Locker scores worse on the Wonderic than JaLardbutt... LOL

[Byron2112]

QB Wonderlic

Greg McElroy 43
Blaine Gabbert 42
Colin Kaepernick 37
Christian Ponder 35
Ricky Stanzi 30
Andy Dalton 29
Ryan Mallett 26
Cam Newton 21
Jake Locker 20

Russell scored 24... :confused:


http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/34683/beyond-those-qb-wonderlic-scores


Here's an interesting theory on stats predicting NFL QB success... the "rule of 26-27-60"(minumum #'s of 26 Wonderlic, 27 games started in college, 60% career completion).


Perhaps we should not be stunned by JaMarcus Russell's utter flop as an NFL quarterback -- low-lighted this week by his arrest for possession of a controlled substance in Alabama.

But could a simple formula have warned us of Russell's lack of NFL readiness? And Ryan Leaf's and David Carr's and other failed, high-pick quarterbacks?

Call it the Rule of 26-27-60.

Here is the gist of it: If an NFL prospect scores at least a 26 on the Wonderlic test, starts at least 27 games in his college career and completes at least 60 percent of his passes, there's a good chance he will succeed at the NFL level.

There are, of course, exceptions. If NFL general managers always could measure heart, determination and other intangibles, then Tom Brady would not have been drafted in the sixth round.

But short of breaking down tape, conducting personal interviews and analyzing every number and every snap of every game, remember the Rule of 26-27-60 the next time a hotshot prospect comes down the pike.

Since 1998, these are some of the NFL quarterbacks who aced all three parts of the Rule of 26-27-60: Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers, Eli Manning, Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Matt Schaub, Kyle Orton, Kevin Kolb, Matt Ryan, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matt Stafford...



More at the link...


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/john_lopez/07/08/qb.rule/index.html

[RZ]

AND Cam Newton lol

[CrossBones]

Turns out coming back for his senior year was a HUGE mistake. He ain't much and now we see he's dumb too? LOL

[TheMadStork]

Here is the gist of it: If an NFL prospect scores at least a 26 on the Wonderlic test, starts at least 27 games in his college career and completes at least 60 percent of his passes, there's a good chance he will succeed at the NFL level.

So if a guy's smart, starts most of his college games and completes most of his passes, he's probably going to be successful NFL QB? Whooda thunk it??

Attention, NFL GM's!!! (And Al.) Picking QB's isn't rocket science.

[RaiderJF]

I wonder what Marinovich scored on his Wonderlic...

[Madturk]

Too bad we don't put any stock on these scores. I'd love to take a flyer on Greg McElroy but because he doesn't have the physical skills that some other qb's have, we won't even sniff him.

[Raider Nation]

I wonder what Marinovich scored on his Wonderlic...

Weed, man. He scored weed.

[Sleet]

So if a guy's smart, starts most of his college games and completes most of his passes, he's probably going to be successful NFL QB? Whooda thunk it??

Attention, NFL GM's!!! (And Al.) Picking QB's isn't rocket science.

Well, would you draft Mallett? Word is his stock is continuing to fall (see below).

Mallett, who came out early as a junior (and thus didn't have a senior year to inflate his stats), is right on the bubble of what GM's supposedly want/like: 26, 30 (26*), 58% (60%*). Plus, he has a huge NFL-ready arm. Now, if he wasn't a dick, didn't use drugs, and could avoid sacks.

*Sophmore/Junior years at Arkansas

YEAR CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA LNG TD INT SACK RAT
2007 61 141 892 43.3 6.33 97 7 5 12 105.69
2009 225 403 3627 55.8 9.00 83 30 7 24 152.52
2010 266 411 3869 64.7 9.41 89 32 12 25 163.65

YEAR TEAM G PassTD RushTD RecTD RetTD TotTD 2PT PAT FG TotPT
2007 MICH 4 7 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 6
2009 ARK 13 30 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 12
2010 ARK 13 32 4 0 0 4 0 0 0 24

Report: Mallett’s draft stock falling like Clausen’s last year
Posted by Evan Silva on March 18, 2011, 6:03 PM EDT

Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett has generated positive reviews for his passing performances at the Scouting Combine and Razorbacks’ Pro Day, but the ability to throw the football powerfully and accurately may not be enough to save Mallett from falling out of the first round.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mallett’s draft “stock is falling, much like Jimmy Clausen’s did last season.”

