Mack's Brief 2015 QB Class Breakdown

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Mackeyser

Supernovas are where gold forms; the only place.
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This is my first blush pass at College QBs. If anyone knows of a QB that you’d like me to take a look at, lemme know and I’ll hunt down some footage and put up my take on him. I enjoy breaking down footage and my backs just killing me right now…so, why not?

Marcus Mariotta – Oregon

Read option QB. So…no. Very fast, but so were Vick and RGIII. He’s basically Vick with less arm. I worry about his mechanics. The ball never seems to come from the same place twice. Because he’s always moving, I don’t see him set his feet, even in the pocket, and it’s not the same as Peyton’s “happy feet”. He may have a big NFL career, but even at first glance, I could tell that his mechanics are going to require some work at the next level.

Sean Mannion – Oregon State

Not the shortest throwing motion, so balls get away from him. I suspect that some of that may be the college ball. He didn’t look like he had the biggest hands to me which, again, would explain the motion. That can be fixed at the next level as the pro ball is narrower and allows for more compact mechanics. Decent velocity and range. Not the biggest arm, but nice touch.

Kevin Hogan – Stanford

What’s not to like about this kid? He’s got the Peyton feet, he steps into his throws nicely, he’s got good velocity, good touch, good accuracy, good vision. It’s all good, right? Oh, wait. There’s that ghastly wind up. It’s not a show stopper, but egad its a HUGE windup. Once he gets the throwing motion nice and compact, there’s nothing about this kid not to like. Love? I dunno. But I could see a guy like Hogan doing very well for the Rams.

Connor Cook – Michigan State

Big arm. Excellent touch even on deep balls. Throws a very catchable ball. Wide stance in pocket is worrisome as is his windup. Needs to shorten up his motion. Does a good job of stepping into his throws. Needs little effort to throw the deep ball. Locks onto receivers. I didn’t see any times where he looked off a safety or went through a progression. Needs to get rid of the ball a little faster. Not the best pocket awareness and not very nimble in the pocket. Very much a pocket QB.

Jameis Winston – Florida State


Just…NO. Someone else can evaluate him because he’s a franchise killer. I live in Florida and the accounts that haven’t made the national news would have red flagged most any other player. So…no. He’s just got TURD all over him.

Brett Hundley – UCLA

I’m gonna need a minute… This. Is. The. Guy. Mark it down. If you wanna call him a young Steve McNair, okay. I just see a kid with a strong arm, very accurate, great touch, great sell on the play action (sometimes his keeper is so good, he fakes out the broadcasters), great pump fake, love his footwork, throwing motion you could fit in a phonebooth, can run, but doesn’t look to… has great pocket presence. Bottom line: This young man takes the Rams at the least to the playoffs as a rookie. Period. If not the Super Bowl. He’s EXTRAORDINARY. With this team. Oooooooooooh. I hope the whole country gets Mariota fever and the rest of the QBs have outstanding seasons and maybe UCLA loses a few tough games so maybe this cat slides a smidge because he’s the Franchise Real Deal. I’m pounding the table for this kid NOW.(NOTE: As a UCLA fan (I was born at UCLA hospital while my mom was a student there so I’m a “born Bruin” if you will), I will admit a twinge of bias. That said, if Hundley stunk, I’d be only too willing to admit it. When it comes to banging the table for ANY player, I make sure, so I watched some extra on him to ensure I wasn’t missing anything. I wasn’t. But I wanted to be clear of where I was coming from)

Anyone have any other QBs? Lemme know. Glad to hear feedback as well. Remember, this is just a first blush, I didn’t exactly spend hours on each guy.
 

Irish

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I mentioned this in another thread, but how about Nick Marshall? If he continues to ascend and add more passing elements to his unquestioned natural athletic ability, he could make a lot of noise. Read option element might do this team some good
 

Mackeyser

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Well, I don't mean to be difficult, but you just can't run the Read Option in the NFL because it exposes the QB to hits which at the NFL level are just too damn hard. So, read option QBs just have limited value at the NFL level. If they can't throw, they struggle. Mobility is nice and all, but guys can run on D in the NFL. You see Mariota or other guys running around against who? Most of those guys are gonna be insurance salesmen or HS coaches in a few years who talk about playing college ball. In the NFL, as Vick and others found out, sure, even if you can run sometimes, if you can't throw, your game is ended. Colin Kaepernick is a better example. For teams who can bottle him up, he puts up ridiculous numbers... so low you couldn't argue that Tebow couldn't do better. Even Donovan McNabb. Best game he ever had was on a sprained ankle and he could barely walk.

