2011 NFL Draft - Top 5 QBs

The-Mainboard.com 2011 NFL Draft Preseason Top 5 QBs

List is from NFL Draft aficionado, Neal Olson.

1. QB Jake Locker, Washington
-Locker is probably the most hyped player going into the 2011 NFL Draft and that isn't to much of a surprise as he could have possibly been the #1 selection if he had come out last year. There are those that say his hype is unwarranted, however going into the season I would disagree with those claims. There is no debating Locker's arm, it is in the top group of this year's potential prospects. His first two years he wasn't able to put it all together and was just getting by with his athletic ability. Under first year head coach Steve Sarkisian, the progress was very encouraging. Locker improved his footwork dramatically and didn't look to run the minute things broke down in the pocket. He displayed the ability to make every throw the NFL requires and often times made it look easy. He certainly isn't a finished product and a lot of ranking is dependent on him building off of the improvements he made last year and which I expect this year as well. He does need to finish up his footwork in the pocket a bit and needs to continue building on his longer throws in terms of accurately placing the ball more often.

2. QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
-I know there are a lot of skeptics out there in regards to Luck. That is he isn't far enough into his playing career to make proper assessments and so forth. Those concerns aren't necessarily invalid, however Luck is a special talent. His poise in the pocket as a freshman was outstanding. He didn't panic often and held his own and wasn't afraid to step up and deliver strikes to his receivers. His mobility isn't that of Locker's, Luck has more than enough which shows on roll outs and his mobility inside the pocket. Outside of Mallett, he has the best arm of the group and he may be on par with Mallett. It is tough to tell but either way, Luck's arm is for real and will have no problem making any throw in the NFL. The touch he has on his throws and the accuracy he has displayed making tough throws is uncanny as a freshman QB. With all of that said, if there is one weakness for Luck it would just be continuing to learn. Obviously as a redshirt freshman he wasn't the best decision maker, however that will certainly develop this year one would expect.

3. QB Christian Ponder, Florida State
-After the big two at the quarterback position, I feel there is a slight drop off from the next two. Ponder certainly isn't to far behind the other two, but just lacks a few things that they do. Ponder is arguably the smartest decision maker out of the three which makes sense given the offensive system he has been in while he has been the quarterback at Florida State and his experience. Ponder has been given freedom from the coaching staff in making adjustments at the line of scrimmage and that is something that no one else in this class have. Given that Ponder uses his smarts and ability to make most throws required at the next level. He does have the ability to move around well in the pocket and allude rushers with relative ease. The biggest knock on Ponder is the lack of arm strength that is displayed. Personally I think he has adequate arm strength but it isn't on the level of the other two quarterbacks in this class. The deep balls tend to float on him and allow other defensive backs to get under the ball and make a play on it. Granted at the NFL level, that type of throw isn't required every throw or really that often. However it is something that executives may use against him, although the rest of the tools are there to be a top prospect.

4. QB Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
-Going into the year Mallett arguably has the biggest arm of any quarterback prospect in all of college football. His physical tools are off of the charts and certainly warrant all of the hype that has been associated with them. He can make any throw that you ask him to and is developing the touch necessary to be a top flight quarterback prospect. He has shown excellent ability to use all parts of the field which isn't surprising due to the arm strength. In addition to the tools, the Texan does show the ability to evade the rush quite well in the film that I have seen. He isn't going to dash for a 20 yard run or anything like that but uses his feet well to evade on going rushers and extend the play. Although the tools are there, there have been numerous questions in relation to Mallett. The off the field maturity issues are well documented however on the field he tries to get away with his arm strength to much. He doesn't set his feet often enough which tend to make his throws float and be off target. This is something that most will want to see him improve upon this season and step up into his throws in order to make more accurate throws and limit the mistakes that he makes by doing this. If he is able to work on those things, he should be able to sky rocket up the boards come April if his off the field issues are limited.

5. QB Pat Devlin, Delaware
-Devlin definitely came onto the scene last year for the Blue Hens. He transferred from Penn State after being beat by Darryl Clarke and Devlin certainly proved that he didn't lose the spot from a lack of talent. Devlin arguably has the quickest release of any quarterback going into this season. He places balls with relative ease and is able to put the ball where it needs to on intermediate routes with the proper velocity as well. He excels on throws up to 35 yards or so and has excellent touch when delivering his throws. He isn't the most agile quarterback, but like others he has outstanding pocket vision and steps up into throws very well in order to get the best velocity and to avoid the oncoming rush. If there is an issue with Devlin, it is both the competition in addition to the questions about arm strength. He has enough velocity to make most throws down field but anything longer than 40 yards I have trouble seeing being a positive for Devlin. He doesn't have the tools that Flacco had coming out of Delaware and with that I would be surprised to see him beat out the other quarterbacks ahead of him in this class. However he should have good value in the second round and could be a great pickup for whoever is looking for a quarterback.