2011 Comprehensive NFL Draft Database

[Going Commando]

Until Brown has a more notable accomplishment than being the top recruit in 2009, he is Joe McKnight lite.

There are so many question marks surrounding him, that if his name was not Bryce Brown, he and his sub-500 yards rushing would be no where on this list.

There are so many other freshman and sophmores who have far superior resumes, hell, he wasn't even in the top 3 most impressive freshman RBs in the SEC (I would put Ealey, Norman and McCalebb ahead of Brown).

I think it's a lack of opportunity more than anything else. It's hard to put up numbers when you only get 8 carries a game. Montario Hardesty was so fabulously productive last season that you couldn't really take him out for any true freshman, even one as gifted as Brown. They should have just redshirted him. Regardless, Brown won't be doing anything this year since he's got to sit out the season for transferring. But the transfer will end up helping him in the end. It's good that he jumped a sinking ship in Tennessee for a Big 12 North school where he'll get to murder softer defenses and put up huge numbers like Peterson did in school.

I think you're off the mark on the Joe McKnight comparison. McKnight's pre-college accolades and hype never reached anywhere near the level Brown's did. Brown was basically called the next Adrian Peterson and expectations are higher for him than they were for McKnight (well at least for everyone other than USC fans). That class of 2013 has been spectacular in it's rate of production so far:

2009 numbers

Ryan Williams - 1,655 yards, 21 tds

Dion Lewis - 1,799 yards, 17 tds

LaMichael James - 1,546 yards, 14 tds

Bernard Pierce - 1,361 yards, 16 tds

Even Trent Richardson's 751 yards and 8 tds is a reasonably impressive start.

Comparing Brown to those guys, his accomplishments are meager which is why I talked about him as a second round pick--I assumed he'd more realistically be taken after them.

BTW, I'm not overly impressed with Washaun Ealey just because he ran for 300 more yards his freshman season. I would be willing to bet that there aren't many NFL scouts out there who think he'll be a better NFL prospect than Brown because of the evidence shown in their freshman years. If early evaluations were based on production, why on earth would Trent Richardson be widely considered as the best or second best RB in that class? Those other four guys I mentioned are far more accomplished to this date. The evaluations are based on talent and projected NFL skillsets as much as they are on production. By that measure, Bryce Brown and Trent Richardson are easily the most gifted RBs in the class. Ronnie Brown never put up huge numbers in college and only ran for 721 yards his senior season, but he was still the first RB taken in a 2005 RB class that was ridiculously accomplished in college. Bryce Brown is a lot like him in many ways, only with far superior burst, CoD, and open field elusiveness (meaning he'll actually be a good NFL RB). He's special for the same reasons as Richardson--a 220 pound RB with 4.4 speed that can run like a punt returner in the open field and catch and block.

Oh and that's not to say I'm not impressed with Ealey. Georgia does a good job developing complete RBs and Ealey looks the part. He's got good size and can play FB and catch and looks nice in pass pro. He's just nowhere near the talent Bryce Brown is.

[The Tris]

For my money, we see evidence time and time again of 3 and 4 year college running backs with consistant production turn out to be better pros than highly touted recruits with fantastic skill that don't translate to stats.

Guys without Brown's petigree like Ben Tate or Arian Foster, Shonn Green, Ray Rice, etc, who simply produced but weren't particularly explosive. Or Michael Bush if he can stay healthy. These are the type backs we should target, guys falling into the the middle rounds. Not top five guys (though Green was, but fell to 3rd).

The RB point is a bit moot IMO though, as I don't see Shanahan identifying highly ranking running backs as a priority. I would be disappointed if we went after a RB high in the first two round with other skill positions that are more difficult to fill so lacking.

Here are Shanahan's RB selections:

2008: 5th, 7th

2005: 3rd

2004: 2nd*, 7th

2003: 4th, 7th

2002: 2nd*

2000: 6th*

1999: 4th*

1998: 5th

1996: 3rd

1995: 6th*

*=1,000 yd rusher

EDIT: But as long as we are on the subject, I figure I should throw out some RBs that I want to keep my eye on this year for late round or UDFA pick ups:

Mario Fannin: Role player at AU since he arrived a year after Ben Tate and has seen carries limited his first two seasons with a rushing QB and last year with talented freshman McCalebb, he has some intrigue as an excellent pass catcher out of the back field.