Last year, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock called Clausen a top-ten talent. But character concerns pushed the Notre Dame alum all the way to pick No. 48.

Mallett is reportedly “plagued by concerns about his character and personality.” And Mallett’s character concerns run much deeper than Clausen’s. We’ve touched on that plenty.

In an interview with Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, ex-Rams personnel boss and current ESPN 101 analyst Tony Softli broke down NFL teams’ concerns with Ryan Mallett, the player and person.

“A lot of teams are scared of him,” Softli said. “It’s nothing personal against the kid, but if you watch some of the games, you see his immaturity pop up. … I don’t know if he’s wired right. That’s what’s starting to concern a lot of teams.”

Softli predicts that Mallett will fall to the second or third round of the draft.

Mallett did not make the cut in our latest first-round mock.

[Sleet]

Blaine Gabbert, who also is coming out as a junior, nearly meets this test, and plainly would have met this standard had he played his senior year, as well: 42/25/61

YEAR CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA LNG TD INT SACK RAT
2008 5 13 43 38.5 3.31 14 0 0 1 66.25
2009 262 445 3593 58.9 8.07 84 24 9 19 140.45
2010 301 475 3186 63.4 6.71 68 16 9 23 127.03

YEAR TEAM G PassTD RushTD RecTD RetTD TotTD 2PT PAT FG TotPT
2009 MIZZ 13 24 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 18
2010 MIZZ 12 16 5 0 0 5 0 0 0 30

[TheMadStork]

Well, would you draft Mallett?

Obviously, you have to take the head case factor into account...

[Birdwell]

Mallet has a whole bunch more physical talent than Clausen had. He won't make it past, say pick 38. Just too much potential upsode on the stiff that you can't teach and can't mature into.

Not that I want any part of him. Just saying that there are too many teams without a great option at QB who would like a guy like Mallet throwing the ball, and figure if he isn't pressed into starting he can grow into the role.

[Sleet]

Mallet has a whole bunch more physical talent than Clausen had. He won't make it past, say pick 38. Just too much potential upsode on the stiff that you can't teach and can't mature into.

Not that I want any part of him. Just saying that there are too many teams without a great option at QB who would like a guy like Mallet throwing the ball, and figure if he isn't pressed into starting he can grow into the role.

It's a QB league. Hard to pass on a guy that can throw like Mallet once you get into the 2nd round. Problem is, the HC who drafts him better have (a) the system, (b) pass protection/running game, and (c) survive long enough to see Mallet start/play well.

[Sleet]

Kaepernick's another QB that looks good grading from a 26/27/60 viewpoint:

His score as a 4-year starter: 37/47/58
His score as a junior/senior: 37/26/62

But, not only did he play in the hard-to-judge "pistol" offense for 4 years, he seemed to have a long delivery at the Combine.

YEAR TEAM CMP ATT PCT YDS AVG TD LNG INT RAT
2007 NEV 133 247 53.8 2175 8.8 19 74 3 150.77
2008 NEV 208 383 54.3 2849 7.4 22 75 7 132.10
2009 NEV 166 282 58.9 2052 7.3 20 56 6 139.14
2010 NEV 233 359 64.9 3022 8.4 21 79 8 150.46

YEAR TEAM G PassTD RushTD RecTD RetTD TotTD 2PT PAT FG TotPT
2007 NEV 8 19 6 0 0 6 0 0 0 36
2008 NEV 13 22 17 0 0 17 0 0 0 102
2009 NEV 12 20 16 1 0 17 1 0 0 104
2010 NEV 14 21 20 0 0 20 0 0 0 120

[Birdwell]

Kaepernick's another QB that looks good grading from a 26/27/60 viewpoint:

His score as a 4-year starter: 37/47/58
His score as a junior/senior: 37/26/62

But, not only did he play in the hard-to-judge "pistol" offense for 4 years, he seemed to have a long delivery at the Combine.

