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After looking at the possible running back options for the Bills in the upcoming NFL Draft last week, this week we stay in the offensive backfield and take a look at some of the quarterbacks Buffalo could be considering.
Right now the biggest question mark for the Buffalo offense is at the quarterback position. With a new coaching staff in place, E.J. Manuel will get a chance to state his case to be the quarterback of the Bills, but there isn’t a lot of confidence out there in Manuel being the answer.
Sadly for the Bills, there is nope hope for them to have a chance at landing Florida State’s Jameis Winston or Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, as both of those quarterbacks will be gone very early in the draft. After Winston and Mariota the dropoff is pretty steep.
Should the Bills decide to try and address their quarterback situation in the draft what looks to be available to them look like quarterbacks who might not step in and make an impact right away, but given some time to become accustomed to the NFL could find success.
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1) Garrett Grayson – Colorado State:
While Grayson may not have came from a traditional college football powerhouse, but Grayson had a great two years as starting quarterback for the Rams. In 2014 Colorado State went 10-3 and the play of Grayson was a major reason for the Rams finding great success. Not only did Grayson throw for 4,006 yards and 32 touchdowns, but his connection with star wide receiver Rashard Higgins helped Higgins become a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award.
What makes Grayson such an attractive NFL prospect is he has a strong arm. He has good accuracy but he could be a little more consistent. Along with his attributes throwing the football, Grayson has decent mobility and doesn’t panic much when being rushed. He lets the play develop and has good anticipation, so you’re not going to see many stupid mistakes from him.
There are still areas where Grayson needs improvement, which will likely keep him as a second day pick. Most of the issues Grayson has are mechanical. One of the bigger issues is the delivery of Grayson is slow, which could prove to be a problem against the faster defenses of the NFL. The good thing for Grayson is the glaring weaknesses are fixable with proper coaching. The names at the top of the quarterback list in this draft might be sexier now, but don’t sleep on Grayson’s ability to have a solid NFL career as a quarterback.
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2) Brett Hundley – UCLA:
Hundley burst onto the scene in his freshman in Los Angeles by throwing for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns, while adding another nine scores on the ground as UCLA posted a 9-5 record. The last two seasons the Bruins have gone 10-3, and won bowl games in both years. Hundley completed this year with 22 passing touchdowns and 10 more rushing touchdowns.
Hundley has good size at 6’3″, which he matches with a strong arm. The accuracy Hundley displayed during his three years as starting for quarterback for the Bruins was impressive, as he posted at least a 66% completion percentage in each season. Add in the running ability Hundley possesses and he could make some noise in the NFL. With the ability Hundley has to throw on the run, it could add some excitement and creativity to the quarterback position should the BIlls select him, something which hasn’t been seen in quite some time in Buffalo.
While Hundley’s ability to not only throw but run may be intriguing, it can also get him into trouble. There were times at UCLA when Hundley didn’t let the play progress and was too quick to pull the football down and try to make a play with his legs. He’ll have to improve his ability to let run through his progressions more. But there is no denying the ability Hundley has, and after Winston and Mariota, he looks like the most intriguing athletic quarterback prospect.
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3) Sean Mannion – Oregon State:
Looking for a pro-style quarterback with tremendous size? Sean Mannion is just the quarterback you might want to look more at. The 6’5″ quarterback was a starter in his four years in Corvallis. Mannion flourished under former NFL head coach Mike Riley, throwing for at least 2,400 yards in all four years. The most prolific year came in 2013 when Mannion had the services of Brandin Cooks at his disposal. Mannion threw for 4,662 yards and 37 touchdowns.
Much like Grayson and Hundley, Mannion has a strong arm, and Riley made sure Mannion had a chance to showcase it while playing for the Beavers. Playing in the elements in a possible late-season game in Buffalo with some wild weather shouldn’t be an issue for Mannion, as having to play in some of the wind and rain Pac-12 locales can bring in something Mannion is familiar with.
The biggest issue with Mannion is he isn’t very mobile and when under pressure he doesn’t possess as much escapability as Grayson or Hundley. One of the knocks on Mannion is when he is pressured he tends to fall back even farther when he should be stepping up to throw. With his size and lack of mobility he kind of reminds me of a poor man’s Drew Bledsoe when Bledsoe spent a few years in Buffalo.
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4) Bryce Petty – Baylor:
The last two years of Baylor football have seen the Bears put up some insane scoring numbers and the field general during those seasons was Bryce Petty. Last year Petty threw for 4,200 yards and 32 touchdowns while only throwing three interceptions as the Bears went to the Fiesta Bowl. This year, despite missing some time due to a back injury, Petty still threw for 3,855 yards and 29 touchdowns. The Bears were in the discussion to possibly earned a berth in the College Football Playoff, but found themselves on the outside looking in.
The biggest question is if Petty is a product of the system Baylor runs or does he have true pro potential? Much like with quarterbacks from Texas Tech offenses under Mike Leach who put up insane numbers but didn’t quite have enough to make an impact in the NFL, will Petty fall into the same category? Sure Petty may have a strong arm and could thrive in a hurry-up offense but I’m not sure if I’m sold.
A majority of Petty’s throws were shorter throws. While he has the strength to hit the long throw, he wasn’t nearly as accurate when called upon to make them. With the recent history of Buffalo quarterbacks falling in love with the checkdown pass, I’m scared if Petty were taken and given a chance he would just become another rung on the dumpoff ladder.
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5) Shane Carden – East Carolina:
At East Carolina, Shane Carden had a fine career, but if the Bills are looking for Carden to be the answer at quarterback then there might be a problem with some of the decision making in the front office. Stranger things have happened though with overlooked quarterbacks making an impact so it isn’t wise to write Carden off.
Carden put up phenomenal stats the last two years for the Pirates, throwing for at least 4,100 yards and 30 touchdowns in both seasons, but he might be “Bryce Petty Light” since he plays in a quarterback-friendly offense. Carden doesn’t have quite as big of an arm as Petty, which could hurt him in Buffalo. One game where I remember him struggling this year was in the rain and wind against Temple, where he threw for a season-low 217 yards.
Despite his lack of arm strength, it hasn’t taken away for Carden’s gunslinger mentality. He’ll stand in the pocket and hold onto the football until the last possible second. Carden thinks he can make any throw, but sometimes the confidence bites him. In each of the last three seasons he has thrown 10 interceptions. At times it feels like all or nothing with Carden, but for some reason I’m seeing more of the latter if he gets drafted by Buffalo.
With the lack of options after the first two quarterbacks in this year’s draft, it feels like the Bills aren’t going to find their answer at quarterback. Out of the little bit this draft has to offer it feels like if the Bills were going to entertain taking a quarterback then Grayson or Hundley would be the best choices. For me Mannion, Petty, and Carden just have too many questions to have any confidence in them having much of an impact for Buffalo.
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