Blaine Gabbert to the NFL!

[duncan_idaho]

A couple of thoughts...

Blaine Gabbert will be a better NFL quarterback in terms of production than he was in college. This is a great decision for him, IMO. Even IF Mallett comes out, Gabbert will crush him in terms of athleticism, interviews, and overall IQ. Gabbert is a far superior athlete (Mallett is a Bledsoe-esque statue). He'll crush the Wonderlic.

Can't wait for Mallett's test results on that... or to hear what teams think of him after hearing him wig it out.

On Franklin... he'll have to fight off the younger Gabbert. Both are more typical spread QBs than Blaine, so that will be interesting. I think Franklin-Smith are kind of like Welker-Moe comparisons. Really not that apt, and only one main similarity... Franklin is a quicker runner than Gabbert, but he is nowhere close to Brad Smith in terms of top-end speed or agility. I think he's a better runner than Daniel and Blaine and a better thrower than Brad. Zac Robinson, former oSu QB, probably is a better comparison.

Tyler Gabbert is the closest thing to Chase Daniel on the roster.

If Gabbert goes in the top 10 (or five, which is a possibility whether Luck comes out or stays), that can only help with guys like Gunner Kiel and Maty Mauk. Land one of those 2012 QBs, and the chances of nabbing Dorial Green improve.

Finally, on next year... losing Gabbert and Smith doesn't mean the season is in the dumps.

Missouri's depth at DE will really blunt the loss of Smith (especially if Kony Ealy bursts on to the scene as expected). And let's see what happens during spring practice before we say the QB situation is going to be a disaster.

Franklin walks into about as good a situation as possible for a first-time starting QB. Strong offensive line, experienced RB stable, experienced WRs corps (with some explosive newcomers like Jimmie Hunt to factor in).

It honestly wouldn't surprise me to the see the offense be a little more effective with Franklin running the show. For all of Gabbert's strengths, his tendency to take crucial sacks (for HUGE losses), his lack of efficiency on third down, and his lack of accuracy on deep balls also created some issues.