YEAR TEAM CMP ATT PCT YDS AVG TD LNG INT RAT
2007 NEV 133 247 53.8 2175 8.8 19 74 3 150.77
2008 NEV 208 383 54.3 2849 7.4 22 75 7 132.10
2009 NEV 166 282 58.9 2052 7.3 20 56 6 139.14
2010 NEV 233 359 64.9 3022 8.4 21 79 8 150.46

YEAR TEAM G PassTD RushTD RecTD RetTD TotTD 2PT PAT FG TotPT
2007 NEV 8 19 6 0 0 6 0 0 0 36
2008 NEV 13 22 17 0 0 17 0 0 0 102
2009 NEV 12 20 16 1 0 17 1 0 0 104
2010 NEV 14 21 20 0 0 20 0 0 0 120

Glad you posted this, Sleet. Saved me some time. :D

As a four-year starter in a very complex offense (Chris Ault's pistol isn;t just a formation, it's a hybrid power/ZBS, power I pro-set/spread formation/with just a little run n shoot), Kaepernick's football IQ has to be pretty good. Nice wonderlic score, too, given the program (which is not known for its rocket science graduates). His bowl game against BC, where he got the points and then managed the game, was very nicely executed.

As for lining up the pistol, it's certainly no worse than the guys who start every snap in shotgun, and in fact better becauser there are still drops from the pistol. Kaepernick clearly has the talent in his feet to get footwork down.

In the Senior Bowl and the Combine, his delivery seemed 1 to 1.5 tenth faster than what I recall from the bowl game. He came out of HS as a 90+ MPH fastball pitcher, and his delivery shows that. Overall, the kid seems coachable.

Most guys who come to the NFL with long deliveries also tend to be statues in the pocket. That's not Kaerpernick.

If he's available in the third round, I could see Al trading up to nab him. The kid has a rocket arm, decent touch, accuracy, and wheels. And his record as a leader isn't nad. Let's face it, when you came come into a D-I program and start as a freshman, you have something.

So long as we get an interior O-lineman round 2, I'd be very happy with taking Kaepernick in the third round and allowing him to develop behind Campbell.

[hawaiianboy]

Upon further review, Locker should be late first-round pick


* By Pat Kirwan NFL.com

There are more than a few lessons I learned during my time as an NFL personnel man. One was that if one person in a room full of scouts and coaches stands on a table for a particular prospect while everyone else claims to look the other way, then it's time to take another look at the player in question.

It's worthwhile to go back to the evaluation and try to see what the lone voice in the room sees. The process might lead you right back to your present evaluation, but it might also help prevent a mistake.

It turns out Washington quarterback Jake Locker is just that type of player. Locker has been sliding down draft boards throughout the fall and winter. The way some see it, he isn't evn a third-round pick at this point. That leads to a series of questions: First, is that true? Are scouts missing something? Have we all become tainted by perceptions? Most importantly, are his issues correctable?

As my mentor, the late Dick Steinberg, once said to me, "Let's start with what we like about a player and then work back to the negatives."

In order to re-open the evaluation of Locker, I thought it wise to enlist a few quarterback experts into the process. First is former NFL quarterback Jim Miller, who like me has watched most of Locker's game tapes, studied his work at the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine and most recently watched Washington's pro day tape. Then there is Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian, an accomplished quarterback coach himself, who coached Locker. Sarkisian played quarterback at BYU and coached Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty, and Mark Sanchez, among others. Next is a former NFL head coach who specialized in quarterbacks and has been watching Locker's game tapes for me specifically to address the issue of technique correctability. I also reached out to a current NFL head coach who needs a quarterback in this draft and was kind enough to share his thoughts on Locker, as well as a general manager who is not in need of a quarterback.

