Let's bring some sanity to this QB draft discussion

[B&G808]

I want Dan LaFevre from Central Michigan. He looks good from what I have seen of him, and under the radar as well.

+1! For those that don't know about this kid, go to you tube and have a look.

[BlackBush]

If we didn't get a 1st round QB I wouldn't mind Tony Pike (if we were comfortable that he would be willing to give the effort)

He makes great decisions, good size, good arm, good upside if we can seize on the potential.

[Ernie5]

Why MUST we draft the best O-lineman available in the first round? What if the available linemen at #7 or wherever aren't really worthy and we can't trade back?

We can get good offensive linemen later (we just need to address the position more than once in the draft -- doesn't have to be in Round 1).

When you have a team with multiple needs (OL, RB, FS, QB), you can take the best player available.

[Ernie5]

If we didn't get a 1st round QB I wouldn't mind Tony Pike (if we were comfortable that he would be willing to give the effort)

He makes great decisions, good size, good arm, good upside if we can seize on the potential.

I'm concerned a bit about Pike's arm and his release time. I like him, but it's a concern.

[Ernie5]

Yeah, after rumors went around last year that he was thinking about committing suicide, he was definitely already established as a great QB.:doh:

I'd take Young in a second.

[haileysbadoldad]

Clausen is going to be a stud, looks alot like Cutler with his quick release. Rocket for an arm, coming out of a pro style offense. I still think we should pas on him though, if I was Allen I'm drafting CJ Spiller. Especially is shanahan is the coach.

[Destino]

1. Not a chance Texas beats 'Bama

2. Im going to pass on Colt. Dont like the fact that he is in the shotgun all the time. We run west coast now and if Shanny comes in we are going to keep running the WC. I would argue and say V. Young was way better coming out than Colt and look how long it has taken him to come around w/ the best RB (I know this is only his 2nd year but when Vince got his chances he looked terrible) and a good O-line. We have neither. If were going to take a QB early i'd take the best one IMO and it's JC. Then devote the 2nd and 4th round to line. And hope we can pick up a RB in FA.

1. I agree.

2. Shotgun/spread offense has seen a huge increase in the NFL as of late. Vince Young wasn't even close to the passer that Colt McCoy is. Look at the stats.

[texasthunder]

Since I am in Big 12 country, and not too far from Austin, I see alot of Colt M. He is a good qb, he will be a good qb on some NFL team, but to me he is not a franchise qb that will fit Shanahan's offense.

He did not look good against nebraska in the big 12 championship, and if he doesnt look good against Alabama, his draft ranking could drop quite a bit. Now as was said earlier, if he does have a great game for the national championship then his stock will rise to here he might go in the 1st round.

Seattle has two first round picks, then there is oakland and possably the vikings, if Clausen and Bradford are gone, any of those teams may want to take a chance on Colt.

My thought process, till after FA, and the combine is to draft an OL with the #5 pick, or trade down if possble, then pick up a later round qb, such as Pike or Mallett, then see what Shanahan can do with them.

[KingGibbs]

So basically the OP has a mancrush on McCoy?

We can argue which QB to take 'til we are blue in the face. It doesn't change the fact that there is not a bigger crap shoot then the QB spot when it comes to the draft.

I wouldn't mind drafting an OL'man with our first pick and then drafting a QB in the second. I like Pike for Cincy and I don't see McCoy lasting 'til the second round.

[Going Commando]

All you're pointing out is stats and most of those are team stats anyway. Also, you're clearly a Texas homer, can you tell me why Texas is better than TCU this year? Why they even deserve to be in the national championship?

[Rufus T Firefly]

I'd take Young in a second.

The people here who constantly complain about Campbell's accuracy and slow release would probably have aneurysms if we got Young here.

Of course, it would take them 8 games or so of celebrating everything he did here first, and talking about how we "finally have a real QB" and "Thank god Campbell's gone" before they realized Young was worse.

[Rufus T Firefly]

So basically the OP has a mancrush on McCoy?

But it sounds better if you call it "sanity" and act like anyone who disagrees with you is just plain stupid.

[S.T.real,lights,out]

1. I agree.

2. Shotgun/spread offense has seen a huge increase in the NFL as of late. Vince Young wasn't even close to the passer that Colt McCoy is. Look at the stats.

I agree that Colt is a much better passer than Young. Just we dont run spread and im sure Shanny wont either. Just think it's going to take a few years for him to adjust to a WCO. But hey, it's going to take us a few years to fix this thing also.

