2015 NFL Draft Scouting Reports: The Quarterbacks

***ALL PLAYER COMPARISONS ARE BASED OFF OF SKILL SET AND BODY TYPES, NOT A PREDICTION OF CAREERS***

Well will you look at what time it is. It's scouting time. Then again it's always scouting time. Scouting is a year round process, and it just enhances once the season ends. This year's draft does have the dominant depth at one position that some drafts may have had in the past. But there's still a lot of future pro bowlers and stars available, starting with the quarterback position...

Brett Hundley

6'3" 227 lbs UCLA

POSITIVES:

• Tremendous athlete
  
• Very hard worker
• Very good arm strength
• Very hard worker
• Great leader
• Gym Rat
  
• Good deep ball
• Improved throughout his career
• True dual threat
• Very good size
• Really good at throwing on the run
  

NEGATIVES:

• Relies on his mobility far too much
• Does not go through progressions
• Inconsistent accuracy
• Did not run very many NFL plays
• Poor pocket awareness
• Stares targets down
• Does not make reads
• Not as efficient throwing from the pocket
• Does a poor job keeping his eyes down field

THE BREAKDOWN: Brett Hundley has a lot of tools to work with. In just physical terms, from his size, to his arm talent, and mobility, he is a top five pick. Unfortunately for Hundley, his inconsistent accuracy and lack of knowledge with running a pro style offense are huge areas to struggle in. He has a tendency of looking for one read then running. When he does not run, it usually stems from locking onto his target. He also does not have much of a feel for pressure in the pocket. Before he can even think about success in the NFL he has to work on his mechanics and footwork. Those are the things that are affecting his accuracy the most. Hundley is an exciting player, but he is the ultimate project. He probably shouldn't be drafted before the 4th round, but it's hard to envision him sliding that far.

PLAYER COMPARISON: Jake Locker

Marcus Mariota

6'4" 222 lbs Oregon

POSITIVES:

• Very good mobility
• Strong arm
• Amazing leader on and off the field
• Smart
• Good short and intermediate accuracy
• Good footwork in the pocket
• Can escape pressure
• Hard worker
• Film junkie
  
• Good size
• Makes good decisions with the football
• Flashed ability to go through reads
• Really good awareness

NEGATIVES:

• Does not make throws through windows
• Does not anticipate throws
• Ran a QB friendly offense
• Did not make many defensive reads
• Panicked at times under pressure
• Does not make throws with pressure up the middle
• Often threw too high to receivers well guarded
• Takes eyes off the receivers when he commits to run
• Relies on legs too often
• Questionable deep accuracy

THE BREAKDOWN: The cold hard truth is Marcus Mariota has all the makings of a franchise quarterback. But he has some major holes and questions that come with him. The hardest thing for a QB to do is make the switch from a spread, QB friendly, attack; to a pro style offense. Asking someone to make reads and throw the ball without the receiver being open - anticipating them being open when the ball gets there - is harder than it sounds. He often struggles with accuracy when the window is tight or there's heavy pressure on him. One example would be in the national championship game, Ohio State really ramped up the pressure. The Ducks got down to the goal line and he had his receiver open in the flat for a touchdown. But the pressure was coming and he saw it, and over threw the receiver who was about 12 yards away to his left. This was something he struggled with through-out his career. However, it's something that's correctable though. Which brings up  the question; does he simply get too excited and rush or does he get scared? If he's excited then there are ways to calm him down by buying time. But if it's the fear of standing in the pocket and staring down the barrel of the gun, and taking the hit, then history has shown he is more likely to struggle throughout his career. With that being said, if it is not a fear issue, all of his flaws are correctable under the right tutelage. But of course all of this will mean nothing if he ends up reuniting with Chip Kelly...

PLAYER COMPARISON: Colin Kaepernick

Jameis Winston

6'4" 230 lbs Florida St.

