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This is a rolling discussion about the QB class for the upcoming draft. Please add any opinions and valuations that you have.

Keep in mind that this thread is started pre-combine and my valuations and opinions will change over time.

In my opinion what the QB class lacks at the top level, it makes up for in depth and that may be to the Browns' advantage if they wait to pick QB at a later round. I do not see a QB that I would feel comfortable with drafted and starting right away. All of these guys while having tons of measurables and athleticism, will need a period of adjustment to the NFL.


I am going to list my top 13, because that is where I feel the talent level drops off a bit. Since 13 is an unlucky number and the Browns don't need any more bad Karma, I am going to throw in my favorite QB likely to be a UDFA to make an even 14.

Some interesting observations. There are lots of tall QB's in this class and lots of big arms. In fact there isn't a QB below 6' in the top 13. There are also lots of candidates with both size and mobility which is usually pretty rare in a draft class. Some NFL team willing to invest in a project in this class should be rewarded. The talent is there. It will take time and patience to develop it.

The top 2

PLAYER POS. POS. RANK SCHOOL CLASS HT. WT. PROJ. ROUND
*Jared Goff QB 1 California Jr 6' 4" 210 1
*Paxton Lynch QB 2 Memphis rJr 6' 7" 230 1

I give Goff the edge here because he finished the season strong with a much better bowl game. This race is still close though and Lynch has better measurables. I think Lynch has a higher ceiling than Goff but Goff has a higher floor.

Goff is both smart and accurate. He lacks arm strength though and may need an offense where he is more of a game manager than the primary weapon. He is 6' 4" tall, but only 210 and will need to put on about 20 pounds. He is also coming out of a spread offense which is always a concern of the front office. My best NFL Comparison is Matt Ryan based on his size and accuracy.

Lynch has a big enough arm to make all the throws, but I wouldn't call it a cannon. He is also coming from a spread offense and has very sloppy footwork. If he can get coached up on his footwork I think it would improve the zip on his deep ball. His throwing motion is quick and it's a 3/4 delivery. He has a size speed combination that you just don't normally find. He has a gunslinger mentality and shows the ability to take smart risks on 3rd and long. My best NFL comparison due to size and athleticism is Cam Newton.

The next 2 QB's

PLAYER POS. POS. RANK SCHOOL CLASS HT. WT. PROJ. ROUND
Connor Cook QB 3 Michigan State rSr 6' 4" 220 1-2
Carson Wentz QB 4 North Dakota State Sr 6' 5" 231 1-2

Cook has a gunslinger mentality that doesn't fit his weaker arm. This shows in his low completion rate. In my opinion he has the greatest bust potential in the top 4. He doesn't have the mobility of an Alex Smith, but I think that a game manager type role like Alex's is what he is best suited for in the NFL. My closest NFL comparison is Andy Dalton.

Wentz will most likely get drafted before Cook in my opinion, but right now the consensus seems to have him ranked lower. I think this is mainly because he faced weaker competition than Cook. I thought that he could change this with a good showing in the Senior Bowl, but unfortunately he broke his wrist at the end of the season. He'll be healthy before the combine and I expect him to pass Cook by then. He plays in a pro style offense and has probably the quickest release of the top 4. He also shows good instincts in with timing patterns and keeps his eyes downfield when moving in the pocket. My NFL comparison is Joe Flacco.

2 more should make it in the 2nd round.

PLAYER POS. POS. RANK SCHOOL CLASS HT. WT. PROJ. ROUND
*Christian Hackenberg QB 5 Penn State Jr 6' 4" 236 2
Dak Prescott QB 6 Mississippi State rSr 6' 2" 230 2

Christian has the 2nd biggest arm in this class and has the prototype size you look for as well. He is poised in the pocket and has above average mobility. He forces the ball too often for my taste and doesn't simply throw the ball away when it's not there. He misses way too many pre-snap reads and will need coached up on this. NFL comparison Jay Cutler.

Dak is called Tim Tebow 2.0 way too often for my taste. I get the reference as they both have the same build and are running the same offense, but Dak has 10 times better throwing mechanics than Tebow ever had. In my opinion if we pull the trigger in the 2nd round, this would be the guy I go after. I think some old school guys are going to write him off as another Tebow and that means he should be there for us. NFL Comparison - Steve McNair.

