2012 NFL Draft: The Quarterbacks after Luck, RG III, and Tannehill
Apr 25th, 2012 by dmack
After Luck and Robert Griffin, the pickins’ are awfully slim
It’s not often that you get two elite prospects like Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Luck is generally considered the most NFL ready prospect since John Elway and the Colts thought enough of him to jettison certain first-ballot Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. Some pundits question whether Robert Griffin III might not just be better than Luck now and with a much higher upside in the future. The Redskins gave a king’s ransom to put their future in his hands. Ryan Tannehill is this year’s wildcard having gone to college as a wide receiver and switching over to quarterback playing in just 19 games. Without question he has the physical tools but how will he fare against NFL defenses ??? The Miami Dolphins appear ready to risk the eighth overall pick in the draft to find out.
and then ???
While this year’s crop of gunslingers is elite up top, there is a chasm between Tannehill and BOTN’s fourth-rated quarterback Brandon Weedon. In BOTN’s opinion there are no impact players other than Luck and Griffin and that many of this year’s class will be trivia within five years. That said, here we go with a look at the rest.
Brandon Weedon, Oklahoma State
Weedon is a former first-round draft pick of the New York Yankees who much like Chris Weinke is getting a late start on his football career. He’s a brilliant short passer and is generally rated as having a strong arm. His negatives are of course his age (28) and that he doesn’t throw well when pressured. One of just two BCS QBs to complete 400 passes last year, he is mature and cerebral. He should go in the second or third round, hold a clipboard a couple of years before becoming a serviceable backup.
Kirk Cousins, Michigan State
Cousins is another guy with average to above average tools that won at the collegiate level. Intelligence and toughness can only get you by so far and usually not at the NFL. Cousin does not have a strong arm but he does have a nice touch and is particularly adept at leading the receiver. He’s a project at best and BOTN has him banging around for a few years before heading to Canada or Arena Football. Cousins 27 wins at Michigan State is the school record.
Brock Osweiler, Arizona State
Osweiler probably has the best future of the lower round QB draft picks. At 6’7″ and 243 with excellent arm strength and accuracy, he does have a future but …. with just 15 starts under his belt, he’s very very raw. He can see over defenses, has a quick release, and very strong work ethic. Osweiler figures to go in the third or fourth round and the team that gets him may have this year’s diamond in the rough.
Nick Fowles, Arizona
Fowles has good tools and learned to avoid a rush after two years of being a Bozo Bounceup toy for two years at Arizona. Scouts say that he makes good reads but hold the ball forever and could do with a faster release. Most of his career at Arizona he worked out of the shotgun in an effort to keep him alive so he’ll have a lot to work on in a pro set. Look for Fowles to get taken in the fourth to sixth round.
Russell Wilson, Wisconsin
Wilson may have to go the opposite rout of Brandon Weedon and return to baseball after his NFL football aspirations have been dashed. He was the nation’s most efficient passer last year and has good size and arm strength but at just 5’11″ and not real thick, he has his work cut out for him. The next Drew Brees ??? Lots have come and gone, tried and failed … there are just not a lot of Drew Brees. Wilson was in the Rockies organization and his future is probably much brighter at Coors Field than at Mile
Kellen Moore, Boise State
The politically correct thing to say about this guy is that he is a winner. The brass tacks of the matter are that he’s too small (5’11″), unathletic, can’t throw on the run, has below average arm strength, and struggles throwing downfield. He is your classic overachiever and could hook on with somebody for a couple of years to be used on an emergency basis. A fifth to seventh round pick that could go undrafted and then get scooped up as a free agent.
BJ Coleman, Chattanooga
Coleman is a Tennessee transfer that had a nice career as a Moc. He’s considered heady with good mechanics but is not very athletic and doesn’t throw a pretty ball. He is unproven against top notch competition. A project that could work his way into a backup role, Coleman shouldn’t expect to hear his name before the weekend.
Ryan Lindley, San Diego State
Lindley is the gunslinger type with a big arm but struggles at times with accuracy. He has average mobility but doesn’t show much touch on shorter throws and is not real patient often times throwing into double and triple-coverage. Lindley did show improvement throughout his college career and his big arm could make him worth a look to some teams.
Austin Davis, Southern Miss
Davis is a good athlete and solid competitor who shined in big games for Southern Miss. At 6’1″ he is somewhat undersized and has a tendency to pull the ball down and make a play with his legs. He could catch on as a 2-3 with a team that runs the West Coast offense or he could try North of the border where his game is more suited.
Case Keenum, Houston
Keenum left college football as the FBS all-time leader in completions, yardage, and touchdowns breaking all the records of Hawaii’s Timmy Chang. Much like Chang, Keenum is a product of Houston’s high octane spread offense. Chang never got a sniff at an NFL roster and likely Keenum won’t either. Bottom line is that Keenum is an average athlete with sub-par arm strength and a low release point.