NFL Draft Prospect Comparisons: Quarterbacks

Finding comparisons in each position is both an entertaining way to get some final thoughts on these prospects as well as get a good indication of what they could actually be once they get to the NFL.

While these quarterback comparisons are not likely shared by everyone and it may not be an exact match, these are who the top 10 quarterbacks on our board remind me of.

Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa – Broydie Croyle
Maybe have begun to compare Ricky Stanzi to Tom Brady as far as being a consistent winner in college, a lackluster athlete but a guy who gets the job done, and an accurate short and medium range passer who can exploit you down the field. However, I don’t see the same arm strength or big play ability for Stanzi, and I think he could follow a similar career path to former Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle, who’s been a decent back-up, never a guy to depend on to win games but a guy who could maybe step in for a game or two as a game manager.

Pat Devlin, QB, Delaware – Brady Quinn
This may be the most accurate in my opinion. While Brady Quinn was projected as a top 10 pick, he fell to the late first round on draft day for what seemed like an unforseen reason. But as we’ve seen from his career thus far, he simply doesn’t have the aggresive passing nature that an NFL quarterback needs. He has the athleticism, arm strength, mid range accuracy, and football IQ to be successful, but just can’t take over games. Though I think Devlin is maybe a better fit for a west coast offense and could be a steal on draft day to the right system, he’ll need to show that he has the arm and the guts to throw the ball down the field with power and accuracy.

Andy Dalton, QB, TCU – John Beck
When I graded out John Beck from BYU out of college, I felt he could be a worthwhile prospect in the 3rd-5th round range because he was such a productive college quarterback but never wowed me with his deep accuracy or arm strength. And that seemed to be exactly what happened to him in the NFL draft. Dalton is being viewed as a fringe first rounder now, and no offense to him, but I just don’t see it. His throwing motion needs work, he doesn’t have a great arm, and he hasn’t showed me the ability to make accurate throws consistently in the pocket. His values in the 4th-5th round range in my opinion, and he could be a solid back-up in the NFL.

Greg McElroy, QB, Alabama – Matt Flynn
One of my favorite “sleepers” in this class, I would take McElroy over Stanzi as the guy who could be a “Tom Brady-like surprise”. He wasn’t asked to do much in college under Nick Saban, but has the accuracy, anticipation, and football IQ to be successful if he’s able to learn from a top offensive coach for 2-3 years. So far, Matt Flynn has been a very solid back-up in the NFL and could develop into much more in the long run.

Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State – David Garrard
Based on my scouting, I can’t put my finger on if Ponder will be a career back-up or a solid starter. He’s an accurate mid range passer and can make plays on the move with good quickness, but doesn’t have the big arm, the consistent play-reading skills, and has a bit of an injury history. Garrard has been a solid starter for the Jaguars and is athletic for the position, but has consistently been viewed as a guy easy to replace and not one to hang your hat on as a franchise. Ponder could follow a very similar career path and could work in a system similar to Jacksonville.

Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas – Derek Anderson
With the new drug confession reportedly to NFL teams, Mallett could slip to the 2nd round or even further, but as far as on the field ability, he has a chance to be a strong armed pocket passer. I think his immobile-ness as a quarterback is much more of an issue than people realize as well, and I don’t think he can make the plays that Peyton Manning or Tom Brady are able to with his feet in the pocket like some are suggesting. He’s a fringe first round talent based on film because of his sometimes erratic accuracy especially along the sidelines, and he could need a good team and protection around him like Derek Anderson did that one breakout year in Cleveland to be successful.

Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada – Jay Cutler/Mark Sanchez
It’s tough to put my figure on how high the ceiling is for Colin Kaepernick, as he’s still so raw in his development but has such a high character and a contagious attitude about him. He has the athleticism and rocket arm of Jay Cutler, and does get a bit erratic with his accuracy at times. He also will need a good team around him early before he can be successful, and has the leadership ability of a Mark Sanchez once he gets as far along as Mark is with his technique. Kaepernick could be a top passer in the NFL like these two players are right now and even better than both, but he needs a lot of work and patience before he can get there.

Cameron Newton, QB, Auburn – Daunte Culpepper
Newton could be somewhere between Vince Young and Ben Roethlisberger in the NFL depending on the system he falls into and his continued development as an accurate passer, which is why he’s so hard to project to the NFL level. As a guy somewhere in the middle, Newton has the size and big arm of Daunte Culpepper before his major knee injury, and could lead a productive offense if the right team is around him and he has time to develop. Big Ben plus is the ceiling, Vince Young minus is the floor, and prime Daunte Culpepper is where teams would be more than happy to have Cam Newton turn out to be.

Jake Locker, QB, Washington -Mark Sanchez/Rex Grossman
Many don’t think Jake Locker can be an accurate enough passer in the NFL based on his college stats and his ability to make plays from the pocket, but thanks to consistently poor pass protection and receiving play, he wasn’t able to show his defined footwork and overall technique as a passer, something I saw firsthand at the Senior Bowl. Sanchez wasn’t a overly accurate passer coming out of college, and I think Locker could have had a very similar college career if he went to a better overall program. Rex Grossman is another one because he was never able to put all of his athleticism into game mode, and he plays in a similar fashion that a team like the Redskins could use Locker in.

Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri – Matt Schaub
Gabbert is under rated as far as his ability to play early, and while I highly doubt he’ll have a Sam Bradford or Matt Ryan type impact in year one, he could be a solid starter early on, similar to Matt Schaub. Schaub is an accurate passer across the field, and can check down well inside the pocket to pick defenses apart. Gabbert needs a big play threat he can rely and good protection to be successful early, but he could end up as a more nimble version of Matt Schaub, which is why a team could want him in the early part of the Top 10 in this year’s draft as the drafts “safest” quarterback prospect.