[Koolblue13]

But it sounds better if you call it "sanity" and act like anyone who disagrees with you is just plain stupid.

I believe that's spelled "stoopidz". :hysterical:

[Mahons21]

Seems to me that "brining sanity to the QB draft discussion" to you, is simply letting your love for Texas show through.. You act like Colt is a Golden Child, and dismiss Clausen by simply saying "an argument can't be made for Clausen." Well guess what, an argument has been made for Clausen, by numerous scouts and professional analysts and the large majority of them believe Clausen should be drafted higher.

Colt McCoy:

I like the way he can extend plays with his feet, and his desire/willingness to continue to go vertical. But in the end he plays a backyard style of football, similar to a Tony Romo sits to pee, he isn't a disciplined Qb who will come in and run the system.

Clausen:

Makes all the right reads, literally all of them watch his highlights. He never holds on to the ball too long, he consistently finds single coverage, teams aren't effective blitzing him, and he runs a pro-style offense. The negative on him is that his team didn't win, but I don't think its fair to blame him for that with the defense he had. In addition, he garners a mid first round pick so we would definitely be reaching on him if we were to be idiotic and draft him at 5.. We should draft Okung/Berry/Suh in the 1st, IF we can't trade back to a descent position where we could draft a Clausen and stockpile some picks to use on this awful o-line.

[Forehead]

McCoy has an NFL arm and his footwork is excellent. The #s, his record and the opinions of countless NFL scouts prove this out.

You know, it's easier to say things like "McCoy operates entirely from shotgun and would have to learn to play under center" are easy to prove because we have things like YouTube.

I personally think McCoy will bust at the NFL level, but you seem to have the opinions of "Countless" NFL Scouts on your side. So I'll throw the gauntlet down right there. Prove it. Start posting scouting reports (with links) of all these scouts who are saying how great McCoy will be. And I can count pretty high, so when you say countless, I'm expecting an overwhelming amount of evidence backing up your point.

Here's one to get you started:

Strengths:

Very athletic

Mobile

Experienced

Short and deep range accuracy

Quick release

Gets rid of football quickly

Makes quick decisions

Good pocket awareness

Crafty with football in hands

Leader with good character

Weaknesses: Average frame

Offensive system exaggerate strengths, masks weaknesses

Mobility doesn't translate to NFL with zone reads and scripted runs

Weak arm

Aims ball and it doesn't look natural; passive thrower

Absolutely no stick throws (18-yard deep out, curl, dig, etc.)

Footwork needs a ton of work

Doesn't take many hits

Never operated under center

Stares down receivers

Floats deep ball

Limited upside

Summary: Colt McCoy is the next overhyped collegiate quarterback who really doesn't have much of a chance in the NFL. He is a late-round talent, and don't let ESPN fool you. His talent is pretty mediocre when you consider the things he will have to do in the NFL in terms of the transition to a more West Coast or pro-style spread scheme. He won't stretch a defense in the NFL and the system makes him look far better than he is at Texas.

McCoy is a great college quarterback, but simply isn't an NFL mold. He's a projected fifth-to-seventh-round prospect. McCoy might develop into a solid backup quarterback at the next level, but he is simply not the prospect ESPN wants you to think he is.

Player Comparison: Alex Smith. The size, athleticism, overrated mobility, college system and lack of arm strength are all valid comparisons between these two quarterbacks.

Here's another from NFL Draft Dog I have bolded a paragraph about his arm strength, both scouts seem to think his arm is weak. I've also italicized a paragraph which is negative but no longer applies since he returned for his senior season. I'm nothing if not fair.

Strengths: Mobility, Intelligence, Accuracy

Weaknesses: Size, Experience, Arm Strength

Scouting Report by Bryan Dietzler

Texas Longhorn’s quarterback Colt McCoy desided to stay in school and enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

When you look at McCoy’s track record in college, he has a penchant for winning and knows how to win the big game. McCoy has a ton of confidence and isn’t afraid to try and do what it takes to win the game. He might take a risk every now and then but his risks have paid dividends for the Longhorns and it should pay dividends for the NFL team that drafts him.

Like his predecessor (Vince Young) McCoy is a very mobile quarterback who isn’t afraid to make a play with his legs either running or throwing on the run. This is something that NFL scouts and coaches desire in quarterbacks because being mobile allows the quarterback to extend the play and create something out of nothing. This is a big plus with McCoy. Being mobile will really help him in the draft.