1 in the 3rd

PLAYER POS. POS. RANK SCHOOL CLASS HT. WT. PROJ. ROUND
*Cardale Jones QB 7 Ohio State rJr 6' 5" 250 3

Not much I can say here that most of you don't already know. He has the biggest arm in the draft. He is the biggest QB in the draft and is more mobile than most QB's smaller than him. The risk here is his mental capacity, maturity, and heart. Does he have the 'want to' to be an NFL QB and the mental capacity to understand what's needed. If we were sure that the answer to those two things were yes then he'd be the first pick off the board. Right now the best NFL comparison is Duante Culpepper.

3 more in the 4-6 round range. Not big fans of these 3 and think there are better guys later.

PLAYER POS. POS. RANK SCHOOL CLASS HT. WT. PROJ. ROUND

Jake Coker QB 8 Alabama rSr 6' 5" 232 4-5
Kevin Hogan QB 9 Stanford rSr 6' 4" 218 5
Nate Sudfeld QB 10 Indiana Sr 6' 6" 240 5-6

Jake would be much lower down on my personal list, but he does have NFL size and an NFL arm and is leading the best franchise in college sports in a pro style offense. I would think that a kid with his tools should look a little less mediocre on the best team in the Nation though. You can't fault him for being benched for Winston, but being benched for Blake Sims should have been a red flag. NFL comparison - Matt Schaub

I have only watched Kevin on tape and haven't seen any games with him so take this with a grain of salt. He has a rocket arm but Whoa Nellie! What is up with that throwing motion?! There is tons of stuff to like about this kid, but until he gets that throwing motion under control I would be scared to put him under center. Right now his accuracy is suffering from bad mechanics, but you can see that when he throws correctly the ball is exactly where it should be. It's hard to say how he does under pressure as well because the line gave him all day in everything I watched. NFL comparison- Well that throwing motion reminds a bit of Philip Rivers I guess.

Nate probably has the 3rd strongest arm in the draft but has had shoulder surgery so that might not last his entire career. He'll throw a perfect 50 yard bomb followed by missing an easy throw to the flat by 5 yards. He seems to struggle reading defenses too and looks lost sometimes. The athletic ability is there and his struggles are more on the mental side, so this is a longer term project. NFL comparison - Derek Anderson

Ok more to come later. 6 more to be exact.

are all those guys really better than Dak Prescott?

What about Brandon Allen? Nate Sudfeld?

Heck, I'm not convinced that Cook is better than Mike Bercovici.

My rankings are where I think the consensus is right now and I agree that Cook is over-rated at this point but I think he'll probably get drafted higher than Prescott and the others that you mentioned. I'm betting that Wentz passes him in the draft order though.

Prescott is one of my favorites and he'll be in the next installment of this, but I think he'll be the 5th or 6th QB off the board at this point. Again all of this may change after the senior bowl and combine.

I think Goff throws with as much anticipation as any QB I've watched this season or last. I think if he were 20lbs heavier it wouldn't be a discussion who the #1 QB would be. He is light but I am of the opinion if he can put on 15lbs, his ball will have more velocity and he would be a no doubt must have QB.

I'm a fan, but he won't be the best player on the board.

Thanks for starting the thread.

I am of the opinion that not one single qb in this draft class is even remotely worthy of being a top 5 pick.

Thanks and that's a good point about his anticipation. He throws before the WR makes his break quite often and shows confidence that the WR will be in that spot.

Personally, I think he makes terrible decisions and forces the ball into coverage. That might work against Air Force and some of the terrible defenses in the Pac 12, but it won't work in the NFL.

The middle round Qb that I like is Jeff Driskel La Tech


The Upside

Good size
Strong arm
Quick release
Very good accuracy - not great
Throws a great deep ball
I have seen him move defensive backs with his head


The Downside

Always in the shotgun
The level of competition
Unclear what lead to his transfer from Florida


Here is a link of his bowl game vs Arkansas St

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/jeff-driskel-vs-arkansas-state-2015/

I can see what you are saying, but really doesn't have WR's that get separation and has a pretty porous o-line. With 46 TD's vs 13 Int's I am giving him a little leeway here, but NFL defenses may try to bait him if he takes too many risks here.

What led to his transfer from Florida was him being terrible at Florida and them trying to replace him, lol. IIRC he was a turnover machine there.

But yeah, he did look considerably better at La Tech.

Added some more to the list above.

His throws to the boundary suggest he is never going to play in the NFL.

