The speculation leading into the 2011 NFL Draft is that eight of the teams drafting in the top 12 need quarterbacks. That would be Arizona, Buffalo, Carolina, Cincinnati, Minnesota, San Francisco, Tennessee and Washington.
There are two, or maybe three, quarterbacks that have value that high. The notion is that a few of those teams will trade back into the first round to leapfrog someone else to get a quarterback.
That could be be a mistake.
Trading into round one for QBs in 2011 NFL Draft may be unwise
The quarterbacks who will probably be targets late in the first round are TCU’s Andy Dalton, Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick, Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett and Florida State’s Christian Ponder. Outside of Ponder, it’s hard to see any of those four turning the fortunes of a franchise around in one season.
The price those teams will have to pay may be a steep one. Most teams will likely ask for a first-round pick in 2012. So if a rookie quarterback doesn’t lead to several more wins, those teams could again have a top 10 pick next year.
Looking ahead, the 2012 NFL Draft looks to be a good one for quarterbacks early. Unless Stanford’s Andrew Luck shocks the world twice, he’s the favorite to go first overall. Arizona’s Nick Foles, who will be a senior, was considered by some to be just as good as
.
Then there is
of Oklahoma and
of Southern California. Both will be juniors this season and have the makings of franchise quarterbacks. Certainly both look like better pro prospects right now than Dalton, Kaepernick, Mallett and maybe Ponder.
Of course, there is plenty of time for that to change. They could bomb this season. Others could emerge. Regardless, it might be smarter for teams in the top 12 this year to not gamble next year’s draft on non-franchise quarterbacks this year.
That’s right, we’re already talking about the 2012 NFL Draft. Look for more right after this year’s draft is over. We’re a year-round NFL Draft site, so stay with us throughout the summer and leading up to the 2011 college football season.
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