I'll look up Nick Marshall, though and post what I see.
 

Mackeyser

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Let's crap the bed for Brett, then.

LOL. Well, pretty sure we can still find the john. And Hogan would be a viable option for us based on what I saw. The good news is that unlike this year, the 2015 crop of QBs looks to be pretty good. Presuming they come out. That's always the catch.
 

-X-

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Appreciate the thoughts, Mack. I haven't really paid attention to college QBs the past few years, but I'll take your lead and look at them in the order in which you're describing their relative worth. Every year, it seems, some other QB will come out of nowhere and climb up the boards. Do you see anyone out there (that you haven't mentioned) who could be a dark horse candidate?
 

Mackeyser

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Nick Marshall - Auburn

Nice feet and not just running. Good balance. Steps into throws. Nice, compact throwing motion. Nice touch. Throws a catchable ball. Decent arm, but concerned about his velocity, especially on his deep ball.
 

TGZ

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Thoughts on Dak Prescott from Mississippi State?

Agreed on the love for Hundley (also a UCLA fan, though I'm born and raised in St. Louis)
 

jjab360

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I didn't see it in my first few games with Hundley, but I'll go back and watch some more. Agreed on Hogan, that kid is the franchise if he can shorten his throwing motion. Heck, even if he doesn't Phillip Rivers has that ugly release and it works for him just fine.
 

TheDYVKX

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Yeah, Winston is a terrible person. Probably the best QB on the list and his teammates like him, but he's a terrible person.
 

Mackeyser

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Appreciate the thoughts, Mack. I haven't really paid attention to college QBs the past few years, but I'll take your lead and look at them in the order in which you're describing their relative worth. Every year, it seems, some other QB will come out of nowhere and climb up the boards. Do you see anyone out there (that you haven't mentioned) who could be a dark horse candidate?

Oh, I'm just getting started, so I haven't really looked. Plus, guys will emerge once the college football season starts that we can't really know about. Sorta the very definition of "came from nowhere"...

I'm really paying attention to a few things that I've noticed have caused guys problems at this level and guys who had it or did it well in college did well at the next level. Things like compact throwing motions, stepping into throws and already possessing touch. If a guy already has those things, he's WAY ahead because those things are things rookies coming into the NFL struggle with all the time.
 

Mackeyser

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Dak Prescott - Mississippi State

First pass only saw him against Auburn. Clearly looks to be a spread QB. Man, they like to run QBs in the SEC... Are QBs allowed to drop back in the SEC or is there a rule against that? Anyway, other than his bad habit of patting the ball, nice compact throwing motion. Good feet. Steps into his throws. GOOD velocity. Decent touch, but the deep ball can get away from him high and hard. Needs to improve his accuracy a bit. The more I watched him the more I wanted to see him out of that damned spread... ugh. I like his potential, but he needs some NFL coaching.
 

Mackeyser

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I think WInston will stay another year. It still looks like a good year for QBs.

That's probably a great idea for him because he's got so many red flags around him now, he needs the extra year to rehab his image...
 

raised_fisT

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Not big on college football, but as an LA native, I am hearing nothing but praise for Hundley. Talk radio people are just salivating over the guy. Will most definitely be paying attention this year to see how he looks.
 

ReddingRam

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Cody Fajardo - Nevada ? Quietly breaking all of Kaep's records and with a less talented supporting cast
 

brokeu91

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Thoughts on Dak Prescott from Mississippi State?

Agreed on the love for Hundley (also a UCLA fan, though I'm born and raised in St. Louis)
I was also wondering what others thought of him. I think he might be very good this year
 

ZigZagRam

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Cody Fajardo - Nevada ? Quietly breaking all of Kaep's records and with a less talented supporting cast

I really like Fajardo. If he can improve his footwork he has potential to be a very good QB in the NFL.

I do think he's two years away though.