2009 NFL Draft Position Rankings
The Quarterbacks
2009 NFL Draft Post-Workout Rankings
Quarterbacks
|
Running Backs |
Fullbacks |
Receivers |
Tight Ends
Centers |
Guards |
Off. Tackles |
Def. Ends |
Def. Tackles
Inside LBs |
Outside LBs |
Cornerbacks |
Safeties
By
Pete Fiutak
- 2009 NFL Prospect Rankings
Quarterbacks |
Running Backs |
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends |
Off. Tackles |
Off. Guards |
Centers
Defensive Ends |
Defensive Tackles |
Inside LBs
Outside LBs |
Safeties |
Cornerbacks
We’ve been watching these players from the start and have analyzed them
as collegians for the last few years. Talk about hip snap and bubble
butts all you want, but the question is this … can the guy play? Trying
to project on to the next level, while taking into account everything
that happened on the field during their college careers, here’s the CFN
ranking and analysis of all the top pro prospects.
THE FRANCHISE
1. Matthew Stafford, Georgia 6-2, 225 (Jr.)
Everyone knew he was going to be a pro out of high school, and he
didn’t disappoint. While he failed to lead Georgia to a national title,
and didn’t even get the Dawgs to the SEC championship game, Stafford
showed off the arm strength and the talent from day one to show he was going to become a NFL starter in the very near future.
While he’s not the biggest passer around, NFL types tend to like the
tall, 6-4ish bombers, he has an arm that can throw a pea through a brick
wall. He can make all the throws and he has the character and makeup to
handle the pressure of being a franchise savior. Extremely smart, he’ll
be ahead of the curve when it comes to reading defenses after a little
bit of time. Now he needs to be more consistent and he’ll need elite
coaching to work on his accuracy. His problems are fixable, but the big
issue hanging out there is why Georgia didn’t do more with Stafford
under center. The Dawgs were fine, but Stafford didn’t take the program
to another level. While he won’t have a Matt Ryan-like first season,
he’ll end up being the better player over time.
CFN Projection:
First Round, First Pick Overall
2. Mark Sanchez, USC (Jr.) 6-2, 227
One of the toughest calls of the draft, Sanchez isn’t the talent
that Carson Palmer was coming out of USC, and he appears to be more
fired up about being a great quarterback, rather than a big star, than
Matt Leinart. The big knock is his lack of playing experience having
only been the main man for roughly a year and a half. The other knock is
that he hasn’t faced a whole bunch of adversity playing with all the
talent around him at USC. The Trojans weren’t nearly as talented when
Palmer was under center, and Leinart had proved himself in national
championships (even in the loss to Texas) and in tight battles against
Notre Dame and Fresno State. Sanchez was fine, but nothing special
despite a tremendous performance against Penn State in the Rose Bowl. To
be a star in the NFL, he’ll have to be a gym rat and they’re going to
have to kick him out of the weight room. He needs to get bigger,
stronger, and faster; he’s not an elite athlete in any way. On the plus
side, he has a good enough NFL arm to make all the throws, he’s used to
competition, and he appears to want
to make himself better and will do all the dirty work needed.
CFN Projection: First Round
3.
Josh Freeman, Kansas State 6-6, 240 (Jr.)
There a some teams out
there hoping to steal the former Wildcat star late in the first round,
but there might be some jockeying from some teams to move up. Thrown to
the wolves as a true freshman, Freeman handled himself well in a tough
situation. He didn’t have a defense to help him out and the talent level
around him was above-average at best, outside of WR Jordy Nelson. He has
the size, a little bit of mobility, and a huge arm, and he looks the
part. Now he needs coaching. Still a work in progress, he needs to be
more consistent and he needs to work on his mechanics with rep after rep
after rep. At the next level he’ll have to learn how to get rid of the
ball far faster; he took way too many hits at KSU. However, he always
kept going on despite playing behind bad O lines and he rarely appeared
shell-shocked. It’s going to take a few years, but he should be great on
a team that has a good veteran who’s willing to be his mentor.
CFN Projection: First Round
POTENTIAL NFL STARTERS
4.
John Parker Wilson, Alabama 6-2, 220
While he might not go to
many Pro Bowls and he isn’t going to be a franchise quarterback to build
an offense around, Wilson has the potential to be the type of
quarterback who leads a good team to great things simply by being smart
and by not screwing up. With a great mind and good decision-making
skills, he’ll be able to handle the pro playbook right away and he could
flourish if he gets some steady coaching. He had three different
offensive coordinators to deal with at Alabama and he still managed to
produce, but without a big-time arm and with average mobility there will
be a limit on what he can do. Put in the right setting on a team with a
great defense, so there won’t need to be shootouts every week, he could
exactly the type of move-the-chains player who can eventually take a
team deep into the playoffs … but not the Super Bowl.
CFN
Projection: Third Round
5. Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston State 6-2, 225
Forgotten in the craziness of Bomar’s career was how he was
considered to be every bit the superstar prospect that Adrian Peterson
was at Oklahoma. With a rifle arm, tremendous mobility, and a
gunslinger’s mentality, he was supposed to be the one who led the
Sooners to greatness over the last few years. Of course, he was booted
off the team for taking some cash from a car dealership and ended up at
Sam Houston State where he was able to bomb away. Despite suffering a
torn ACL, he’s still able to move as well as before and he can make any
throw from anywhere. However, he needs to fine-tune the howitzer. He’ll
throw a pass that maybe five current NFL quarterbacks could make on one
play, and then he’ll air mail the next and throw a wormburner to follow.
While he was a team captain at SHSU, he’ll have to work on his
leadership skills, he could rub some people the wrong way, but he’s
ultra-intense and he has the tools to be a steal if he gets the right
coach with the right temperament.