Graig Cooper: If he can recover from his knee injury, he's produced steadily at Miami for 3 seasons while they rebuild, averaging 5 ypc for his career, and showing skill in pass game as well as punt and kick return game.

[Going Commando]

Perhaps the underlying reason for a highly productive college back with limited athletic capabilities is that, if he excels in specific traits like vision and short area agility, then he can average five or six yards a carry in college. Consequently, those are the qualities most important for success in our scheme. I would have liked to draft Hardesty if we'd had the picks for his strength in those areas.

I think you're absolutely right that we won't draft a RB in the first round. But I could definitely see us taking one in the second. ZBS teams take them that early and MS has drafted Tatum Bell and Clinton Portis in that range. The Texans took Ben Tate in the second and Steve Slaton in the third two years ago which are two fairly early draft picks for a RB. Do you think MS wouldn't want to replicate what he had with Clinton Portis if he thought there was a back with that kind of talent sitting there in the second round? I bet he would. And wouldn't we as fans rather have him solidify the position with a multi-year starter rather than having to spend a mid round pick on a RB nearly every single year like he did in Denver? Spending one second round pick on a highly touted runner and having him pan out big for 5 seasons is more economical in the long run than what he's done in the past.

Also, I agree with you that Bryce Brown doesn't deserved to be ranked ahead of Lewis, Williams, James, or Richardson. That's why I zeroed in on him as a huge talent that might be available in the second because of a lack of production relative to those other four. Right now he's actually a 2012 draft sleeper because of the path his college career is taking. He wouldn't be my first choice of the group. Out of all those names I think Ryan Williams would be the best fit, followed by LaMichael James. If one of them fell into an acceptable range outside the first, I'd be just as excited about drafting them.

That's not as crazy as it sounds. Williams and James will have their knocks. Tech backs are rarely stars, and I could see Williams falling back to earth this season after having to split carries with Darren Evans and friends. Plus there is something a bit wild about his style and an injury is never far away. That's all it would take to drop him a bit. The big knock against James and Lewis will be their size and lack of long speed. both are smallish, battering rams with nice short area burst, balance, and base strength. Richardson and Brown are the only NFL prototypes and they are the ones without the enormous production.

I like Miami's running backs a lot but all of them seem to have health problems. I thought Cooper and Javarris James were one of the better platoons in the ACC and each fit nicely in our scheme. I'm more impressed with Keiland Williams though. I really hope we decide to keep him. He's a big back with nice agility and surprisingly good pair of hands.

Another back I really like that's been mentioned a few times is Shane Vereen. He and Jacquizz Rogers are two of my favorites that might be available in a later round in this year's class. Vereen is a nice poor man's Jahvid Best. He's got nice agility and balance and has a well rounded skill set for catching passes and returning kicks. I'd like to seem him run a little stronger than he did last year but his cuts are nice and he's got better speed than most. Quizz actually looks really, really good for a small back when he runs downhill. He's got a strong base like LaMichael James and he's a demon to bring down around the goal line, evidenced by his 21 tds last season.

[The Tris]

But I could definitely see us taking one in the second. ZBS teams take them that early and MS has drafted Tatum Bell and Clinton Portis in that range. The Texans took Ben Tate in the second and Steve Slaton in the third two years ago which are two fairly early draft picks for a RB. Do you think MS wouldn't want to replicate what he had with Clinton Portis if he thought there was a back with that kind of talent sitting there in the second round? I bet he would. And wouldn't we as fans rather have him solidify the position with a multi-year starter rather than having to spend a mid round pick on a RB nearly every single year like he did in Denver? Spending one second round pick on a highly touted runner and having him pan out big for 5 seasons is more economical in the long run than what he's done in the past.

I could and I couldn't. I just feel like, if there are, say, 4 to 5 positions we need to be considering with our top two picks next year, RB is going to be one of the one's we can get by with addressing later in the draft. You look at our long term needs, and on defense, you are looking at an OLB, 1-2 ILB, a NT, and a DE. On offense, looking at a WR, a RT, some interior OL, a QB, and a RB.

I just think out of all of those positions, RB is the one spot where we can either 1) wait on the pick or 2) get by with what we have, especially considering below. If we are going to take a BPA approach considering the several above positions of need, I think a QB in the 1st or 2nd is a much better long term investment than a RB. Especially when considering positional value. (I really want to take a serious look at a QB this draft)

I'm more impressed with Keiland Williams though. I really hope we decide to keep him. He's a big back with nice agility and surprisingly good pair of hands.

