| March 16, 2006 | « Previous Story | HOME | Next Story » | Posted at 08:50 AM |
BillsZone.com takes a look at the players available in the 2006 NFL Draft and how they fill the needs of the Buffalo Bills. This week, we take a look at the quarterback position.
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QB- RB - FB - WR- TE - C - G -OT - DT - DE - OLB - ILB - CB - S
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While not one of the greatest athletically gifted QBs in college history, he will wind up as one of the most decorated. He will go down as one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time. In three seasons as a starter at USC, he had a combined record of 37-2, including 34 straight victories. He came within a final drive by Vince Young's Texas Longhorns of winning three straight National Championships. Heisman Trophy winner in 2004, and by far the nation's most polished QB in the draft. Is a proven winner and one of the most effective quarterbacks to ever play the collegiate game. Leinart has shown good accuracy on all routes, to go along with good down-field vision. He throws one of the best deep balls in college football, putting the ball where only his guy can get it. Leinart has good pocket presence and is mobile enough to avoid the pressure, but he usually won't break a big run. He has shown he can play against top tier defenses in pressure situations. Has a terrific command of his offense. A natural born leader with terrific all-around intangibles. The NCAA version of Tom Brady. He has intelligent vision and gerat ablility to spot open receivers and at 6'5" he is able to have a full line of sight. His arm is not unbelievably strong but he can throw the occasional missile and shows absolutely tremendous tough on deep and seam routes, able to place the ball only where the receiver can get it. Benefiting from outstanding pass protection at USC, how will he fair behind a poor offensive line in the NFL? Overall Leinart is a can't miss prospect. He will be a Pro Bowl QB and is smart enough to quickly grasp any NFL playbook and make an immediate impact. Top player in the draft.
Vince Young is one of the most explosive players in college football. He might be the best athletic QB prospect since Mike Vick. Hes not as fast or agile as Mike is, but he is certainly a threat to run when he finds the space. Young has an outstanding combination of size and athleticism for a quarterback. He has good field vision, a quick release, and the arm strength to make all the throws required of an NFL quarterback. He has the ability to avoid the rush, get out of the pocket, and make an accurate throw on the run or make a play with his feet when needed. Has the heart and leadership of a lion. Led Texas to the National Championship with stunning come from behind victories on the road at Ohio State and in the title game against USC, winners of 34 games in a row. Young has all the intangibles you look for in a quarterback. He is a good leader and the type of player who makes the players around him better. If there is fault in his game, it is his passing. He has a totally different passing technique, which sometimes leads to his accuracy being off. His throwing style is unorthodox and could use some tweaking at the pro level. A good QB coach could perfect his throwing so that batted balls and inaccurate passes become minimal. For all his success on the field, it really has not come as a passer. Texas has simplified the playbook and not asked him a whole lot to beat teams through the air. He also tries to do too much at times through the air, forcing the ball into coverage too often. Young also tends to lock on to his receivers, which is something he will really need to work on at the next level. Young is a project, but a project that has major upside. His upside is as high as anyone in this draft, but he is also much riskier than any other top prospect. His lack of fundamentals as a passer will really hurt him. Young will more then likely be a top-5 pick in 2006.
Cutler has the tools to play at the next level. His college production and track record are more difficult to gauge than that of other top QB prospects because he did not have a great supporting cast. Cutler is an experienced, competitive three-year starter who does not get the recognition he deserves. Despite being overmatched on almost a weekly basis, Cutler finds ways to keep his team in games. Cutler does not possess any elite physical tools like Leinart or Young. However, he has adequate size, speed, arm strength and athletic ability. He also is an intelligent, competitive and tough player who earns your respect after watching him take a pounding in nearly every game film. Should remind Buffalo Bills fans of the scouting reports on JP Losman. There has not been much help on offense during his four years at Vandy. That has caused Cutler to try and do too much to help his team win. He will try and force balls into coverage to make the big throw. He needs to show better decision making on the field. For all his experience, Cutler still needs work. His line play has never been very good, so Cutler has never truly gotten the ability to consistently sit in the pocket and set up a play. Has adequate but not good overall physical tools. Possesses adequate but not great arm strength. Deep ball will sail sometimes. Lacks elite zip on the deep out route. Won't be able to fit the ball into some tight spots that many NFL starting QB's can. Has a bit of a windmill delivery. If he had not played at Vandy, Cutler would get a lot more publicity. He also probably would be a little more developed. He's had to run for his life his entire career, and hasn't had much help around him. Because of a lack of top quarterbacks in this draft, Cutler's stock will rise. He may be selected in the top 15-20 picks of the draft, if not sooner.
He has a strong arm which allows him to make all the throws that he will need to make as a professional quarterback. He is patient in the pocket, has good field vision, and is extremely accurate on his short to intermediate range passes. He hits his receivers in stride allowing them to get yards after the catch and tries to put the ball where only his receiver can get it. He didn't throw deep very often in college, but when he did he showed good touch on his deep passes. He has good football intelligence and knows how to read a defense. He makes good decisions and really takes care of the football. His career touchdown to interception ratio is about 6 ½ touchdowns to 1 interception. Jacobs didn't play against the highest level of competition in the MAC and he struggled in two of his three big games as a senior. Jacobs has proven to be an efficient QB. He has a good feel for the game and has not made dumb mistakes. He has excellent size, he is tall and athletically built. His stats were inflated due to the fact that he played in a spread offense where he operated almost exclusively out of the shotgun. He will have to adjust to playing under center in the pros. Omar's blend of skills will make him a very high pick in the 2006 draft, and one of the top quarterback's taken in the draft Teams possibly interested in taking Jacob's include the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Bucs, Miami Dolphins or possibly even the Oakland Raiders. Will be gone no later than the 40th pick in the draft, possibly in the late first round.
