic and has pretty good feet. Can make plays in the running game as well, but does not rely on it. Has good arm strength and is a real competitor. Has good vision downfield and can make all the throws, although some additional arm strength would not hurt.
Negatives: The only thing that I really saw was sometimes he gets almost too amped up during the game which tends to lead to mistakes. His confidence can sometimes get the best of him and he will throw ill advised throws into coverage which led to turnovers. Did not play against elite competition and he only led his team to a 5-7 record, which is a little disturbing considering his talent.
#10. Tajh Boyd, Clemson:
Positives: He is a good combo of passer and runner. Very tough and has the frame to withstand hits. Pretty good pocket presence. Has a live arm but has shown good touch on the lofted passes as well. Good speed in the open field and can extend plays with his movement skills. Has started a lot of games and played in some big games with good success.
Negatives: Height is a big issue for Tajh. He is listed at 6-1 but he is going to be 6ft at best. Clemson’s offense is a simple one so his nfl route tree is limited at best and well need to learn to read defenses at the NFL level. Tends to want to run first if the play starts to break down and does not really keep his eyes downfield.
Honorable Mention:
#11. Keith Wenning, Ball State
#12. Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech
#13. Aaron Murray, Georgia
#14. Stephon Morris, Miami
Well, sadly the season came to an end a little earlier than we would have hoped, but it was a great season and now we can focus on the draft. I do not post a bunch on here, but plan on doing it more this year. I dealt with an illness this fall that left me bedridden (nothing life threatining) for a stretch and it allowed me to really watch a bunch of games this fall and I have started to put together my notes on positions. I wanted to get anyone and everyone's thoughts on what they think of my unprofessional opinions. So, here goes:
QB Rankings and Overviews
Positives: Smart, instinctive, poised, high character guy. Above average arm strength, good footwork and hip rotation. Can make all the throws. Has decent pocket presence, and moves well with the ball while keeping his eyes downfield. Can make plays with his feet. No off field issues and graduated from college in 3 years.
Negatives: Slender build, could become a health risk if he does not bulk up. Needs to work on adding zip to his out route patterns. Not always willing to take the easy yards that are there with his feet, would always rather throw. Will have to work on taking the ball from under center.
#2. Derek Carr, Fresno State:
Positives: Good size and athleticism, smart. Has an NFL ready arm, probably the best arm in the draft. Can make all the throws with accuracy. Put up gaudy, video game type numbers.
Negatives: Has to do a little work on his footwork as he tends to have happy feet while sitting in the pocket. Only really has one year of good production, so is it talent coming through or a 1 year fluke? Not all that mobile and tends to lock onto his first read a little too much.
#3. Zack Mettenberger, LSU:
Positives: Great size and build, prototypical for the NFL. Possesses a really good arm, has good touch on the over the shoulder and back shoulder passes as well. Makes good reads and goes through his progressions well. Put up good numbers playing against some of the best defenses in the country.
Negatives: No threat whatsoever to run with the ball. Is heavy footed and will be confined to being a pocket passer, which some teams and really, the NFL seem to be going away from. Not me though. The other big negative is he suffered a torn ACL late in the season and will probably not be ready for training camp or the beginning of the season so you are looking at a red shirt year. If not for the injury, he would be my #2 QB, and he still might end up there. As a pats fan, I would seriously consider him at the end of round 1 because I love his talent.
#4. Blake Bortles, Central Florida:
Positives: Think Cam Newton. He is an athletic freak for a guy his size. Has a big arm and can run with the ball very well. Didn’t play elite competition, but when he did, he played well. Potential is through the roof to be one of those QB’s that is a true duel threat that can handle the beating because of his big frame.
Negatives: Seems like most of what I have seen like this kid more than me and have him in the top 10, which is a little too rich for my blood. He has a lot of work to do as a passer. His footwork is inconsistent and his read progression has been limited to this point. He will need to do a lot with his throwing fundamentals to become a real threat as a passer.