Agreed, and furthers my point that taking a sure fire RB fit is almost a luxury when considering the other needs.

Another back I really like that's been mentioned a few times is Shane Vereen. He and Jacquizz Rogers are two of my favorites that might be available in a later round in this year's class. Vereen is a nice poor man's Jahvid Best. He's got nice agility and balance and has a well rounded skill set for catching passes and returning kicks. I'd like to seem him run a little stronger than he did last year but his cuts are nice and he's got better speed than most.

I have a feeling that Vereen is going to take a Matthews-esque leap up draft boards this season, so I almost don't even worry about him being a viable option.

Quizz actually looks really, really good for a small back when he runs downhill. He's got a strong base like LaMichael James and he's a demon to bring down around the goal line, evidenced by his 21 tds last season.

I like Quizz too. See a lot of MJD in him

[Dukes and Skins]

We may have to get the Comprehensive Scouting 2011 thread going soon if this is going to take off.

Anyway, for my money, if we do well this season and have a later 1st round pick, my blind homer choice is Stefen Wisneiwski. He plays a position of need for us, RG, and has also shown the ability to play Center, he has garnered Big Ten honors at both positions. Also a straight A student.

So in addition to being smart and 1st Team All conference capable at two positions that we have needs at, he also has the pedigree. His father, Leo Wisniewski, played three years in the NFL. His uncle might sound more familiar...Steve Wisniewski, 13 seasons, 8 pro bowls, named to the 1990's all decade team.

The kid has every tool to succeed in the NFL and would strengthen the interior of our O-line.

Wisneiwski would be a perfect selection it would solidify our OL more and allow Edwin Williams to move back to C which is natural position and the one I think he'll do best in. As for the idea of a comprehensive thread lets go ahead and do that I just started this as a little information group and it's taken off anyone can post their thoughts here I just want to talk some college football prospects

[Oldskool]

ChrisSteuber

1. I'm told that a scout from the #Rams & #Redskins will attend the #Hampton, #CentralMichigan game on Thursday. #NFL #NCAA @DraftScout 8 minutes ago via web

[Forehead]

Wisneiwski would be a perfect selection it would solidify our OL more and allow Edwin Williams to move back to C which is natural position and the one I think he'll do best in. As for the idea of a comprehensive thread lets go ahead and do that I just started this as a little information group and it's taken off anyone can post their thoughts here I just want to talk some college football prospects

This is the link to last years.

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?t=303876

As you can see, I was routinely updating the OP with links to certain players within the thread. As time wore on and the draft passed, it became less of a player profile thing and more a long running back and forth conversation with Stevemcqueen and a few others.

Now I had started it when it became obvious that our season was going down the tubes, but I see no reason why we couldn't start the 2011 at the beginning of the season, under better circumstances.

[Chicken Fried]

No worries, it's all in the spirit of debate and inquiry. I'd forgotten, but you and I don't typically see eye to eye on QBs. I remember us having extensive debates on Jimmy Clausen last season. Just to tweak your nose a bit, I remember that you liked him for us and I distinctly remember being of the opinion that he was a late first round to second round caliber quarterback that I didn't really like for us (even as Mel Kiper and Walterfootball hyped him up as a top 4 pick). Eventually, my camp was right about his draft status, but we're a long way from the book being written on his career. We'll have to follow him for a couple seasons to see which one of us was right on that call.

You're correct that we did not agree on the QBs last year. I still say Jimmy has "it." Unfortunately, his bum toe might prevent him from showing it this year. I think we both agreed Sam Bradford was the cat's meow, right? I know I was waited with baited breath right as the draft started to see if we packaged McNabb and our #4 for the #1 to get Bradford. I still wish we found a way to draft him because of McNabb's age, but it is what it is.

Another player I forgot to mention that I think could be the next big thing is Matt Barkley in 2012. He had a rough 2009-2010 season, but he has the physical tools and the coming experience in a pro style offense to be fantastic. Of course, he actually needs to make that step and improve or else his potential mean little.

I still think Andrew Luck is the next big thing. Watch his performance against USC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiFkLbz2FUw

He has excellent pocket mobility and vision. If a receiver is open, he goes on and throws it without hesitating. He has to work more on his long distance accuracy, but he has really nice touch. Watch the last play of that video, the touchdown pass. I'm not sure that he makes poor decisions like you said. He seems to know what he can and can't do. He uses his legs responsibly as well. Notice that only one run he made in that game was for a loss. Almost all were for first downs. He steps up into the pocket without losing his vision at which point he can take off if he needs to do so.

