Measurement day at the NFL Scouting Combine. Curious height measurements for the top two QB prospects, Matthew Stafford of Georgia and Mark Sanchez of USC. Both came in at 6'2, a sold 2 inches shorter than last years first-round QBs, rookie of the year Matt "Mr. Professional Throw" Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons and and 4 inches shorter than Baltimore's playoff-wonder Joe Flacco. What could this mean for the Lions, Rams and Cheifs? Simple. DON'T DRAFT A QUARTERBACK EARLY! The analysts agree, this is a weak QB class. The Lions, especially, do not need to bring in an underclassmen signal caller to take over a failing franchise. The first quarterback shouldn't go off the board till at least pick #10 to the 49ers. The Jets and new head coach Rex Ryan could be players if Sanchez drops all the way to pick #17. But that is an appropriate spot to take a QB. The top 3 teams should draft O-linemen and protect the QBs they have now. Then, in the second or third round, take a chance on Kansas State's Josh Freeman (a Flacco-esque 6'6, 238 and mobile) or the diminutive but extremely impressive Nate Davis of Ball State (6'1, 218). By the way, watch the way Davis throws the ball. His hands are so big, he doesn't hold the laces while throwing. Weird, but you can't argue with those numbers.
After these top 4 QBs, there is a bit of a drop off. A team could get a steal on the second day with record setting Red Raider Graham Harrell (6'2, 217), who aside from being a great player also posted a 4.0 GPA at Texas Tech. Former Sooner QB Rhett Bomar (6'2, 224) will be the first small school passer off the board (Ball St. isn't a"small school"), but the Sam Houston St. product will have to shake the demons of on-field inconsistency and off-field controversy. Hunter Cantwell (6'4, 231) of Louisville suffered from having a poor team around him (they lost to Syracuse!) and his draft stock took a big hit. Finally, Michigan State senior Brian Hoyer (6'2, 215) is quickly rising up draft boards after scouts watch his game tape. The numbers aren't there, but according to ESPN's Todd McShay: "Poor pass protection and a gross amount of drops are just two of the contributing factors to his poor statistics as a senior. Hoyer's mobility and arm strength are vastly underrated. He is a very accurate passer with a quick release and has all the necessary intangibles to develop into a late-round steal." I guess you heard it there first.
More thoughts on the combine later.
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