Croyle possesses an outstanding arm and the ability to make all the throws. He has nice touch and also the strength to fire it across the field. Croyle doesn't force the ball and makes good decisions with his passes. Croyle has all the physical skills to be an NFL quarterback. He's tall, he's athletic, and is capable of making every throw on the football field, and when he's on, he can carry a team on his back. He has the mobility in the pocket to elude the rush and escape to find more time to throw. Croyle does falter a bit when he's flushed from the pocket and is forced to throw on the run. He's not as accurate when his feet aren't set. Croyle also has durability concerns based on his injury history. At the next level, the two will go hand and hand. He has a very thin frame, and may not be able to withstand the beating an NFL quarterback takes. His performance at the Senior Bowl certainly helped his stock. Right now his draft grade is probably third round with an outside shot at the mid-late second. 
Hackney has some tools that will definitely get him a shot in the NFL. He has an excellent arm and has shown that he is capable of reading defenses and making good decisions. Is very strong and a beast in the weight room. Hackney is a decent athlete who can move the pocket and throw on the run without losing velocity. He can escape the rush and is a tough player to bring down, but won't make a lot of plays running. A leader who is calm in the pocket , he put up some impressive numbers at the college level Has nimble feet and moves pretty well for a guy his size. Had durability issues during his first two collegiate seasons. Has not played against top competition throughout college. Is on the shorter side. Occasionally will have trouble finding passing windows. In many ways, he reminds us of a shorter Daunte Culpepper or David Garrad. Hackney comes with some durability concerns and he is rough around the edges, but he has enough upside to possibly emerge into an NFL starter if given the proper coaching and time to develop. As it stands right now, Hackney grades out as a late Day-1 prospect in the 2006 draft class. 
Whitehurst has excellent size and strength. He has the physical makeup of a top QB prospect. His arm strength isn't elite, but is good and he has more than enough zip to get the ball into tighter spots and make plays downfield. Although not agile by any stretch Whitehurst does display good pocket awareness and some elusiveness. Shows decent foot quickness and mobility for his size. Can see over his offensive line and rarely has trouble finding passing windows. He has a high release and doesn't have many passes batted down. One of Whitehursts' biggest strengths is the deep ball and the touch passes. He leads well and puts enough air under the ball to allow his receivers to run under them. He also shows good placement on his fades around the goal line. Does a good job in terms of his play-fakes. Will freeze the linebacker. However, his accuracy varies from game to game and he will need to improve his consistency. Where he also has had struggles is in decision making. He can move and escape the rush and will stand in against the blitz, but will force passes into coverage when pressure is in his face. He will need to improve at taking care of the ball. Whitehurst has very good overall physical tools and has flashed the potential to emerge as a high draft pick. However, he is entirely too inconsistent and erratic to consider as a first or even second round prospect. If he can finish his senior season strong and carry that momentum over to post-season all-star games and workouts, Whitehurst still can sneak into the first day of the 2006 draft. 
Gradkowski has the skill to play at the next level. He has a cannon for an arm, and can thread the needle anywhere on the field. His efficiency over the past three years has been amazing. Along with his passing ability, Gradkowski is an excellent athlete and can make things happen with his fee.t Once he gets into the open field and you see him move, you can't believe a quarterback can move that fast. The only question physically with Gradkowski is his height. He is not as tall as his listed height, which makes him shorter than ideal for the QB position. His toughness also works against him at times. He plays reckless on the field, and as a quarterback, he needs to realize he's too valuable to take extra hits. He's been hindered with a hand, shoulder, and rib injuries, to go with concussions. From a physical standpoint he doesn't have what you are looking for but when you factor in his intangibles and production it is hard not to like him. Gradkowski has the look of a player who will at the very least, be a good backup in the NFL. Whether or not he can develop into a starter remains to be seen. West coast offense is probably the best place for him. Middle of day 2 pick- 5th or 6th round. 
Intelligence, arm strength, decision making are Reggie McNeal's main strengths, combine that a 4.3 40 and you have a dangerous weapon in the backfield. There aren't too many quarterbacks out there with the natural gifts McNeal has. He is a legitimate threat to beat you with his arm or his feet. However, he is going to need time and patience at the next level. If a team is willing to give McNeal time, they may have a big time playmaker on their hands. His athletic ability allows him to avoid the rush and get out of the pocket. He throws well on the run and can make a big play with his feet if there isn't a receiver open. He has good arm strength but he has been a streaky passer in college. At 6-2, 205-ish, is undersized for the NFL. -His intangibles are questionable. He didn't demonstrate strong leadership abilities. He suffers through bouts of inconsistency on the field. His accuracy is up and down at times. He also forces too many passes. McNeal will need time at the next level to adjust to an NFL playbook and to further develop his passing skills. Because of his freakish speed, some team will draft him early to mid day 2 of the draft- possibly changing his position.
QB- RB - FB - WR- TE - C - G -OT - DT - DE - OLB - ILB - CB - S