[Dukes and Skins]

This is the link to last years.

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?t=303876

As you can see, I was routinely updating the OP with links to certain players within the thread. As time wore on and the draft passed, it became less of a player profile thing and more a long running back and forth conversation with Stevemcqueen and a few others.

Now I had started it when it became obvious that our season was going down the tubes, but I see no reason why we couldn't start the 2011 at the beginning of the season, under better circumstances.

Sounds good to me Forehead, I could just edit the title to the 2011 comprehensive draft thread if that works or we could just start a new one, although that would suck with how much steve myself and others have put into the thread

[Going Commando]

Sounds good to me Forehead, I could just edit the title to the 2011 comprehensive draft thread if that works or we could just start a new one, although that would suck with how much steve myself and others have put into the thread

If you don't mind keeping up with the OP D&S and posting links, then you might as well just edit this thread title and put a place in the OP for links to prospect profiles when they start getting written. This has been a fun discussion so far and it'd be nice to keep it going.

[The Tris]

I see no reason to start a new thread and re do what has already been done.

Perhaps in the OP we get a big board going by position?

Steve, you seemed to want to start with DL or LB, why don't we start there?

[Dukes and Skins]

I see no reason to start a new thread and re do what has already been done.

Perhaps in the OP we get a big board going by position?

Steve, you seemed to want to start with DL or LB, why don't we start there?

Sounds good to me as well I'll post the big boards and such once they are actually done and put them in the OP. If steve wants the DL and LB I'll take the WR and CB positions.

[FLRedskins]

I would take Ponder

[Going Commando]

I see no reason to start a new thread and re do what has already been done.

Perhaps in the OP we get a big board going by position?

Steve, you seemed to want to start with DL or LB, why don't we start there?

Sounds good to me. If we wanted to do profiles in the format we did last year, the basic method went something like this:

Prospect name, position, team

year, height, weight

- Maybe a little paragraph of background, stats or career achievement, was he a ballyhooed high school recruit like Andre Smith or was he an also-ran that developed spectacularly in college like Russell Okung? Not necessary but it can add context to the prospect. Sometimes ESPN or other news sources will run fascinating human interest pieces on some of the prospects like they have with Allen Bailey. This is a good spot to bring up

- links to or quotations of evaluations by draft websites when they become available.

- A link to a good youtube video of the prospect is always awesome and those will spring up during the season

- Following the video link, I like to do a personal evaluation of the content of the video and identify what I think are specific strengths and weaknesses and give my own general impression of the prospect.

- Lastly, I like to do a section discussing the prospects value for us and what his role in our schemes would be. I'll talk about things like: what range I think he'll get drafted in, if he's a cost effective draft pick, does he fill a need or is more of a BPA option, if he has some sort of unique value for our scheme, etc.

Last year we had a ton of different posters contribute profiles. If we wanted to divvy up different position groups or prospects for us to post about at our own leisure, I wouldn't be opposed. And the more profiles we can write about one prospect, the merrier. I've already written a couple of posts that can form the meat of a profile on Chris Galippo, Travis Lewis, and Stephen Paea. I'll continue writing ones for 3-4 DEs, OLBs, ILBs, and NTs as I find youtube videos for them. Next I plan on eventually writing a post on Robert Quinn, Cameron Heyward, Bruce Carter, Allen Bailey, and Sam Acho, and I'll probably write a post with my two cents on Adrian Clayborn to go along with theboomking's. For all those guys, I'm going to use the videos that this youtube user has submitted: http://www.youtube.com/user/AloAloysius#g/u

He's got 90 some odd cutups of players and there are several other users making these videos too. I'd suggest it as a starting point to anyone who wants to write one at this early juncture.

[Thirtyfive2seven]

I hope the Redskins find a rare gem somewhere in the later rounds for a QB prospect. Don't get me wrong I'm a HUGE McNabb supporter but I'd really like Shanny to find his QB next year in the draft and have that work out to be our franchise QB going forward. Who better than McNabb to teach?

[Forehead]

I didn't get a chance to answer sooner, I had class tonight, but I was going to say just change this thread title. And make sure you keep up with updating the OP. If you don't know how to link to single posts, let me know and I'll walk you through the process.

[Dukes and Skins]

I didn't get a chance to answer sooner, I had class tonight, but I was going to say just change this thread title. And make sure you keep up with updating the OP. If you don't know how to link to single posts, let me know and I'll walk you through the process.

