One of if not the most loaded
tackle classes in years with as many as 4 tackles selected
in the first round topped by Virginia's massive left tackle,
D'Brickashaw Ferguson.
Top
Quarterbacks
1
. Matt
Leinart, 6-5,
223,
USC:
Everyone is always looking for the next
Tom Brady. Well, here he is.
Great size, leadership, and all the
other intangibles. He has consistently
led a very good team, in fact, He will
go down as one of the greatest college
quarterbacks of all time. In three
seasons as a starter at USC, he had a
combined record of 37-2, including 34
straight victories, so there are some
questions as to what he does with a
horrible team that he will obviously be
heading to. While he has the arm to
throw the ball deep, he doesn't, as of
right now, have the arm to efficiently
throw the deep out in the NFL. If he
goes to Tennessee as many expect look
for a fast learning curve and a pretty
good start to his career. We all
know he can play, the only question is
what will he be surrounded with.
Leinart is a southpaw
quarterback with great size, leadership skills and
intangibles. As a potential top-five draft pick,
Leinart's lack of speed is a bit concerning, as are
his minor durability issues and lack of elite arm
strength. He also has been surrounded by the best
supporting cast in college football during his three
seasons as a starter. However, Leinart still has
enough physical tools and the exceptional
intangibles that it takes to develop into a good
starting quarterback in the NFL. He is quick enough
in the pocket to buy some second-chance passing
opportunities, he has played through pain and he has
better arm strength than several above average
starters in the NFL right now. He also possesses
outstanding accuracy as a passer. Very much like the
Patriots' Tom Brady, Leinart simply knows how to
win. That is why, despite his lack of elite
all-around physical tools, Leinart is the premier
quarterback prospect in the 2006 class.
2.
Vince Young,
6-5, 229, Texas (Jr.): With a legend bigger than
his abilities thanks to an inspired performance in
the Rose Bowl, Vince Young has become this years
biggest question. He has soem amazing tools, as his
speed and agility will make him the second most
feared running quarterback in the league, and his
arm strength will allow him to make the throws he
needs to. He has some downside though and that
is a throwing motion that is to say the least, not
what you look for in an NFL quarterback. Vince
throws almost sidearm and it will take some serious
work on those mechanics to keep his balls from being
swatted right back at him. He has all the
intangibles and you won't find a better on field
leader as the players all love him. Don't believe
the wonderlic stories, there is nothing about Young
that is not football smart. He should not be a first
year starter for his own development, but his upside
is unbelievable.
Young still has much room to improve in terms of his
mechanics, release point, accuracy and ability to
take snaps under center and read coverage while
dropping. But while another year wouldn't have hurt
him, Young would not have improved in those areas
had he returned to school to spend another season
working out of the shotgun in a "read-option"
offensive system. The bottom line is that because he
is such an elite athlete with rare upside at the
quarterback position, Young grades out as a high
first-round pick
3.
Jay Cutler, 6-3, 226, Vanderbilt
:
Talk about a riser. We question how much is hype and
how much is real. Its not that Jay doesn't
have
all
the tools you look for, it's just that you kind of
have to throw away his college record because the
team he was on was just horrible. He has a big body
with very mobile feet and great field awareness. He
is a pro-type quarterback with the ability to break
off long runs when the passing game breaks down and
when you look at his college career every stat he
has is because he is that good, as he had no
supporting cast. Therefore you have to wonder if he
has the knowledge of winning and what it will take
to win in the NFL.
Cutler is still unpolished and will need lots of
mechanical work in order to reach his full potential
in the NFL. For much of his career, Cutler was an
underrated prospect that did not get the attention
that he deserved. However, after a strong senior
season and good showings at the Senior Bowl and NFL
Scouting Combine, Cutler has become one of the more
over-hyped prospects in the 2006 class. In our
opinion, Cutler grades out as a mid-first round
prospect in this year's talent pool.
4.
Charlie Whitehurst, 6-5, 223, Clemson:
Beyond the top three there are some intriguing
prospects starting with Charlie Whitehurst. Charlie
looked like a
potential top prospect early in his career but had a
horrible junior year before bouncing back in 2005.
Charlie is an old fashioned pocket passer who has
the tools to be very good. He needs to work on his
decision making skills under pressure and get rid of
the ball in a smart manner. He needs to be
coached, but has the tools, size, and arm strength
to get much better given time.
Whitehurst has good overall physical tools and has
flashed the potential to possibly emerge as a
starting quarterback in the right system at the next
level. However, he is entirely too inconsistent and
erratic to consider selecting in the first two
rounds of the 2006 draft. His lack of athleticism
also puts limitations on his playmaking ability. In
our opinion, Whitehurst is worth drafting late on
Day 1 but no earlier than Round 3
5.
Brodie Croyle, 6-3,
205, Alabama
:
Brodie is an intriguing prospect. He has a rocket of
an arm and all the intangibles you look for except
for one glaring problem. He cant stay on the
field. He has fought injuries since high
school and not minor injuries, but stuff like a
dislocated elbow, a torn labrum and torn ACL's in
both his right and left knees. If his luck
ever changes this guy could be a major star. Can he
put the right kind of muscle weight on his thin
frame to take the beating at the next level?
Croyle has some upside because of his outstanding
arm strength and leadership skills. However, he's
not a great athlete, he has below-average size, and
he has a terrible history of durability issues.
While he did stay healthy and play well during his
senior season in 2005, Croyle does not enter the NFL
with great playing experience at the collegiate
level and we also have huge doubts regarding his
potential to stay healthy for an entire 16-game
season if anointed as a starter in the NFL. In
short, Croyle warrants consideration in the
late-second to early-third round range of this
year's draft, but he will be a risky selection for
the team that elects to take a chance.
6.
Kellen Clemens, 6-2,
224, Oregon
:
In an unfortunate accident Senior Oregon
QB Kellen Clemens was injured (broken Fibula)
against Arizona on October 22 and is currently
undergoing intense rehabilitation. He was one game
away from breaking virtually all of the University
of Oregon’s offensive passing records. Kellen is a
gamer who may not have all the skills, but somehow
always gets it done. May never be a star but
will be a very capable backup for someone.
ESPN/Scout:
Clemens still has a lot of room to improve in terms
of his consistency, patience and accuracy as a
pocket passer. He will need lots of polishing at the
NFL level and there is no guarantee that he will
ever improve enough in those areas to compete for a
starting job. However, he shows enough upside
because of his physical tools, competitiveness and
work ethic to take a chance on in the
third-to-fourth round range of the 2006 draft.
The rest of the best
Bruce Gradkowski, 6-2, 217,
Toledo
Drew Olsen, 6-2, 222, UCLA
Omar Jacobs, 6-4, 232, Bowling Green
D.J. Shockley, 6-2, 214, Georgia
Tarvaris Jackson, 6-2, 226, Alabama State
1
3. 
4.
5.
6.