The drafts in 2011 and 2012 were in many ways defined by the quarterbacks selected.
Who is the 2015 NFL Draft’s 3rd-best QB?
Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Florida State’s Jameis Winston are obviously at the top, but is there a franchise signal caller after them? It could be Michigan State’s Connor Cook.
Gregory Shamus
Of course there were the high first-round picks like Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. But beyond the first round, there were Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick in 2011, and Russell Wilson and Nick Foles in 2012.
The top quarterbacks for next year are Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Florida State’s Jameis Winston. The quarterbacks who come after them will go a long way in determining the quality of the class.
The catch is figuring out which quarterback after the top two could be a star.
The first name that probably comes to mind is Baylor’s Bryce Petty. The senior is obviously prolific and over the last two years has an absurd 41:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. When you really analyze Petty as a prospect, a different picture is there. Petty, a senior, has deep-ball accuracy issues and obviously benefits from Art Briles’ system at Baylor.
Notre Dame’s Everett Golson is another quarterback who feeds off the short passing game, but has displayed nice accuracy and velocity on his throws.
Meanwhile, UCLA’s Brett Hundley continues his confounding college career. At first glance, Hundley’s line of 16-of-21 for 269 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Utah don’t look too bad. But consider that Hundley was sacked 10 times, several of them being his fault. Hundley’s pocket presence is lacking. He drops his eyes too quickly and doesn’t have a good feel for the blitz. The best comparison for Hundley remains Ryan Tannehill.
Michigan State’s Connor Cook may be the player who ultimately slides into the third spot. Cook can work the intermediate areas better than the others mentioned and is in only his second season as a starter. Cook doesn’t dazzle you with a powerful arm, but he places the ball nicely and has good touch on his throws.
Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott is a wild card. Some are going to like him and others will see another Tim Tebow. Prescott is a squat 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds and has improved as a passer throughout his career. He’s been lauded for his leadership and can get a team to rally around him. Prescott is also capable of ripping off runs and is hard to take down.
Alabama’s Blake Sims has only started five college games, so there it’s unfair to completely judge him at this point. The same can be said for Georgia’s Hutson Mason. Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton would be in the discussion but is likely out for the season with another knee injury.
The sleeper? Don’t discount Shane Carden just because he plays at East Carolina. Some like South Alabama’s Brandon Bridge; I haven’t watched him yet.
Random draft notes:
A pass rusher’s impact isn’t always seen in the stats. In one two-play stretch, Florida's Dante Fowler, Jr.’s talent was felt without truly making a play. On the first, Fowler moved down the line and ended up between the right tackle and guard. This forced freshman right tackle Coleman Thomas to false start. The next play, Fowler stunted to the inside, and both the running back and right guard had to pick him up. That allowed Florida to blitz around the right edge, forcing Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley to throw a pass that led to an intentional grounding. That’s how Fowler can threaten an offense without necessarily registering a tackle or sack.
For maybe the first time all season, South Carolina running back Mike Davis looked healthy this past week. In a loss to Kentucky, the junior had 183 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Of the top running backs in next year’s draft, Davis may have the best vision.
As Davis excelled, Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah struggled against Michigan State. Abdullah had just 45 yards on 24 carries. Michigan State’s game plan against Abdullah was sound; the Spartans either beat him to the edge, swarmed him or contained him in space. The latter negated Abdullah’s ability to get up to speed and use misdirection. If Abdullah isn’t put in a system to utilize his speed and agility, his value diminishes. Below is the cut up from the game via Draft Breakdown.
Auburn’s Sammie Coates finally had the game we’ve benign waiting for this season with four catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. Coates has been banged up this season and overshadowed by junior college transfer D’haquille Williams. Both players are only juniors, but could be top 100 picks.
Kentucky’s Bud Dupree got a lot of headlines after clinching a win against South Carolina with an interception in the final two minutes of the game. Dupree is a good, active defender. He’s just not an every-down, hand-in-the-dirt defensive end in the NFL. He’s a player who will have to be put in the right situation to succeed. Kentucky does that some by lining Dupree up in a variety of spots. He just gets overpowered at the point of attack too easily.
Alabama safety Landon Collins was largely non-existent in an upset loss to Ole Miss. Collins, who is the draft's top safety, may have been nursing an ankle injury, though.
Expect to see Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney compared often to former New Orleans Saints third-round pick Martez Wilson. Like Wilson, McKinney is a lanky middle linebacker who some will try to shoehorn into being an outside linebacker. McKinney gets moved around some for the Bulldogs, but he's most effective between the tackles. In space, he too frequently misses on tackles. Still, seeing McKinney beat Texas A&M's Cedric Ogbuehi for a sack with speed to the outside was intriguing.
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