So, I thought this was interesting regarding 'non-elite' first round QB prospects. I think these two guys look a lot at the pre-draft point to the top 2 guys this year. I'll post the whole scouting report, but pay particular attention to the positive/negative sections:
11-13-2005, 01:26 PM
Pre-Draft Profiles of Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, provided by
http://nfldraftscout.com (
http://nfldraftscout.com/)
#15 QB Drew Brees, Purdue, 6-0/213/4.83
Class/Draft Year: Sr/2001
Projected Round: 1-2
Rated number 2 out of 28 QB's
Overview
The unquestioned leader of the Boilermakers’ offense and one of the school’s most decorated athletes...The three-year starter shattered virtually every school passing record and also made his marks on the Big Ten Conference and NCAA Division 1-A record charts...Ranks fourth in NCAA annals with 1525 pass attempts, 942 pass completions and 11,815 yards in total offense (NCAA does not recognize bowl stats)...Including post-season action, he holds the Boilermaker and conference career-records with 1026 completions of 1678 passes for 11,792 yards, 90 touchdown tosses and 12,692 yards in total offense...His pass completion percentage of .611 set another Purdue all-time record...Only player in Big Ten Conference history to throw for over 500 yards in a game twice in a career...Threw for over 400 yards seven times, over 300 yards sixteen times and over 200 yards twenty-seven times during his career...Tied Wisconsin tailback Ron Dayne’s (1996-99) Big Ten Conference record by earning Player of the Week honors eight times during his career.
Analysis
Positives... Touch passer with the ability to read and diagnose defensive coverages...Confident leader who knows how to take command in the huddle...Very tough and mobile moving around in the pocket...Has a quick setup and is very effective throwing on the move... Throws across his body with great consistency...Hits receivers in stride and improvises his throws in order to make a completion...Puts good zip behind the short and mid-range passes...Shows good judgement and keen field vision...Has a take-charge attitude and is very cool under pressure...Hits receivers in motion with impressive velocity...Has superb pocket presence and uses all of his offensive weapons in order to move the chains...Has solid body mechanics and quickness moving away from center...Elusive scrambler with the body control to avoid the rush.
Negatives...Plays in the spread offense, taking the bulk of his snaps from the shotgun...Tends to side-arm his passes going deep...Lacks accuracy and touch on his long throws...Seems more comfortable in the short/intermediate passing attack...Does not possess the ideal height you look for in a pro passer, though his ability to scan the field helps him compensate in this area...Will improvise and run when the passing lanes are clogged, but tends to run through defenders rather than trying to avoid them to prevent unnecessary punishment.
Combine Results
Height: 6' 0"
Weight: 213
40 Yard Dash: 4.83
20 Yard Dash: 2.75
10 Yard Dash: 1.66
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.21
3-Cone Drill: 7.09
Vertical Jump: 32"
Broad Jump: 8'9"
Wonderlic: 34
Campus Agility Tests
40-yard dash: 4.67
Bench press: 275 lbs.
Squat: 475 lbs.
Power Clean: 275 lbs.
Arm length: 31 ¼”
Hands: 10”
#17 QB Philip Rivers, North Carolina State, 6-5/229/5.08
Class/Draft Year: Sr/2004
Projected Round: 1
Rated number 3 out of 57 QB's
Overview
The second-leading passer in NCAA history with 13,484 career passing yards, breaking school and Atlantic Coast Conference records, he also set an NCAA record with 51 career starts at quarterback...Philip finished second in NCAA history with 13,582 career yards of total offense...He tied for fifth in NCAA history with 95 career touchdown passes and also broke school and ACC career-records for passing attempts (1710), pass completions (1147), touchdowns responsible for (112), 300-yard passing games (18) and 400-yard passing games (7)...Philip started all 51 games (including 2000-01 bowls) of his four years and threw for at least 100 yards in every contest while posting a 34-17 career record as the starter. He is the first quarterback in ACC history, and the seventh in the history of the NCAA, to throw for 3000 yards in three different seasons...He completed 110 of 161 passes in four bowl games for 1,202 yards, 10 touchdowns, three interceptions and rushed for 65 yards...His jersey number 17 was retired before his last home game, (11/22/03) vs. Maryland...The most decorated passer in school annals, he also excelled in the class room, graduating with a degree in Business (12/18/03), four days before suiting up for the final time for the Wolf- pack.
Analysis
Positives...Has a tall, linear build with adequate body thickness and good size for his position...Shows good arm strength and velocity...Very smart athlete who makes proper judgements (rarely throws into traffic)...Has great poise and pocket presence, as he will stand tall and deliver under pressure...Takes control in the huddle and is very respected by his teammates...Displays above average ball placement in the short area passing game and throws a very catchable ball, knowing exactly when to zip the pigskin and when to show touch...Has a natural feel for when he needs to slide out of the pocket and avoid the pass rush...seems to always be in sync with his receivers, doing an excellent job in timing his tosses and anticipating when to hit his targets in stride...Has a keen understanding of the offense, keeiping his head on a swivel as he checks down the line...Vocal leader who words hard in the weight room and practices...Highly competitive type who is not afraid to "mix it up" when defenders get over-aggressive...Has the body strength to fight off pressure and get free from the blitz...More comfortable in the short-to-intermediate passing game, displaying incredible accuracy..Not fast, but can buy time with his feet and maintains his accuracy throwing on the move (his precision allows him to squeeze the ball into tight areas)...Will need mechanical refinement, but much like Brett Favre, this kid is a flat-out winner.
Negatives...Won't ever hurt you by running the ball, but has enough foot quickness and hip swerve to elude the rush and throw on the move...Needs to work on his foot quickness in his drops, but has made steady improvement in recent years...Throws the ball with a sidearm motion, but he can improvise and make plays with his creativity...Will struggle with his long tosses, as the ball will sail and hang on him (his best way to get the ball deep is through an awkward wind-up delivery)...His unorthodox style sees him keep the ball at his waist, displaying a low release, but he has good timing.
Combine Results
Wonderlic: 30
Campus Agility Tests
40-yard dash: 5.08
Bench press: 375 lbs.
Power clean: 290 lbs.
Vertical jump: 33"
Broad jump: 9'8"
Arm length: 31 1/4"
Wonderlic: 29/35
Right handed
So-I'm not saying that Barkley is going to be Drew Brees, or that Geno is going to be Phillip Rivers. Just that here's a couple of guys that we KNOW, and here's what was said about them pre-draft. A lot of the same things are being said about Smith and Barkley. Just keeping it all in perspective, yo.