Thank you forehead, no worries about it I was in class too as well starting to get adjusted to this college lifestyle now.

[Dukes and Skins]

I hope the Redskins find a rare gem somewhere in the later rounds for a QB prospect. Don't get me wrong I'm a HUGE McNabb supporter but I'd really like Shanny to find his QB next year in the draft and have that work out to be our franchise QB going forward. Who better than McNabb to teach?

Right now there are a couple of guys to look at with late round picks and I stated it earlier but no worries I like talking about QB's for some reason. Right now the two guys I'm pegging with late round picks to watch are Andy Dalton from TCU and Colin Kaepernick from Nevada. Both are guys who have played in college offenses but they also have the skill sets to make a transition to the next level. Dalton is someone who I think if he was in a bigger conference, then he would have more hype around him than he does now. Kaepernick has the athleticism and talent to be a good QB but playing in the Nevada offense will do zero for preparing him for the next level. They are guys who will need some tutoring and like you said Shanny and McNabb are going to be great mentors for whoever they draft to be the successor to McNabb in 3 years or so.

[Going Commando]

I hope the Redskins find a rare gem somewhere in the later rounds for a QB prospect. Don't get me wrong I'm a HUGE McNabb supporter but I'd really like Shanny to find his QB next year in the draft and have that work out to be our franchise QB going forward. Who better than McNabb to teach?

Wouldn't we all love for us to find a late round gem QB like a Tony Romo sits to pee or Tom Brady? The problem is that almost never happens.

The QB position is one you don't get cute with on draft day. If there is an impressive first round prospect available to us when we pick and we like him, then we should take him no matter who else is available. The success rate for finding good starting QBs after the first round is awful. Brett Favres don't slip through the cracks for going to small schools very often any more. If there's talent out there, it mostly gets identified and taken early unless it's flawed.

I'd love for us to take a QB in the first round of either this year's draft or next if we've got a shot at a good one. Right now I don't think we will this season since the only two impressive prospects I think will be available are Christian Ponder and Jake Locker. If we're picking in the teens, both might be long gone.

[Spartacus87]

Wouldn't we all love for us to find a late round gem QB like a Tony Romo sits to pee or Tom Brady? The problem is that almost never happens.

The QB position is one you don't get cute with on draft day. If there is an impressive first round prospect available to us when we pick and we like him, then we should take him no matter who else is available. The success rate for finding good starting QBs after the first round is awful. Brett Favres don't slip through the cracks for going to small schools very often any more. If there's talent out there, it mostly gets identified and taken early unless it's flawed.

I'd love for us to take a QB in the first round of either this year's draft or next if we've got a shot at a good one. Right now I don't think we will this season since the only two impressive prospects I think will be available are Christian Ponder and Jake Locker. If we're picking in the teens, both might be long gone.

This.

Year after year, people get hyped up about random late round QBs. Who, a lot of times, don't even end up getting drafted at all, and float around in a camp or two before hitting the PS somewhere and then being out of the league.

And year after year, we have this discussion about the virtual guarantee that late round QBs don't pan out for a multitude of reasons. And people still point to Tom Brady, or Kurt Warner, or Tony Romo sits to pee, even though each of those scenarios had different elements in play.

If you're going QB in the draft, get one early. Like 1st round early. Otherwise, just don't do it. Unless there's a guy in the early 2nd round you feel that you can develop for a couple of years from 2nd string into being a starter (and even that's a fairly large gamble, historically speaking).

And I officially give my 2011 endorsement to Rodney Hudson or Christian Ponder, both from FSU.

[Spartacus87]

I just watched the second half of the game, and he played better. Apparently, his stats were awesome but I didn't see a first round quarterback. Maybe it's the spread offense. That monstrosity burns my eyes!

Weren't you kind of a big Tim Tebow guy going into the draft?

Hudson i know is highly rated but i like the other guys size over his.. it may not be much but the other guys have gerth..

You should go back and watch Hudson in the UNC game from last year, if you can find any of that some place.

He basically dominated Robert Quinn and Cam Thomas, and even won a few matchups against Marvin Austin the few times he was pitted against him.

It also helps that FSU runs one of the best ZBS in the entire country under OL coach Rick Trickett, so Hudson would just be learning an extension of what he's already done to an extremely high level in Tallahassee for the last few years.