POSITIVES:

• Ran an NFL offense with extreme success
• Ideal size
• Great arm strength
• Has NFL veteran anticipation
• Very hard to tackle
• Great footwork
• Extremely high football IQ
• Great on field leader/teammate
• Read defenses pre-snap and during the play
• Makes good checks
• Goes through progressions
• Stands tall under pressure and throws a good ball
  
• Mobile
• Very tough
• Vocal Leader
• Film Junkie
  
• Very Clutch
  
• Smart
• Hard worker
• Good pocket awareness
• Keeps eyes down field
• Can throw from all angles
• Great at throwing on the run

NEGATIVES:

• Major immaturity questions
• Off the field incidents
  
• Had some slow starts in year two
• Saw an increase in interceptions in year two
• Needs to learn to focus on football for 365 days for first time ever
• Not a gym rat

THE BREAKDOWN: When looking at the big picture, Jameis Winston has everything you want your franchise QB and a number one overall pick to have. He is pro ready and a day one starter, and he still has room to grow, which makes his ceiling very high. But major questions of his maturity can be intimidating. He is not the same type of immature as a Johnny Manziel in last years draft, but more-so the immaturity of a 15 year old. Neither being good, but if you had to find a positive it's that he's not into the partying, alcohol, and drugs. He is not someone who spends a lot of time in the limelight. The negative to his maturity is while you can't compare it much to Manziel, you can compare it to Jamarcus Russell. That is probably the one thing that no player or scout ever wants to hear. He is however a much better prospect than Russell was, and his leadership and film study says he has nothing at all in common with Russell. This is what makes him such an enigma. Which Jameis will dominate the NFL? One will have to eventually prevail. The other red flag to point out is the increase in interceptions. However, it may look worse than it actually is. Eight of his interceptions were 100% because of the receiver. Five of those went off the hands of the receiver and the defender just caught the tipped ball. So in all fairness, I guess we should all keep in mind Matt Ryan threw 19 int his last year at Boston College.

PLAYER COMPARISON: Aaron Rodgers

Garrett Grayson

6'2" 220 lbs Colorado St.

POSITIVES:

• Great leader
• Very accurate
• Underrated athleticism
• Mobile
• Goes threw progressions
• Good feel in the pocket
• Improvisational
• Hard worker
• Makes good reads
• Delivers accurate under pressure
  
• Consistently improved
  
• Rarely turns the ball over
• Made good checks
• Good footwork
• Ran pro style offense
  
• Quick release

NEGATIVES:

• Very average NFL arm strength

• Doesn't separate himself in any category
• Does not take many risks
• At times settles for the safe choice too much
• Goes down too easily
• Did not play top competition

THE BREAKDOWN: Garrett Grayson has a lot of positive tools to work with. He has been a model of consistency and will more than likely develop into a quality starter. The knock on Grayson is - and shall remain - his very average physical ability. His ceiling does not look like it will be very high, though his floor is strong. With that being said I do feel that he will find it easier to translate to the NFL than most, meaning he will be ready sooner than the average college quarterback. I would say 2-3 years from now he will be fully developed into a solid starting QB. The two things that leave me to believe he will be better than a 7-9 win starter, is his decision making and ability to improvise.

PLAYER COMPARISON: Andy Dalton

Sean Mannion

6'6" 229 lbs Oregon St.

POSITIVES:

• Ran a pro style offense for 4 years
• Very experienced as a 4 year starter
• Can make all the throws
• Above average arm strength
• Very good intermediate and deep ball accuracy
• Takes Necessary risks
• Consistently goes through progressions
• Climbs the pocket extremely well
• Will deliver the ball under duress
• Showed an understanding of coverages
• Makes great anticipation throws
  
• Tall with good size
  

NEGATIVES:

• Does not escape pressure very well
• Not mobile at all
• Forces too many passes
• Threw a lot of interceptions
  
• Does not always read the blitz
• Needs to work on touch
• A bit of a gun slinger
• Throws a lot of throws off back foot losing zip on the ball

THE BREAKDOWN: Overall, no one should be surprised if in a few years from now Sean Mannion has claimed the starting spot for a team. He has the tools, and he has exhibited the ability to be a very good pocket passer. With that being said he could just as easily find himself out of the league a few years from now. His gun slinger mentality could either make or break his career. Due to his knowledge and experience in a pro system, the odds happen to be in his favor. He is one of the more developed QB's in this years draft. If not for his glaring flaws, and lack of physical talent, he would be drafted a few rounds earlier than what he might actually end up being drafted.

PLAYER COMPARISON: Mike Glennon

***THE ROUND PROJECTIONS ARE PROJECTIONS BASED OFF WHERE I THINK THEY WILL BE DRAFTED AND NOT MY PERSONAL OPINION OF WHERE THEY SHOULD BE DRAFTED***