I came away with, "who is this Dixon kid?" after watching that video.

j/c

Cook has declined an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl. That could cost him...

I think it definitely would have cost him if Wentz played.

I think Phil Savage played homer a bit by giving Coker an invite.

You mean Kenneth Dixon. Yeah, I noticed him in his bowl game too.

Sorry gotta break this up cause it won't let me edit a second time.

The last 3 and the wildcard.

PLAYER POS. POS. RANK SCHOOL CLASS HT. WT. PROJ. ROUND

Brandon Doughty QB 11 Western Kentucky rSr 6-3 216 6
Cody Kessler QB 12 Southern California rSr 6-1 215 6-7
Brandon Allen QB 13 Arkansas rSr 6-2 210 7

Doughty is a touch passer that doesn't put much zip on the ball. He is a spread QB that thrives on the underneath routes. He tends to stare down his WR's and that will need to be fixed at the next level. He is a tough guy to project because despite what I have already posted, he also has quick feet, fast throwing motion, and has ice in his veins. I can easily see him having a long career as a back-up in the NFL. It's hard to see him going much higher than that though without lots of coaching. NFL comparison - AJ McCarron

Kessler is much easier to rate. He plays in a Pro offense at USC but they mask his poor footwork by playing him mostly in the shotgun. His stats are padded because he mainly just throws the short and underneath routes. Good scrambling ability when pressured, but happy feet when not pressured. He takes care of the football and doesn't make stupid throws. His accuracy fades on passes more than 20 yards. NFL comparison - Alex Smith

Brandon Allen seems to have come out of nowhere, but he has been banged up for a couple of seasons and that might be the reason. No particular stand-out strengths but no huge minuses either. He seems pretty average at everything. Tends to throw flat-footed but otherwise his mechanics seem fine. His stats show a QB much better than average though. NFL comparison - Steve Deberg

UDFA that I like...

PLAYER POS. POS. RANK SCHOOL CLASS HT. WT. PROJ. ROUND

Blake Frohnapfel QB 20 Massachusetts rSr 6-6 230 ––

Let first say that his mechanics and footwork are horrible. They play him out of the shotgun for a reason and his throwing motion looks like he is pitching a cricket game. But he makes good decisions with the football, has NFL size, and one of the prettiest deep balls I have ever seen. He is a 3 year project, but is worth it if you are lucky enough to sign him. NFL Comparison - Kurt Warner.


Honorable mentions... Others that might be drafted...


PLAYER POS. POS. RANK SCHOOL CLASS HT. WT. PROJ. ROUND

Jacoby Brissett QB 14 NC State rSr 6-3 235 7-FA
Jeff Driskel QB 15 Louisiana Tech rSr 6-4 234 7-FA
Vernon Adams Jr. QB 16 Oregon rSr 5-11 205 7-FA
Taysom Hill QB 17 Brigham Young Sr 6-2 232 7-FA
Vad Lee QB 18 James Madison rSr 6-1 225 7-FA


Again this list will change, but please offer up your opinions. It's good to have lots of other perspectives as I watch tape.

I like when you talk football. You seem fair and open minded and I think you have some real knowledge about the game.

Yep. Definitely a big plus on this board, I read most of his posts.

...And now I'm readin' up on who we might get for our millionth QB.

LOL

You listing Hill from BYU got me questioning his age. All BYU have to do a mission trip. I think 2 years? Per wikipedia, his date of birth is August 23, 1990.

That makes him 25, turning 26 before the start of the season.

Thanks for that, it wasn't something I thought about for him.

I should bring up that Brandon Allen will be 24 in the beginning of the season as well. I hadn't looked at age, but there may be another one I missed out there.

Not sure why you think Wentz is NOT playing in the Senior Bowl. Unless I'm missing something...he started and played in the FCS National Championship last weekend. He also accepted a spot for the Sr Bowl.

http://www.wday.com/sports/collegiate/3884694-bison-qb-carson-wentz-accepts-invitation-senior-bowl

I'm kind of shocked. I assumed that the wrist injury would keep him out till the combine. Good to hear he is playing but I hope he doesn't re-injure it.

Late round flyer on Jake Rudock anyone?

I think he is probably a UDFA. He will sign with someone though and has a good shot the be a back-up somewhere.

Not great size, not great arm, but good enough. Another Alex Smith type and that's why Harbaugh brought him in. Lot's of teams would like those qualities in a back-up.

