With the new NFL regular season only a few weeks away we are all focused on how our teams are going to start the season. We are excited about what players are going to perform and which rookies are going to make an impact.
Here in sport city we love all things football related and with one eye on the pro game our other will be on the college game and which prospects we think could be the next great ones and maybe come to our teams and lead the franchise to a superbowl. Many experts will tell you the quarterback position is the most important one on the field so our look ahead will begin there with a look at my top five junior and senior prospects.
QUARTERBACKS.
5. Nathan Enderle, Idaho, 6,4″, 235lbs, Senior.
Enderle is a fifth-year player that already has three years of playing experience. He is very smart and has good athletic ability. Check out his final drive in the Vandals’ Humanitarian Bowl victory over Bowling Green last season.
4. Pat Devlin, Delaware, 6,3″, 225 lbs, Senior.
Devlin transferred from Penn State after the 2008 season, where he was a backup. He was the all-time passing leader in Pennsylvania high school history. He does not have as strong an arm as Joe Flacco, but is more mobile. He figures to be a second or third-round pick, who will move up if he has a good year.
3. Christian Ponder, Florida state, 6,2″, 220 lbs, Senior.
Overshadowed a bit amid the hype surrounding Washington quarterback Jake Locker, Ponder enters his senior campaign rated just as highly as the Huskies passer by some pro scouts. It isn’t difficult to understand why. Though a bit smaller than most scouts would like, Ponder’s underrated arm strength and mobility combine with his high football IQ and accuracy to make him a legitimate first-round prospect. A shoulder injury suffered against Clemson knocked Ponder out early last year, but he still ranked first in the ACC with 301.89 passing yards per game. If Jimbo Fisher is to have success immediately, it will be Ponder who helps him attain it. Jimbo Fisher thinks he can develop into a better NFL prospect than JaMarcus Russell, who he coached at LSU. He projects to be a low first-round pick.
2. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas, 6,5″, 235 lbs, Junior.
Ryan Mallett has an absolutely amazing arm and he can make just about any throw you ask of him and it will have zip on it. I have seen him throw lasers off balance without his feet set, which speaks to his outrageous arm strength. He can put the ball where-ever he wants it. Mallett could go number one overall in next years draft with his arm strength and the show he could put on during the combine or at a private workout could impress anyone in any front office.
1. Jake Locker, Washington, 6,3″, 230 lbs, Senior.
Locker’s size/speed/arm strength combination has garnered comparisons to John Elway. He likely would have been an early first-round selection in last April’s draft despite the fact that he’s never led the Huskies to a bowl game or earned anything more than honorable mention all-conference honors. Locker’s exceptional talent was obvious in high school and, as such, he was recruited by every major program in the country. With little talent around him in Seattle, it wasn’t until last season that he finally began making strides as a pro-style passer. Locker led the Pac-10 with 3,188 yards of total offense, but if he is to remain the top quarterback prospect for the 2011 draft, he’ll need to make more sizable gains in Year Two under Steve Sarkisian. He runs a 4.5 40.
By Rhodri Jones.
Tredegar, Wales, U.K.
Great evaluations and some good insight. I think you have these ranked perfecly. I’m a big Ryan Mallett fan but I agree with you on his position ranking. Do you think he will be a top 10 pick Rhodri ?
Thanks for the kind words Jamar. With his arm strength I have little doubt Ryan Mallett will be a top 10 pick. If he decides to turn pro at the end of this season he will battle Jake Locker to be the first quarterback taken and to be honest theres a few teams with G.M’s that I know will consider him as their franchise quarterback. If he decides to stay he could have a better chance to be the first quarterback taken but then you would have to consider Andrew Luck who I would rank on this list already so I think a lot will depend on who is picking in the top 5, Which of those teams need quarterbacks, What they have him projected to go and what front office will be looking at him. i.e.. If Oakland are picking 1st and knowing Al Davis, it would be a better chance for Mallett than if Washington had the1st pick and Shannahan was picking it’s likely he would prefer Locker based on his skill set so it depends on a lot of things. All Mallett has to be concerned with is playing his best football every week and seeing how the land lays pre draft. If I were him I would stay another season based on the success rate of underclassmen in the league and also the fact that Locker also has a great arm but scouts will love the fact he played all his time and that he was coached in a pro style offense under Steve Sarkisian. Playing that extra season will benafit Mallett when he’s up against guys like Andrew Luck and who ever else comes through as a few are sure to shoot up the charts even in this years draft.
That was little doubt he would not be a top 10 pick. lol. He could go 1st overall eventually.
Read the column and thought it was well said, by the looks ill start to watch the NFL