The Sports Headquarters

To combat the lack of relevant college football activity this Saturday, I decided to release my top QB for the 2011 NFL draft. Let’s hope this keeps us all sane until the Bowl Season starts.

Andrew Luck

Stanford Ht: 6’4 Wt: 235 Projected 40-Time: 4.75 Rating: 98 Potential: 99

Luck is being called the best QB prospect since John Elway, and I would have to agree. He has all the tools you need in a QB, and he has the smarts to play the position as well. Unless you have a top 10 QB on your roster, you need to take this guy. I expect him to come in and have a Sam Bradford type impact.

Projection: #1 Overall

Ryan Mallett

Arkansas Ht:6’6 Wt:238 Projected 40-Time: 4.95 Rating: 93 Potential: 97

I’ve seen a lot of Mallett this year, and honestly, I can’t get enough. He has one of the biggest arms in this draft, but he can also put touch on the ball you rarely see from cannons like his. The only problem he has is over confidence in his arm. I’ve seen him force some throws that lead to bad picks. If he can fix that, he’s a sure fire franchise QB

Projection: Top 10

Cam Newton

Auburn Ht: 6’6 Wt: 246 Projected 40-Time: 4.5 Rating: 91 Potential: 99

Newton is our first “boom or bust” QB of the draft. He has the arm, he has the size, and he has a deadly running ability. The only question is can he function in an NFL offense? It’s no secret that Auburn runs a gimmick system that doesn’t allow for great analysis, but you can tell the tools are there. Intelligence is always the unknown in these situations.

Projection: Top 10

Jake Locker

WASH Ht: 6’3 Wt: 223 Projected 40-Time: 4.55 Rating: 90 Potential: 95

Locker had a horrific year mostly due to injury. That alone is enough to make him fall in the draft. He still has all the tools, but most of his success has come against weaker competition. A perfect spot for him would be a team with a veteran QB that he could sit behind for a year, because I don’t think he is ready yet.

Projection: Top 15

Christian Ponder

FSU Ht: 6’3 Wt: 220 Projected 40-Time: 4.7 Rating: 85 Potential: 90

At the beginning of the year everyone was high on Ponder, while I’ve been a skeptic the whole time. I never really questioned his next level ability; I just never thought he was a top 20 player like some did. His arm strength is average, but he does have good accuracy. Ponders ability to leave the pocket and create with his legs is above average as well. He is a good project QB that can make an impact in his 2nd or 3rd year.

Projection: 2nd Round

Ricky Stanzi

Iowa Ht: 6’4 Wt: 225 Projected 40-Time: 4.8 Rating: 81 Potential: 84

Stanzi projects to be nothing more than an average QB in the NFL. He has a better arm then Ponder, but there is nothing about him that screams great to me. At best he’ll be a starter that maybe makes a pro-bowl or two. At worst he will be a career backup that can make some spot starts. Either way, he will have a place in this league.

Projection: 3rd Round

Pat Delvin

Delaware Ht: 6’4 Wt: 220 Projected 40-Time: 4.8 Rating: 79 Potential: 86

Delvin showed me a lot this year by throwing only two picks with an outstanding 8 yards per pass attempt. He also completed 68% of his passes, something you rarely see out of a down field thrower like him. We already knew he had a strong arm. The only question was how accurate he could be. Yes, this was against Division II competition, but it is still impressive.

Projection: 3rd Round

Nathan Enderle

Idaho Ht: 6’5 Wt: 227 Projected 40-Time: 4.95 Rating: 77 Potential: 87

Just like Delvin, Enderle needed to show us how accurate he was. Well, 16 INTs would lead you to believe he is not. If this was against SEC competition it wouldn’t be a worry, but playing in a weak non BCS conference, it doesn’t speak well about him. Enderle had the possibility of flying up the boards with a good season. Now it looks like he’s stuck in the middle rounds.

Projection: 4th Round

Tyrod Taylor

V-Tech Ht: 6’1 Wt: 206 Projected 40-Time: 4.5 Rating: 75 Potential: 80

At the beginning of the year I had no faith in Taylor, but over the season he’s shown his accuracy problems are behind him for the time being. At most you are looking at a Troy Smith type QB, but at this point in the draft that is pretty good value. Expect a team like Washington to take him, that is, unless the cut McNabb and build for the future now.

Projection: 5th Round

C. Kaepernick

Nevada Ht: 6’6 Wt: 215 Projected 40-Time: 4.5 Rating: 73 Potential: 84

This is a guy who is all upside and will need to sit for at least two years. His offense in college had absolutely no pro aspects what so ever. He has the ideal height, but he needs to bulk up some. Tools are there for the most part, but he really needs to work on his reads and progressions.

Projection: 5th-6th Round

– Brent Mullis