I even went back to a PAC-10 defensive coordinator who faced Washington this season and asked about Locker and the Huskies' offense. His first reaction was, "Locker had no one in front of him, yet he threw for a ton of yards and killed us with his feet."

Former Jets quarterback Ken O'Brien, who was with the team while I was a part of the organization, is currently working with Locker and has made some interesting corrections in his mechanics. Miller observed that O'Brien has tightened Locker's shoulders and body lean on his drops, improving his balance since the Senior Bowl. Miller also noted Locker has a nice over-the-top delivery, with his elbow above the shoulder at the point the ball is released.

Those sound like improvements, but there remain critics who describe Locker as inaccurate, unable to find receivers downfield and too quick to hit the panic button and run. As soon as I watched Locker on tape, though, I had an immediate idea on several issues that could be resolved by improved footwork. The issues surfaced at the Senior Bowl, and by the combine I was convinced the lack of depth on Locker's drops was causing most of his problems. Locker has a tendency to drop-step off the snap, which doesn't allow him to pull away from center and reach seven yards deep on his five-step drop.

I did a video series with the late Bill Walsh a number of years ago on NFL coaching. Even though I had coached college quarterbacks for six years, I learned an enormous amount from Coach Walsh about the importance of getting out from under center with a first step at 180 degrees. Coach Walsh called one drill 'punch/reach' and believed it was never too late to work on it. He loved to talk about putting Joe Montana and Steve Young through it nearly every day.

Locker doesn't take the proper first step on a consistent basis, and it gets him in trouble. But there's no doubt he can improve, either. Coach Brad Childress told me he worked on the same drill with a young Donovan McNabb coming out of Syracuse until he perfected it.

The improvement was evident at Locker's pro day workout last week. Sarkisian recognizes that it's an area of weakness, pointing out Locker has had only two seasons in a pro style offense and is still improving his muscle memory.

"The quarterbacks I coached at USC started preparing for the NFL game in eighth grade and by time they got to USC they were ready," Sarkisian said. "Jake just started learning the fundamentals two years ago, had to break some bad habits. His personality and mental toughness will get him there in another year."

Added the current NFL head coach, "Jake is like a sophomore in college to me, and if he goes to a team that can sit him for one year, he may be great."

As a part-time scout for the Buccaneers at the time Steve Young arrived, I remember a great athlete who was just not ready to beat out Steve DeBerg. But the raw talent, great feet and competitiveness were all there. Locker reminds me a bit of Young at that stage, so I asked others for their opinion.

Miller sees that Locker has a sixth sense when he feels pressure and is aware while looking downfield. He believes Locker's vision and cuts in the open field are uncanny, just like Young's. Sarkisian called it "a fair comparison at this point." The former NFL coach said the key for Locker is to learn how to play the game in the pocket. Childress pointed out a critical NFL stat about quarterbacks running for first downs. Rich Gannon led the NFL in that category during his best NFL season. It wouldn't surprise me to see Locker do the same someday.

So where does Locker fit in the NFL? The consensus among this group is a team with a veteran, established quarterback so Locker can continue his development on the practice field. A team could develop a package for him as a rookie, but overall patience is critical. Jacksonville (David Garrard), Tennessee (Kerry Collins), Seattle (Matt Hasselbeck) and Oakland (Jason Campbell) would all be interesting spots for Locker.


One attribute that rings out loud and clear for Locker is how well he throws to his left. After watching the pro day workout, the general manager said Locker looked like Troy Aikman while throwing skinny post routes to his left. One of my evaluators has an issue with Locker's height (6-foot-2 1/2), saying he isn't comfortable with quarterbacks under 6-4. A way to combat that would be to build a significant amount of waggle and bootlegs into the offensive package, which would take some pressure off Locker.