[Forehead]

Speaking of QB's, I'll be very interested in how Pat Devlin develops this year at Delaware. Since he didn't want to wait his turn and transferred from Penn State, (can't blame him) I'm interested to see if he follows in Joe Flacco's footsteps, has a dominant senior season, and shoots up the boards. Kid has a rocket arm but is a little short on experience.

[Going Commando]

Speaking of QB's, I'll be very interested in how Pat Devlin develops this year at Delaware. Since he didn't want to wait his turn and transferred from Penn State, (can't blame him) I'm interested to see if he follows in Joe Flacco's footsteps, has a dominant senior season, and shoots up the boards. Kid has a rocket arm but is a little short on experience.

Devlin was an elite 11 QB the same year as Stafford, Tebow, Freeman, and Snead among others. He's one of the few guys who's not really considered a first rounder right now, that I think actually has a shot of solidifying himself in the first by the end of the year. He's got prototype size and an NFL arm and he's reasonably mobile. One guy to keep as a baseline is Matt Schaub. Devlin has far better physical tools to work with than Schaub does. Schaub actually is not a very physically gifted QB. So our prospect doesn't have to be a Terrelle Pryor caliber athlete to work out spectacularly.

Deleware runs a slot of spread, but he'll have some experience dropping back just as Flacco did. Level of competition shouldn't be too big a deal because the talent is all relative--the DBs he faces are the same talent level as his receivers. The CAA is probably more competitive than the Big East. I'd look for him to put up 30 passing touchdowns and perhaps lead Delaware to the playoffs and make a run like Flacco did. But no matter what, he's still going to get his ass kicked by Richmond.

[darrelgreenie]

The QB position is one you don't get cute with on draft day. If there is an impressive first round prospect available to us when we pick and we like him, then we should take him no matter who else is available. The success rate for finding good starting QBs after the first round is awful. Brett Favres don't slip through the cracks for going to small schools very often any more. If there's talent out there, it mostly gets identified and taken early unless it's flawed.

The ability to properly assess and coach QBs league wide is awful.

Consequently the success rate of finding a QB anywhere is awful.

BUT the rare people that can both assess and coach QBs have success with QB regardless of draft range.

What i'm saying is that a scouts top prospect and therfore our fan top prospect often isn't the actual top prospect according to the coaches that can tell the difference.

Therefore the coaches that know can often find there QB outside of the early 1st round pick and without the consequent investment.

Look at the success rate of coaches considered to be 'guru's' Walsh, Holmgren, McCarthy, Reid, Sean Payton, Norv Turner vs everyone else and look at how often they've drafted their QBs in the 1st round vs the other rounds or via trade. Off the top of my head i know that Walsh and Holmgren have never taken a 1st round QB, Reid has taken one but developed Kolb in the second, McCarthy developed Rodgers late in the 1st, Sean Payton helped with Romo sits to pee undrafted traded for Brees, Norv Turner has had success with almost every QB he's worked with excluding Heath Shuler.

I'm not against taking an early 1st round QB per se but i don't see the need for next year Redskins to do so.

For one we don't have an imminent need.

I define imminent need as the need/desire to play a rookie QB at some point during their rookie year for whatever reason i.e. your team is good enough to win with them at QB right away ala Ben Rothlisberger/Matt Sanchez/Joe Flacco/Matt Ryan or the face of a changing franchise ala Stafford/Bradford.

I think early 1st round picks need to have immediate impact to the overall building team.

I think we should follow some version of the above coaches model keep drafting QBs outside the 1st round and develop them while building the rest of the team.

And if we are unable to develop one of those QBs then aquire an early 1st round QB only when the need/situation arises where a suitable starting QB isn't available on the team and the team is ready to play and win with the QB they draft.

[The Tris]

I define imminent need as the need/desire to play a rookie QB at some point during their rookie year for whatever reason i.e. your team is good enough to win with them at QB right away ala Ben Rothlisberger/Matt Sanchez/Joe Flacco/Matt Ryan or the face of a changing franchise ala Stafford/Bradford.

The best thing the Packers ever did was they didn't wait for the QB to be an immediate need.

Waiting until a fading player at a premier position (QB, LT) completely breaks down is how you end up with 4-12 season.

Some of the best young QBs were taken in advance of the current starter losing steam, including Rivers, Romo sits to pee, Kolb, and Rodgers.

Waiting until a problem becomes a crisis is the way Vinny operated.

And I think Matt Ryan belongs in the face of a changing franchise section. The 2007 Falcons were not a QB away from winning, not even close.