2011 NFL Draft Prospect Thread

[Mooche]

I want Derek Sherrod.

 

[TTN2810]

via Rotoworld:

Pro Football Talk has spoken with a source that says a head coach for an AFC West team has Colin Kaepernick rated as the No. 1 quarterback on his draft board.
This report comes on the heels of the news that Kaepernick has been invited to attend the draft in New York City. Together, they paint a compelling picture that the Nevada signal caller will not last beyond round one. Recent reports have linked Kaepernick to the Raiders, but Oakland does not currently own a first-round pick.

 

[Hurricane Season]

I hope these NFL teams realize how big of a project Kaepernick will be.

 

[TTN2810]

He's not as big a project as you and everyone else makes him out to be.
He's the smartest QB (other than McElroy) and picks up things really quickly. For example, he picked up the footwork and things like that quickly at the Senior Bowl and he wont have any problem with the playbook. As for reading defenses, you can argue he's at the same point as Newton and Gabbert, as his Pistol offense is only a variation of the Spread.

Like I've been saying: if Kaepernick went to a school like Auburn, he would be the clear number one QB.

 

[TTN2810]

Bobby Petrino on Ryan Mallett:

Petrino says his players are randomly screened for drugs by the NCAA and the university, and that Mallett has never tested positive for any banned substances. He says he has talked to a number of NFL teams about Mallett, and tells them the same thing: Mallett doesn't have any character issues.

 

[Elite]

He's not as big a project as you and everyone else makes him out to be.
He's the smartest QB (other than McElroy) and picks up things really quickly. For example, he picked up the footwork and things like that quickly at the Senior Bowl and he wont have any problem with the playbook. As for reading defenses, you can argue he's at the same point as Newton and Gabbert, as his Pistol offense is only a variation of the Spread.

Like I've been saying: if Kaepernick went to a school like Auburn, he would be the clear number one QB.

If he went to a school like Auburn, he wouldn't be running train over SEC defenses

 

[TTN2810]

What the hell are you talking about?
He's more elusive and faster than Newton. If he was in that offense he would have done just as well as Newton.

Hell, Newton was better statistically at Auburn than in Junior College. It would have been the same thing for Kaepernick.

 

[Elite]

Yeah, because the offense he ran at Nevada isn't similar to the spread or anything

 

[TTN2810]

I even said it is.
They are and aren't similar.
You would need to know more about football to understand though.

 

[Elite]

I completely understand it

Any system talk is off-set by the level of competition, especially when they're similar systems

 

[TTN2810]

The offenses are similar, but not a close as you make them out to be.

 

[Hurricane Season]

You can't just assume that he's going to be able to pick up the basic fundamentals of an NFL system "quickly" after spending the past four years in what would be about the polar opposite of an NFL offense.

The adjustments that need to be made aren't things that can be corrected in a week. The difference between a three and seven step drop isn't a subtle change. There is a pretty steep learning curve for spread QB's, and especially a QB out of a pistol offense which is basically a simplified version of the spread. Even the pre-snap reads in a pistol are nowhere close to what he's going to see at the next level. Basically, every fundamental aspect of football that he knows will have to be re-taught to him.

I'm not arguing his intelligence at all. He may pick up the playbook and terminology quicker than most, but even then he's still a 1-2 year project as opposed to possibly a 2-3 year project for an average QB from a goofy offense like Nevada.

Kaepernick probably has more upside as opposed to a guy like, say, Christian Ponder, but I would spend a 1st or 2nd on a guy like Ponder any day of the week over Kaepernick because of the uncertainty that you get with Kaepernick.

 

[TTN2810]

The Pistol isn't a "simplified" version of the spread. It's just a version. The only difference with the pre-snap read is he's closer to the line of scrimmage than a normal spread. At least he wasn't looking to the sideline pre-snap like Colt McCoy did at Texas, and McCoy did fine last year. And Kaepernick has been working on footwork since the end of the season. It's a non issue now. Even the teams he's worked out for have said that. I'm not saying it wont be an adjustment, but it's no more of an adjustment than Newton or Gabbert.

Also, Kaepernick doesn't just have more upside than Ponder, he has arguably as much potential as Newton.

 

[Hurricane Season]

It's simplified because the QB is 4 yards off the line of scrimmage allowing him to be close enough to the line to read the D and far enough away to give him better field vision off the snap. It's easier in that sense.

And I was using Ponder as an example because he was the first "pro style" QB that popped into my head.

I also view Newton and Gabbert the same way I do Kaepernick... Just because they're viewed as the best QB's in the class by the media doesn't mean I feel the same way. Newton is only considered to have this monstrous potential because he's basically Jevon Kearse with an arm.

Also, the Colt McCoy comparison isn't really accurate... the spread option and the spread aren't the same thing.

 

[TTN2810]

Also, the Colt McCoy comparison isn't really accurate... the spread option and the spread aren't the same thing.

Yes, but you know what I mean.

But this is a good read:

Interview by Yahoo Sports.
http://ca.sports.yah...-?urn=nfl-wp843

SC: What specific aspects of the Pistol make you more attuned for the NFL than the typical spread quarterback? And I'm really interested in your take on this, because you're the first guy to come out of college with a starter grade to run this kind of offense as a primary system.

CK: I think that the Pistol is different than most people's perception of it. Our passing game — we have progressions like most NFL teams do. We throw to different receivers based on the coverage, and what side of the field we want to work. There are times when you might have two different progressions in a play, based on what coverage it is, and you have to know that based on what you're throwing to. And I think that a lot of people think that in the Pistol, we're just dropping back, throwing to one guy, and calling it a day -- and then, we're going to run the option. That's really not the case, once you have someone explain to you what we're trying to get done.

SC: And that's true of you — a lot of times, when you rolled out, it was to extend the play and get a better sense of where your progressions had developed.

CK: And for me, most of my rushing yards came off of designed running plays in our read option. As far as dropping back and taking off and scrambling, that was something I did from time to time. But for the most part, when it was a pass play, I was dropping back, looking at my receivers, and going through my progressions. And if it wasn't there, I was scrambling to extend the play — trying to make a pass, not a run.

SC: How much experience do you have under center?

CK: I played under center my whole life until I got to Nevada. Even at Nevada, we took snaps under center (in practice) every day, just to make sure we were still comfortable with it. If we got in a situation where we did have to go under. I don't really see that as a learning curve, or something I'm going to have to adjust to when I get to the next level.

 

[Hurricane Season]

I like how he basically admits that he stares down receivers lol. When his initial read isn't open, he runs. That is something that I picked up on when watching him play.

He also has god awful throwing mechanics and no noticeable touch on his passes... which I have neglected to mention.

I just don't care for Kaepernick as an NFL quarterback. Not right away at least.

He could develop into a good QB down the line, but to expect him to step in right away and contribute as a passer is a bit unrealistic. Hell, the same should be said for Newton as well.

 

[Hurricane Season]

I bet Kaepernick and Ponder become the two best QB's in the class only because I talked them down so much... just to spite me.

 

[kam.]

I bet Kaepernick and Ponder become the two best QB's in the class only because I talked them down so much... just to spite me.

NFL HATE JAKEH.

 

[Mooche]

I bet Kaepernick and Ponder become the two best QB's in the class only because I talked them down so much... just to spite me.

Probably is going to happen Jake. Hah!

 

[bosoxlover12]

imo dalton will be very good if drafted by specific teams