It reminds me that Redskins coach Mike Shanahan has always had a strong perimeter passing attack based off his run game, and Washington would be an interesting destination for Locker if he didn't have to start right away.

When it comes to Locker's mental toughness and football intelligence, Sarkisian is the best source. You can get sense of these areas by putting a quarterback on the board or watching game tape, but nothing rock solid. Sarkisian said Locker identifies all defenses, makes protection calls, kills plays at the line, checks into audibles and handles criticism well. Granted, he is Locker's coach, but coaches have to tell it like it is with the future of prospects on the line.

I was glad to have revisited Locker's profile over the last five days. It opened my eyes to his potential, reset where I think he belongs in the draft, and, quite frankly, changed my overall opinion of him. I think Locker should be a late first-round pick, and I know two head coaches who agree with me.

[DarkDays]

Thank God we dont pick in the first round because you know Al would take this moron at 17

[CrossBones]

He had a private work out with the Seahawks today. They might be the ones who take him at 25. That would be good. Homeboy has just a little more pressure to do well. To me it would not be a good situation. Besides aren't the Seahawks the ones who want to throw the ball down the field? Locker is a terrible fit for that kind of offense.

[007]

I think Carroll is a WC offense type of guy.

Lots of rollouts, quick hitters and big targets all over the field (Carlson/BMW).

I think its a good fit and fair value honestly.

[CrossBones]

I think Carroll is a WC offense type of guy.

Lots of rollouts, quick hitters and big targets all over the field (Carlson/BMW).

I think its a good fit and fair value honestly.I think they got Whitehurst and paid a big price for him because he had a big arm and Carroll wanted to stretch the field and take shots. Locker is a horrible fit to to that. Maybe Carroll has rethought how he wants to build that shitty team but that isn't how he started to build it.

[007]

You would know the Hags better than me so I'll defer to you on that.

[hawaiianboy]

Locker was pretty impressive on Gruden's QB thing... I don't think a team has to worry about him going "JaMarcus" on them... Seems to live football...

[Birdwell]

Locker was pretty impressive on Gruden's QB thing... I don't think a team has to worry about him going "JaMarcus" on them... Seems to live football...

Oddly, I've seen I think all the QBs who've been on Chuckie's thing. I got the same impression of Locker, and of Gabbert.

Mallett intrigued me, because he really knows his football, seemed to take the film to stuff well, and Chuckie's adminstions to heart. But when Chuckie had toget on his ass not to loaf during the throwing sessions -- can you imagine a QB coach having to that two or three times every damn practice?

The guy who scared the hell outta mean was Cam Newton. How could anyone consider drafting this guy high? Could not tell Chuckie a play call with any verbiage. Had no idea how far or high he jumped at the combine. And actually argued with Chuckie about idiotic attempt to sneak in from the one all 10 other guys were executing the victory formation, saying as a competitor he had to try it. Yikes.

[Byron2112]

Locker was pretty impressive on Gruden's QB thing... I don't think a team has to worry about him going "JaMarcus" on them... Seems to live football...

I certainly didn't mean to give the impression Locker was a Dbag like Russell... just kinda funny that such a diligent guy could score lower on this test than such a lazy dumb ass as JaFarcus.

[Byron2112]

The guy who scared the hell outta mean was Cam Newton. How could anyone consider drafting this guy high? Could not tell Chuckie a play call with any verbiage. Had no idea how far or high he jumped at the combine. And actually argued with Chuckie about idiotic attempt to sneak in from the one all 10 other guys were executing the victory formation, saying as a competitor he had to try it. Yikes.

Yeah, Newton's gonna bust hard IMO.

He looks fucking lost....


http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/cam-asked-whats-an-auburn-play-sound-like-29635



pathetic...

[007]

Mallett owned the whiteboard, Locker was a great speaker.

Both those two kicked Newton/Gabberts ass in Grudens QB camp, but it wont mean dick on draft day.

[Raider Outlaw]

Oddly, I've seen I think all the QBs who've been on Chuckie's thing. I got the same impression of Locker, and of Gabbert.