There is just one big lump of late first early 2nd round QBs this year. Goff doesnt have the arm that I want in my QB. I aint about to take a small school QB before 15. Everyone else seems to have a lot of accuracy issues.

Personally, I think this is a horrible draft for offensive players outside of the OL position and Treadwell who may be the only receiver in this class worth a damn.

We will know more once we have our systems in place. Right now I would look hard at secondary help.

If we hire Hue Jackson, I would say that it is a lock that we draft Goff.

Or trade for McCarron

God no.

Theres a lot of talk about QBs not "being worth" a specific pick or whatever..

I understand that, though you have to admit that a QB does get bumped up a bit draft wise, just by being a QB.

I would prefer that when our picks come up, if we have someone rated to that spot, we take them, regardless of position.

If not, THAT is when you trade down, not preemptively, to try to get someone else at a "better spot"

And with that plan in place, based on where you have the QBs ranked, is when you take them.. or move up to get them.

There's lots of QB talent, there just isn't the top end guy in this draft.

I'll bet 5 or 6 years from now 2 guys from this class will be starting and multiple more will be back-ups.

Lynch, Cardale, Wentz, Prescott, all have the tools to be great, ya never know.

Not disagreeing with your premise of the above statement, but don't overlook Zeke Elliott. I think he will be a true 3 down RB at the next level with his ability to pass block and catch.

Underrated by some. May be worth a late round pick to prevent him from becoming an UDFA and see what he has got. But being listed as 6-2, along with arm metrics, will hurt his assessment mathematically, which is how the white board in Berea will be inked.

I got to see a lot of Kevin Hogan this year, partially because I live in Pac12 country, but also because I am friends with the equipment manager for Stanford.

While he certainly isn't a first rounder, I think this kid can be a good pro given a little bit of time. Great arm, but mediocre accuracy. Smart kid and is much more athletic than he looks. I liked his poise overall. He definitely needs to work on his release. I'd love to know if David Shaw tried to fix that or if just let him be. If he tried to fix it and couldn't, a late round flier may still be worth it. Otherwise, at this point, I think he goes earlier than his 5th round projection.

Best RB in the draft ( all around back )

Yep, fixing that motion will help his accuracy. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if some of these guys get drafted higher than their projections. There is a lot of prototype size in this class and a team thinking they can fix the flaws won't let other teams outbid them.

I don't like the idea of fixing flaws. I think whoever we draft, we need to be prepared to take what they have.

Sure, you can try to do some things, but throwing motion is throwing motion. You rarely see that change.

It's not like these guys haven't had quality coaching for the last 4-5 years.

Bleacher report has a breakdown of the top 4 Qb prospects. Each is kind of long and it is in the annoying slideshow format. So here is the lead page and link. I will then post each qb's analysis individually. This link is for all of these posts.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/26073...rback-prospects

Breaking Down the 2016 NFL Draft's Top Quarterback Prospects
By Justis Mosqueda , Featured Columnist Jan. 13, 2016

It's hard to get away from quarterback talk, even during draft season. Every year, the teams at the top of the draft tend to be looking for a savior, and the conversation turns from NFL quarterback wins in December to which prospect's knees are too thin in January.

In the top 10, only the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers seem to be in dire need of a passer, which throws a monkey wrench into this quarterback class. Usually, multiple teams are looking for a passer early on. Just using last year as an example, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were back-to-back quarterback selections to start the draft. In 2012, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin were the top two picks, with Ryan Tannehill not falling too far behind them as the eighth overall pick.

What may end up being the story of Day 1 is how teams with veteran passers were finally able to snag up some falling stars at the draft and develop prospects. The Dallas Cowboys are sitting there with the fourth overall pick, and Jerry Jones always has bad intentions. Could he replace Tony Romo with the team's first pick in 2016? The same question arises with the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals. The Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams just need a quarterback, but they are picking in the middle of the day.

There are more teams trying to get their hand in the cookie jar this year than normal, but the distance those franchises are from the jar makes this class appealing. At this point, four quarterback prospects—Jared Goff, Connor Cook, Paxton Lynch and Carson Wentz—have been discussed as potential first-round picks. We will break down their positives, negatives and comparisons as we try to project the unprojectable three-and-a-half months out.

