Top Five 2010 NFL QB Prospects
As a sports writer with a NFL draft column I am under constant pressure to get my annual Draft Ranking published as soon as possible. Often as the College Football season progress those rankings change, and change a lot. Guys get injured, guys give up, and in the case of under classmen we don’t exactly know if they will declare for the draft or not. Since it is now December, the College Football regular season is essentially over, here is a quick look at the top five QB prospects for the 2010 draft.
1. Jake Locker, Junior, Washington – He hasn’t declared yet, and could benefit from another year in college, but this guy is being compared to John Elway and Steve Young. Strong, fast, able to keep play alive with his feet, and smart. He also comes from a football family. He seems to have all the tools a NFL QB needs, and he could very well be the first QB selected if he enters the 2010 draft.
2. Jimmy Clausen, Junior, Notre Dame- Sure he may remind people of Brady Quinn or Ron Powlus, but this kid has that special it factor. He has toughness, and can be a leader, but may need some time to grow into a true NFL starting QB.
3. Colt McCoy, Senior, Texas- He is tough, he is a leader, but there are still a lot of questions about his deep game. He seems to make a lot of throws off balance. However in a weak QB class he stands out, and as a second round development project he could do some team a lot of good.
4. Tim Tebow. Senior, Florida- No College QB has played in as many big games as Tebow, which has to count for something. However he will need to unlearn his spread offense tendencies if he wants to make it in the NFL.
5. Dan Lefevour, Senior, Central Michigan- Sure he plays at a smaller school, in the MAC, but he is a four year starter who has completed over 200 passes each of those years. He is a leader, and could be a great value pick in the late first round or in the second.
I didn’t list Sam Bradford (Junior, Oklahoma) here because there are far too many questions about this kid. His hurt shoulders set him back, and raises all kinds of durability concerns. While he does have great accuracy when given the time to throw, one has to wonder what he can do behind a marginal O-Line. His Shoulder injury robbed him of his chances to show scout just that, and it will likely cost him a top ten draft spot.
