2011 nfl draft choices?

Edit: I saw in your response to my best answer that you like guys that are "great throwers and great runners." I'd be cautious with this approach. I would love a guy if he can do both, but usually people get caught up in their running ability and ignore big flaws in their passing games, which almost always exist. Vince Young and Mike Vick are pretty much the best case scenarios as far as a dual threat QB goes, and they're in the top .00000000001 percentile as far as physical tools go and have had a fair amount of things go in their favor. NFL QBs need to be able to make reads before AND after the snap, be comfortable in the pocket, recognize blitzes, and fit passes into tight windows to all levels of the field. Most athletic QBs run spread offenses where most or all of these abilities are ignored.

Terrelle Pryor at this point looks far more like Matt Jones than Vince Young. He obviously has prodigious physical ability, but his short and intermediate accuracy is borderline awful and he still just doesn't look comfortable in the pocket. These are issues that should have been ironed out a long time ago. He's been a starter for over two full years, we should be seeing him dominate on a consistent basis, not just being the pretty good player that he is.

But the top three are clearly Ryan Mallet, Jake Locker and Andrew Luck. I'd probably take Luck since he looks like the safest bet, but if a team has the option to sit their QB for a year I would take Mallet, since his ceiling is the highest of the three.

Luck's arm strength is far from elite, but he can make all the throws he needs to and has good zip and ball velocity on the intermediate routes. But what is elite is his accuracy, footwork, mobility and toughness. He also runs one of the most pro style offenses in the country, and is great at going through his reads and recognizing the defense before the snap. One of the most cerebral QBs to come out maybe since Peyton Manning.

My favorite thing about Locker is how he uses his athleticism to improve his passing by moving around in the pocket and manipulating coverage with his legs, instead of just bailing if his first read if is covered. He doesn't have a Matt Stafford/Josh Freeman/Ryan Mallet type arm strength, but from what I've seen he can make all the throws, and his accuracy is pretty good. His two best receivers are coming into their junior years so they could be ready to become the targets that he hasn't had since he's been at UW. He has been very mediocre this year and has fallen behind Luck and Mallet, but a strong finish to the season could put him back in the conversation.

I like Mallet a lot, and wouldn't be shocked if he is the top QB taken in the next draft, but he's got a few issues that I need to see worked out before that is the case. I love his frame, arm strength, accuracy and deceptive athleticism. His mechanics are ok, in that he has a quick release but inconsistent footwork. He has the raw arm strength that he doesn't need to drive off his back leg to make a strong pass, but it can mess with his accuracy. He's also gotten better at putting touch on his passes and his completion percentage is starting to reflect his accuracy, and he's actually a good athlete and can move around in the pocket and run the bootleg pretty well, especially for a guy his size.

Other guys that I think could have an NFL future are Blaine Gabbert, Jerrod Johnson and Russell Wilson. Wilson is actually one of the best QBs in the country, but it'll be hard for a guy with his lack of height to play up to the level of how good his arm is.

FAVS

(NO ORDER)

pryor

mallett

locker