Mallett intrigued me, because he really knows his football, seemed to take the film to stuff well, and Chuckie's adminstions to heart. But when Chuckie had toget on his ass not to loaf during the throwing sessions -- can you imagine a QB coach having to that two or three times every damn practice?

The guy who scared the hell outta mean was Cam Newton. How could anyone consider drafting this guy high? Could not tell Chuckie a play call with any verbiage. Had no idea how far or high he jumped at the combine. And actually argued with Chuckie about idiotic attempt to sneak in from the one all 10 other guys were executing the victory formation, saying as a competitor he had to try it. Yikes.



The thing about newton is that for all the criticism he takes, he was a major difference maker on every level in college and ran Gus Malzahn's offense like he asked, which at the end of the day is what you want, no matter if it wasn't the most complex in the world (according to all the armchair QBs anyway).

I'm an FSU alum, and I can certainly tell you the Jimbo Fisher offense that Jamarcus came out of isn't simple by any stretch, yet he's possibly the biggest bust ever.

As far as Gabbert and Locker go, Locker's inaccuracy would make me never draft him, and Gabbert was always just a guy in college. I checked himout earlier in the process of looking to the draft, but every time I watched, he didn't impress, actually he underwhelmed despite having all the tools and playing in an awful conference on top of it all this year.

No one has ever shown me the guy considered blue chip by the "experts" who was mediocre in college despite having decent talent around him who became good in the pros with the team that drafted him.

Locker could possibly make it, but I don't see it because he's inaccurate and despite what his water carriers say, it wasn't all his receivers. Sometimes he just launches balls all over the place with no explanation, very streaky. Then, couple it with that he's a loser with an 0-12 season on his resume, no thanks.

Also, for those people comparing him to Favre coming out, give me a fucking break. I was all over Favre at the time because he'd beaten FSU almost singlehandedly at Southern Miss and followed him the rest of his college career, hoping he'd be an eventual Raider and despite similar stats, there's no comparison, absolutely none.

I don't think much of this class, but the only guys I even think have a chance are Newton, Ponder, and Mallet, while I wouldn't touch Mallet because of his drug issues. Carolina is definitely rolling the dice, but if they hit, it'll be worth it, and none of those defensive players would give them the same impact imo.

How many people thought Josh Freeman would be servicable, let alone potentially great as he's shown. He ran a similar offense, so I think I'd take him. He's dominated at every level, so you might as well see if he can do it in the NFL.

As far as the small school guys like DAulton and the Nevada kid, I wouldn't take them because I think level of competition is just as important in QB projecting to the next level. I can't name any small school guy outside of the bonafied blue chip prospects like Roethlisberger and Steve McNair (RIP) that were even servicable. It's too risky to me and those guys usually wash out 90% of the time.

[BigTron]

Everyone loves Ponder, but nobody ranks him above all these QB's with so many question marks haha. Weird shit

[Raider Outlaw]

I think alot more liked him before his senior season a lot like Locker, but he had alot of injuries this past year. I know early in the season, the local heads here in Phoenix were talking him up as an early pick for the Cardinals, which has been replaced by the Gabbert hype machine despite his mediocre career at Missouri.

Had Ponder stayed a potential top 5 pick, thus having to play early, I would be one of his detractors, but as a guy who'll get to sit for a little bit, I think he'll be very good.

Jimbo Fisher is as hard on QBs as anyone and his system is pretty complex.

Add on that he basically tapped him, an unheralded recruit, over higher regarded players to be his guy when he first got to Tallahassee after the Chris Ricks and Drew WEtherford disasters, and I like his chances to deal with that kind of expectation from a fan base and coaching staff once he gets his feet wet.

He's a good decision maker and the type of guy who will learn the offense inside out, immersing himself in the playbook. He's a great runnner and pretty accurate with the ball. The injuries are the only drawback with him imo.