McCoy also displays good accuracy on his passes and doesn’t overshoot or under-throw his receiver too often. He makes good decisions in finding the open receiver and taking into account where the defender is. He reads the field very well and can, along with his receiver, find soft spots in the zone and exploit them. If you look at McCoy’s completion percentage (70.16%) it is very good and indicative of the kind of player he is. His interception total (32) might be a little high but if you look at the number of passes that he has thrown over his career at Texas (761) that is pretty low.

McCoy’s intelligence will allow him to be a success in the NFL. Quarterbacks have to learn complicated offensive systems and McCoy should be able to pick up any system that he is taught making him a desirable prospect. He had to learn a complex system at Texas so he should be able to do it in the NFL.

The glaring deficiency that McCoy exhibits is his lack of experience. Granted, McCoy is a three year starter and has a lot of regular game and bowl experience but he could possibly forgo his senior season and enter the 2009 NFL Draft. If he does, scouts will look at his missing his senior season as a negative but good workouts and a great combine performance could wipe away any fears that NFL scouts and general managers have about him.

Arm strength, or lack thereof, is another issue that scouts will have with McCoy. The Texas quarterback appears to favor short to intermediate passes and will, at times, misfire on longer passes (often under throwing) giving away the fact that his arm isn’t as strong as the ideal NFL quarterback might have. This will be a knock on him going into the combine and eventually into the draft. If there is away that McCoy can get his arm stronger, he needs to be working on that now.

Size is yet another issue that might drop McCoy’s stock a little bit. Although his height is near satisfactory, he is a little light meaning that he might not be able to take the pounding he is sure to get in the NFL. He could add weight but that might affect his mobility which is a great asset.

You'll notice that the two things you insist he has, footwork and arm strengh, are in complete disagreement with what these two have stated. I will wait for you to post your "countless" professional scouting opinions that back up your statements.

[darrelgreenie]

You'll notice that the two things you insist he has, footwork and arm strengh, are in complete disagreement with what these two have stated. I will wait for you to post your "countless" professional scouting opinions that back up your statements.

I'm gonna jump in on this one because i like McCoy better then the other prospects. But i'm not gonna bash the other prospects.

Instead of everyone posting information from different scouts why don't we post information from the most credible scouts?

I've been on Waltersfootball site and the dude that wrote the scouting report on Colt gives the most biased assessment i've ever read.

No one on any site has McCoy rated as low as that dude.

And who is that guy anyway?

Gil Brandt is one of the most well respected and pedigreed scouts if you don't believe me just google him.

Gil Brandt on the QB crop:

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:...&ct=clnk&gl=us

"McCoy, 1; Bradford 2, Tebow 3," says Gil Brandt, matter-of-factly ticking off his ranking of the top three draft-eligible quarterbacks.

McCoy, of course, being University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.

"He was a scrawny kid coming out of high school," says Brandt, the longtime Dallas Cowboys personnel executive and current draft guru for NFL.com.

"I'm really impressed with how he's worked to build up his body to the point where he now looks like an NFL quarterback. Now, do I wish he was two inches taller? Sure."

At 6-2, 212, McCoy still may not have the prototype NFL size. And some detractors feel he doesn't have the prototype NFL arm.

"Everybody looks for the prototype, but when it comes down to it, you've got to take the best guy," said longtime NFL scout Dave Razzano.

And when it comes to the "best guy," Razzano is in agreement with Brandt: It's McCoy.

"He looks like a bigger, stronger Drew Brees," said Razzano, a veteran of 21 NFL seasons as a scout, most recently with the Arizona Cardinals. "People are knocking Colt McCoy, and the first thing I hear is arm strength. Tony Romo sits to pee, Kurt Warner, they don't have a cannon. It's not about that. It's about timing, touch. And he throws a lot of deep balls. It's not a nickel-and-dime offense like some people make it out to be."

One of McCoy's assets is his quick release. "He just snaps it out so quick, and he can get out of trouble," Razzano said. "Hell, he had a 65-yard TD run Thursday night (against Texas A&M). He's mobile. He's a great leader. He's got fire in his belly."

Keep in mind, Warner measured in at 6-1 {, 211 pounds coming out of Northern Iowa, and no one regards him as a small quarterback. Warner is heavier now, but most quarterbacks gain a little weight once they enter the NFL

Cheers!

[DCchillin89]

Colt McCoy is being mentored and loves Roger Staubach and is a self proclaimed Cowboys Fan. Enough Said. Russell Okung is my 1st Round Pick or Bradford. Shanny, if he is our coach, has a good eye for Offensive Lineman, so we may address that in rounds 2-7.