Jared Goff, California
Jared Goff, CaliforniaRon Jenkins/Associated Press

Positives

If there is one word to explain Jared Goff, it's "efficiency." If you're thinking about the stereotypical "do the right thing" passer who will find the open man, rather than force a throw, this is your quarterback. At California, a lot of what he's been asked to do revolves around being a quick-strike passer.

His arm is above-average, and his accuracy is solid. He has decent mobility and works his way through the pocket. Overall, he doesn't have one glaring flaw in his game for you to pick apart. In many ways, he's like Nick Foles under Chip Kelly with some added mobility. If you're asking for a baseline quarterback to play under a great system, Goff is going to be at the top of your list in the 2016 draft class.



Negatives

In a lot of ways, he's like Teddy Bridgewater. While some didn't believe that Bridgewater's thin frame and lack of elite tools were much of an issue coming out of Louisville, it can't be ignored that the passer went from being a first overall candidate to being drafted with the last pick of the first round in 2014.

Like Bridgewater, Goff may have an issue with his hands. The former Cardinal didn't have a sub-9" hand length, which is viewed like a death sentence in the draft community, but he did only measure in at the 21st percentile for quarterbacks.

The biggest game in which Goff's hand size came to play was his 2013 matchup in Autzen Stadium against the Oregon Ducks in pouring rain. The ball just wasn't coming out right, often slipping during his release, and the then-true freshman was benched. He hasn't had a disaster game like that since, but at moments, the flaw does flash.

Finally, the system he played in under Tony Franklin is suspect. His "Bear Raid" version of the Air Raid involves offensive linemen bailing from the line of scrimmage like cornerbacks in a backpedal more so than NFL kick slides. It will be interesting to see if someone can play him under center and how he'll adjust to NFL dropbacks.



Comparable peak: Chad Pennington

Recent comparable prospect: Teddy Bridgewater

Overall: Depending on his hand size, Jared Goff may be a player who is limited to a warm-weather team. He also is very much a system quarterback who will take what the defense gives him but doesn't appear to have much more in the tank than that. If a team like San Francisco could pull in an offensive guru like Chip Kelly or Hue Jackson, Goff's best fit could be playing just south of Berkley's campus, in Santa Clara.

Paxton Lynch, Memphis
Paxton Lynch, MemphisButch Dill/Associated Press

Positives

If your life depended on choosing one prospect in this class who could go 80 yards for a touchdown in a minute with two timeouts, you're taking Paxton Lynch. A lot of quarterbacks get the "can do it all label", but when you watch Lynch play, you actually see it consistently.

He's making 25-yard sideline-breaking passes to the far side of the field from a wide hash. He's threading the needle between a Cover 2 zone defense with the velocity of an All-Pro. He's extending plays with his great mobility to buy time for an H-back to get a sliver of an advantage on a linebacker, enough space for him to riffle in a throw.

Put in the game he had against Ole Miss, who featured potentially a top-five pick on the defensive line in Robert Nkemdiche, and you'll be surprised that he isn't the consensus leader to be the first quarterback off the board.



Negatives

At Memphis, Lynch threw plenty of passes behind the line of scrimmage. It wouldn't surprise me if one-third of his throws with the Tigers were designed screens. He played in a shotgun system that featured plenty of empty concepts, something he won't do much of at the NFL level, unless he's in third-down situations.

The lack of reps against quality competition are a concern. He was great against Ole Miss, which vaulted him into the first-overall-pick conversation, but he only played one other major team in 2015. He completed over 60 percent of his passes against every team he had previously faced heading into the bowl game, but against Auburn, he was 16-of-37 for 103 yards and an interception in Birmingham, Alabama.

Was his load-up, slow-trigger style of play finally exposed? Could American Athletic Conference programs just not test his raw skill in ways that SEC schools can? No one had a rougher bowl week than Lynch.



Comparable peak: Cam Newton

Recent comparable prospect: Marcus Mariota

Overall: You don't truly understand what you're getting out of Paxton Lynch, which is a bit worrisome. Is he a player who slipped through the cracks because he was hurt during his senior year of high school, becoming a perfect product to fall into Memphis' lap, or is he just a product of their system and a raw talent? The lines are blurred because of the opponents he faced on a week-to-week basis.

With that being said, he made some plays against an SEC defense, Ole Miss, which only about half of the professionals in the league could make. What you can ask of him from a level-of-difficulty standpoint is high. There aren't many players like him in the league, either, and his dual-threat potential, especially at 6'7" with an arm like his, will give any defensive coordinator nightmares.