By Rick
You will read and hear all about the top 5 players in each position at nausea for the next 2 months until the draft. Instead of force feeding you the same crud I will crack open my whole big board for some personal favorites and players I want to see get a shot.
Lets start with the QBs.
1st round grades
Andrew Luck will win 20 super bowls and can walk on water, seriously.
Okay I am kidding but he is like Elway in his perceived ability to be a successful QB in the NFL. He has one of the highest scored draft grades in many years. I love him as a QB. The Colts picked a great year to have the first pick. Since the Colts will draft him lets move onto the other QBs.
Ryan Tannehill had drawn a lot of attention from me preseason and he has done nothing to hurt my value on him through the year. He is a very solid late first or top 2nd round grade from most scouts. I see him as a solid QB to develop for a year or two to become a great QB. He is 6-4 225 and has a lively arm. He can throw on the run and is solid in the pocket. He is really about where Rodgers was in his ability and stats. If he could come into Green Bay he can develop and be a true starter here or anywhere in the league.
2nd round grades
Brandon Weeden is a man. He had returned to school after a try at MLB. His age will chase many teams away but Weeden has a solid arm and great decision making. Standing 6-4 and 220lbs he has the body size and shape you look for. He has a 2nd round grade. His release is quick and throwing motion looks good too, if he was 22 I think he could challenge RGIII as the second QB drafted. One positive from being away is he has taken a lot less abuse then his younger draft competition. I really enjoyed his Senior Bowl interviews where he was articulate, football smart, and was down to earth. No diva. He intrigues me as a pick for a team that wants a career back up or has a QB but may not for long. He may have starter ability but the NFL is a young man’s league. He would be very capable to come in and learn behind Rodgers and be his Robin. It also would not surprise me if he was drafted by the Bears to learn behind Cutler after the Caleb Hanie failure.
7th or UDFA grades
Bo Levi Mitchell is a Drew Brees size guy that had a lively arm and looked great at the Senior Bowl. He is probably a UDFA camp arm but if I was running a west coast offense I would have zero issues with bringing him in.
Another QB I really like is Aaron Corp. He transferred from USC where he beat out Berkley as the starter but lost the job when he got hurt. He transferred to a FCS school (Richmond) so as to not lose the year. He has developed a few bad habits (I constantly see him throwing of his back foot) but has a solid arm. He is used to coming from center in a pro set. He is a 7th round draft grade I think a team like the Colts or the Packers that will develop a young QB will enjoy what he can offer.
Camp arm
Alex Tanney from little Monmouth College (IL) caught attention 3 years ago when he lit up Division III football in 2008. Some of you may have actually seen him while wasting time at work when in 2009 he posted a football trickshot youtube video to counter act Johnny Mac’s. I won’t belabor what you will see but it was awesome. Well what has been doing since, he led his Division III team to multiple playoffs and won the MVP for Division III football. He suffered a shoulder injury and then came back and destroyed teams. He is the kind of kid you bring in like Dallas did with Tony Romo. Solid kid, great background, and give him a shot. He never played against the big boys so you have to just see. And I like that he is a Fighting Scot. (So stick that in your Fighting Irish pipe and smoke it- LOL)
Some may notice I snubbed RGIII. He has a cannon and moves but unless he proves me wrong like Newton did last year, he has not thrown against great defensive CBs and does not look off defenders well (same complaint I have had with Mark Sanchez of the Jets). That will kill you in the pro game. If he gets time to sit and get worked with, maybe.
Next up RBs (and FBs for Iccyfan :))