[Forehead]

Fair enough, a few things here.

1. I'm saying my personal opinion of McCoy is that he will bust. I don't like the fact that he operates in a shotgun only offense (one more thing to learn at the pro level) and his biggest asset (his quickness/running) will put him in a position to get hurt. He'll be playing against bigger, faster guys now who would love to crack him.

You'll notice the WalterFootball guy listed a number of strengths for McCoy, so it's not a total snowjob. His name is Matt McGuire, and he does scouting/analysis for the site. It's not all armchair stuff, he actually goes to the combines (he reports from them as well) and gets much closer to the action than most of us.

Look, I have no problem with you posting stuff in favor of McCoy, I love counter opinions. However, when a supposed professional scount like Razzano says that Kurt Warner doesn't have a cannon, I have to question that. Kurt Warner has (or had) an incredible arm, I have no idea what that guy is looking at.

The only thing I'm attacking here is hyperbole. When someone makes claims and says that he had "countless opinions" from scouts, I'm going to want to see them back up their claims. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Geneva]

Any talk of JC and this team next season is a big NO NO NO NOOO.......

[Operations]

Skins have struck out on their last 3 first rounds QBs - Shuler, Ramsey, & Candle. It really is a crap shoot.

Damn it, it's time we got lucky & found a franchise QB in the first round!!! 2010 is the year!!!

[Voice_of_Reason]

This couldn't have gone into the "if we still need a franchise QB in 2010, who would we draft" thread?

Ok, whatever. My 2 cents: I'm not a huge fan of any of the "big name" draft pick QBs.

I think they need to replace anywhere from 7-8 players on the starting offense. (LT, C, RG, RT, RB, WR2, QB). About the only real keepers of the lot are Cooley (who might be traded), Fred Davis, Mike Sellers and maybe Devin Thomas.

Personally, I don't think that any of the QBs this year warrant a top 7 or 8 draft pick. I would go OL, OL, OL, OL, OL and maybe throw in a CB for good measure. Find a vet somhere to play QB, draft the QB next year, and in 3 years, they're set to start making a run. But that takes patience.

IF they have to draft a QB this year, I guess I'd still go with Bradford. Assuming he's all healed up. But that wouldn't be my first choice.

[wildbill1952]

What OL is worth the 5th pick?

Let's see, NFL coaches and GM's said the following:

2009: Jason Smith (2)

2008: Jake Long (1)

2007: Joe Thomas (3)

2007(again): Levi Brown (5)

2006: D'Brickashaw Ferguson (4)

2004: Robert Gallery (2)

2002: Mike Williams (4) (Yeah, the Skins' Mike WIlliams)

2000: Chris Samuels (3)

But what do they know?

Obviously, some have been wrong. Some others were spot on and don't have to worry about the LT for 7 or 8 years, This year, some team is going to think Okung is worth it. Probably not the Redskins, but someone will. If not top 5, then top 10.

If you have a right-handed QB, protecting your investment by providing him with a top-notch left OT, is a wise business decision. Sort of like buying a 10 million dollar safe to protect the 100 million dollar franchise. I've even heard NFL coaches get other OL sometimes to help protect the QB. Not the Redskins, but some teams. Go figure.

[Ernie5]

The people here who constantly complain about Campbell's accuracy and slow release would probably have aneurysms if we got Young here.

Of course, it would take them 8 games or so of celebrating everything he did here first, and talking about how we "finally have a real QB" and "Thank god Campbell's gone" before they realized Young was worse.

He's really a very different QB. In saying I'd take him in a second, I don't mean to say I think he's going to be an All-Pro, but he does have some serious skills that could develop under someone like Shanahan. His slow release drives me crazy, but he's much more athletic than Campbell. I actually like Campbell; I was primarily responding to the notion that Young is some sort of disaster at QB; I don't think he is. Of course, it needs to be the right offense.

[wildbill1952]

I don't suppose anybody's weighing the thought of drafting a better QB the following year - like, as an example, considering Locker from Washington in 2011? With the OL the way it is, and despite the "good QB's make the OL better" crowd, next year is going to be as bad as this one, just with a bigger name at QB. No matter who the Skins draft this year, we're going to have a top 10 to top 5 pick next year.

Just a thought.

Oh, I forgot. Next year will be the "the Skins need to draft a great running back to make the OL better" year.