#5. Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois:
Positives: Good size and adequate athleticism. He throws a really pretty football and can zip it into tight windows as well as put nice touch on the ball. He might have the best mechanics of any QB in this draft. He has great footwork on the drops (3step, 5step, and 7step) Honestly, reminds me of Brady a bit with his size and his mechanics, I am all in on this guy as a value pick, but I would imagine after this week at the senior bowl he will shoot up draft boards. Could end up in the 1st after all is said and done.
Negatives: Needs to add a little more bulk to his frame. Did not play against elite competition so the speed of the game might take some time to adjust to. Not a real threat to run with the ball.
#6. A.J. McCarron, Alabama:
Positives: Good size and mechanics. A true winner in a tough conference. Team leader and seems to have the intangibles to be a successful QB. He has great instincts on his throws as well as in the pocket.
Negatives: Has good arm strength, but not great and it is something he is going to have to improve on especially on out routes. Played with a lot of talent, so was it him making them better or the other way around. Not happy that he is skipping the Senior Bowl and I think it will affect his draft stock. Not overly mobile and won’t really make plays with his feet.
#7. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M:
Positives: Johnny Footballs greatest asset may be his abilty to make plays out of nothing. A real threat in the running game. He has a strong arm and is probably the most accurate passer on the move. Seems to have good leadership skills on the field and is able to get his teammates to follow him. Played well against good defenses and is a winner. Has shown the ability to keep his eyes downfield when the pocket breaks down. He is a polarizing figure who seems to make the most out of every play and the most out of the players around him. He is a winner with a winners mentality on the field and will most certainly be drafted well before I would take him.
Negatives: Oh boy, where do I begin? Let’s start on the field. He is small. Not only is he short, but he has a small frame. He is careless with the ball when he runs and he tends to force some throws when he is required to go through his progressions. He has happy feet all the time. Tends to want to run more often than wait for the WR’s to run their routes. His mechanics as a thrower are adequate at best and will need to be refined if he is going to be a consistent threat throwing the ball. Off the field he is a ticking time bomb. He loves the spotlight and football may not be #1 in his life. He has had issues with authority as well as alcohol. Does not have that level headed nature you look for in a franchise QB. Was kicked out of Manning’s passing camp due to missing or being late to 2 days of the camp apparently from being hung over.
#8. David Fales, San Jose St.:
Positives: He has good size, but what I saw from him was his excellent grasp of the game. Playing on a bad team, he was able to show great anticipation on where his WR’s should be. He was one of the best at throwing the ball before his WR was open and trusting his instincts and anticipation to be where they are supposed to be. Showed great field awareness and went through his progressions. Very accurate on the short and intermediate throws. He has good mechanics and a nice quick release.
Negatives: He only has adequate arm strength, which he will have to work on to have a chance to be a starter in the NFL. Accuracy falls off on his longer throws, again, probably because of his arm strength. Might need to be in a west coast offense to take advantage of his quick release and high accuracy on the shorter throws.
#9. Brett Smith, Wyoming:
Positives: If you like Johnny Manziel but don’t want the baggage or lack of size, this is your guy. He is sneaky athletic and has pretty good feet. Can make plays in the running game as well, but does not rely on it. Has good arm strength and is a real competitor. Has good vision downfield and can make all the throws, although some additional arm strength would not hurt.
Negatives: The only thing that I really saw was sometimes he gets almost too amped up during the game which tends to lead to mistakes. His confidence can sometimes get the best of him and he will throw ill advised throws into coverage which led to turnovers. Did not play against elite competition and he only led his team to a 5-7 record, which is a little disturbing considering his talent.
#10. Tajh Boyd, Clemson:
Positives: He is a good combo of passer and runner. Very tough and has the frame to withstand hits. Pretty good pocket presence. Has a live arm but has shown good touch on the lofted passes as well. Good speed in the open field and can extend plays with his movement skills. Has started a lot of games and played in some big games with good success.
Negatives: Height is a big issue for Tajh. He is listed at 6-1 but he is going to be 6ft at best. Clemson’s offense is a simple one so his nfl route tree is limited at best and well need to learn to read defenses at the NFL level. Tends to want to run first if the play starts to break down and does not really keep his eyes downfield.
Honorable Mention:
#11. Keith Wenning, Ball State
#12. Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech
#13. Aaron Murray, Georgia
#14. Stephon Morris, Miami
