The hype over the upcoming QB class is, to me, misplaced.
Once again analysts can get so caught up in stats and "footwork" and size and so on, that they seem to forget to ask how well a prospect plays the game of football.
And I suspect our very good draft guys on this board are going to explain to me why I'm so wrong. Fair enough. But since I like to go where angels fear to tread....here we go.
To me the far and away best QB that will be available in the draft is Baker Mayfield. What a field general. An excellent and accurate thrower. Can create. Seems to read the field well. While not ideal, I just don't think his height of about 6 feet ought to matter that much. The guy is just a superb QB and is going to make some team very happy. But.....I'd almost bet money he'll fall into mid 1st round or so simply because he's on the short side.
On the other end of the scale, that USC kid Darnold is going to be another USC flameout in the NFL. Sorry, but if you can't limit INTs and turnovers in college, what the heck are you going to do in the NFL? If you can't read and adapt to the relatively simple D's in college, what are you going to do in the NFL? I don't think he can process information very well or very fast. And in the NFL the QB position is all about the neck up. Turn off the sound so you don't have to listen to the announcers lip sync to the standard line of how great he is (no matter how much he screws up) and watch the game and Darnold is a good college QB but nothing special. And once again, while supposedly it's his arm that makes him elite, in fact it's his legs that everybody winds up talking about. But those legs are not Wentz legs, and certainly not Wilson legs. Those are the "trap" legs. The legs that are good enough to get you something in college but killed in the NFL. This young man may turn out someday; but he's going to need a lot of development to get there. A team spending a high 1st rounder on him is going to be disappointed and he'll probably be ruined (another David Carr) because he'll be forced into the line-up on a bad team. He'd be far better off as a 2nd round pick or even a 3rd going to a decent team with good QB developers and patiently working at his craft for a few years behind a good starter (ala Garapollo) before he's counted on to be the starter and produce.
Rosen. Lots of interesting stuff starting to emerge about him. Can't argue with his arm and he seems to have a good understanding of the field. But....he's said to be odd, socially awkward, not much of a leader, a not just a little bit flaky. At the QB position, that's tough in the NFL. Think Jay Cutler. Still I'd take him before Darnold because the kid just plays good football, has a quick release, and seems to make MUCH better decisions with the ball.
The other QBs are Sean Mannions. 3rd round and later guys some of which will be taken in the 1st round because of the enormous value of QB in this league.
But if it was me, after Mayfield I'd probably take a flyer on Lamar Jackson. The problem with Jackson is that his legs are SO good, that he is internally wired to use them and only rarely can you wring that out of kid. And when you try it inevitably injures their overall game. But....you never know. He might be the next DeShaun Watson.
Mayfield then Jackson. Football players who play great football and are solid good leaders. The other guys? I'm very skeptical.
No Goffs or Wentz's in this draft, but Mayfield is not far off. He just wasn't given the good fortune of being 6'5" tall.
Rams have hit the jackpot with Goff and I'm SO glad we're set at QB for at least another decade. Good luck to QB seekers in 2018.