Maybe I'm biased because I know how far FSU had fallen (even further than outside appearances) and he did alot of little things like getting us in the right play at the line for big runs and making big plays with his arm and feet despite the diminished blue chip talent during the bulk of his career.

I mean, there were no Leon Washingtons, Greg Jones, or Boldins during his time as the talent level had fallen off a lot the past 4 years.

[Birdwell]

RO,

Appreciate the considered post. What you mentioned about succeeding at every level is an interesting facet of the evaluation process.

The hard part about it all is the comparison aspect of it. For example, Freeman played in a big-time conference at a second-tier school within it. Which means that he had less talent all around him than the teams he faced. Same deal could be said of guys like Eli, Favre, Rivers, or even Matt Ryan. Then there are guys like Chad Pennington or Ben Roethlisberger or Joe Flacco who came from schools in second tier conferences.

The harder thing is figuring out how much of a guy's success (or failure) is due to the talent (or lack) of in his teammates and their superiority (or inferiority) relative to the players they face. David Carr, for example, had Darnay Scott. What great receiver did Flacco or Ryan throw to? (Ryan had a better O-line than what his team afced on a D-line, but his lack of talent at the skill positions compensated.

The only skill player at Nevada, for example, who even has any serious second-day status is his Virgil Green (Vai Taua is a third day guy at best). The best wide receiver Kaepernick ever threw to was Marko Mitchell, who was drafted by the Redksins in the 7th rund in 2009, waived in May of 2010, claimed by the Vikings, then cut in the second-to-last set of cuts and ended up playing last season in Canada.

Like Ponder, who had slightly inferior talent against the top teams in the ACC but made the best of what he had anyway, Kaepernick did much the same. Hell, he's the only QB to beat Boise State in the past two years, and when is the next time Nevada will rank in a final season top-20?

Give me a gritty competitor who works hard and has a good arm. (I didn't say great arm, just one able to throw the entire NFL route tree.) I think that would count as Kaepernick, Ponder, possibly Dalton. NOT Mallet, Newton, Gabbert or Locker. Who did I leave off?

[Raider Outlaw]

Kaepernick might be good, but I would be skeptical of his chances. Of all the QBs you mention, those guys from smaller conferences were considered blue chip prospects by scouts early on in the evaluation process from McNair to Roethlisberger.

I can't remember the small conference guy who didn't wow scouts ahead of time, but still developed into something special.

Favre had everyone's attention back in 1990 after he beat FSU, and with all due respect to Boise State, it's no comparison...that FSU team had Deion Sanders playing on it among other great players.

Looking back, it was even more impressive because that was before scholarships were cut to 85 and the power programs just horded all the talent.

I'm just saying, odds are against him and I like playing better odds than that. As far

as the talent surrounding Newton, I think he's gotten slighted because even in their best of times, Auburn is forever second fiddle in Alabama, even when they were pounding Alabama every year, you knew that it was due to the incompetence in Tuscaloosa rather than they were outdoing them. Alabama is probably the best college football job outside of Texas right now considering that Notre Dame has some academic restrictions that hinder them).

To not only elevate that team over Alabama (and the rest of the SEC) while they are relevant but to do it in such dramatic fashion counts for a lot to me.

Also, like I said, he ran malzahn's offense as he asked, which is what you want your QB to do. If he wasn't at Auburn, they would have used another player to run the system...and he ran it damn near to perfection in that one year.

As long as he understands offensive concepts on the white board, which teams reportedly say he does, I'd take him because the reward outweighs the risk imo.

If you get another great defensive lineman at the top of the draft, so what?

They just had that with Peppers and continuously came up short with 3 winning seasons in 9 years.

He doesn't have tangible work ethic red flags like Jamarcus, has the physical tools and reportedly understands concepts on the white board, plus he's been a difference maker at every level, I'd take him.

I didn't say I wouldn't be nervous because QBs at the top make me nervous due to their 50/50 bust potential, but he's the only pick they can make if they want to try to be relevant anytime soon.