CFN Projection:
Fourth Round
6. Pat White, West Virginia 6-1, 197
Forget about what White isn’t
and focus on what he is, and also throw out the notion of what a pro
style quarterback needs to be. Yes, White will likely make his money as
a receiver and a slash type of pro, but he wants to be a quarterback and
someone will give him a shot … at least for a few practices. No, White
isn’t going to be Peyton Manning, and no, he won’t be Michael Vick; he
doesn’t have the arm. But what he can be is a devastating weapon to use
in a Wildcat-like formation or 10-of-15 plays a game and he’ll force
opposing defensive coordinators to spend at least a day to prep for him.
While he doesn’t have elite speed, he’ll effortlessly run for first
downs and he has a more accurate, stronger arm than he gets credit for.
More than anything else, he’s a winner. A peerless leader who’s tough as
nails, he’ll have no problem earning the respect of his teammates. Any
offensive coordinator worth his salt will be drooling at the
possibilities.
CFN Projection: Third Round,
but as an all-around prospect
7. Curtis Painter,
Purdue 6-3, 225
When the 2008 season started, Painter was
supposed to be the top quarterback prospect among the seniors. Without
the great receiving corps he had earlier in his career, he struggled
early on as he pressed too much to make thing happen. After losing his
job for a stretch, he came back roaring to close out his productive
career with a bang. He has good size, a live arm, and just enough
mobility to get by. With a good attitude and the right makeup, he could
be the type of prospect who sticks with a team for a few years and then
shines once he gets his chance. While he has a lot of the tools, he
needs to find a killer instinct. He didn’t lead Purdue to many big wins
and he wasn’t clutch. However, he’s worth developing.
CFN
Projection: Sixth Round
8. Nate Davis, Ball State (Jr.) 6-1, 225
Welcome to this year’s Andre Woodson. Like the former Kentucky star,
Davis was considered a possible first round prospect early on in the
evaluation process before his stock started slipping, and sliding, and
slipping some more after some average workouts. He’s not all that big
and he timed slow despite showing good mobility in games. With a nice
arm, he can make all the throws and is accurate on the move. However,
he’s not all that big and he has yet to do anything in the off-season to
wow anyone. There’s a limit on his upside; this might be it. He could
still use some tweaking and some work on his mechanics, but he doesn’t
appear to have the all-around ability to be more than a spot starter and
a career backup.
CFN Projection: Fifth Round
BEST OF THE REST
9.
Stephen McGee, Texas A&M 6-3, 225
Welcome to the hot prospect of
the off-season. McGee never got the chance to show what he could truly
do at A&M having been used as a runner and eventually losing his job,
partly due to injury, under Mike Sherman last season. While he ran the
ball well showing off great speed at times, he’s a passer who wasn’t
used correctly. One of the best athletes among the quarterbacks and with
great size and toughness, he has the makeup to work through his issues,
like his questionable decision-making ability, to become a player. He’ll
need a few years and a lot of footwork reworking, but if someone is
patient there could be a Matt Cassell-but-athletic-like reward in a few
years.
CFN Projection: Fourth Round
10. Hunter Cantwell, Louisville 6-5, 235
The hot unknown coming
into this year, after spending years playing behind Brian Brohm,
Cantwell only occasionally showed off why he was considered such a
tremendous prospect by so many scouts. He has the size, the arm
strength, and the look, but he didn’t produce. While his arm strength
alone will get him on a team, he’s going to have to show far better
touch to stick. A statue, his decision-making ability will need to be
spot on to get the ball out of his hands in a hurry and to avoid getting
killed.
CFN Projection: Sixth Round
11. Drew Willy, Buffalo 6-3, 215
A four-year starter, Willy went
through the ringer and came through with a nice reward leading UB to a
MAC title. A steady leader with a good passion for the game and good
enough arm strength to get by, he’s a can’t miss No. 3 quarterback on a
roster and a possible No. 2. He doesn’t move well out of the pocket and
he needs to get a lot stronger, but he’s a good worker who’ll do
whatever he can to try to make it. He’s the type of player you want
leading your scout team for a few years before hoping he can develop
into a steady game-manager-type of passer. Those aren’t negatives; he’s
a quarterback that someone will want to have around the team.
CFN Projection: Free Agent
12. Nathan Brown,
Central Arkansas 6-1, 220
Tremendously productive, albeit at a
lower level, Brown is a fantastic athlete who threw for 31 touchdowns
and four interceptions last year to get on the radar. Great on the move
and with a decent accurate arm, he has the potential to shine with a
Jeff Garcia-like career in a West Coast attack. Extremely tough, he’ll
take a beating and will always come back for more, but he has some major
flaws. He’s not big, needs to totally rework his funky throwing motion,
and doesn’t have an NFL deep arm. Even so, he could be a nice flier to
take for someone hoping to hit the jackpot in a dink and dunk attack.
CFN Projection: Fifth Round
13.
Chase Daniel, Missouri 6-0, 220
He’s just not tall enough. Daniel
is an uber-competitor who’ll try to do everything for an offense to a
fault. When he was in a groove and was able to spread the ball around to
all his targets, he and the Mizzou offense were unstoppable. When he
tried to run too often, force the ball when pressured, and tried to make
things happen when they weren’t there, things fizzled. He’s a
high-character gunslinger who you root for to pull out wins, but he’s
too limited. He doesn’t throw the most catchable of balls, at least at
an NFL level, and he isn’t the type of prospect who can quickly adjust
and thrive if he plays under center.
CFN Projection:
Free Agent
14. Cullen Harper, Clemson 6-3, 225
Just how good is he? Harper has a few durability concerns and had to go
under the knife a few times after suffering shoulder problems, but he
almost never had time to operate playing behind a shockingly bad
offensive line. While he doesn’t have a great deep arm, it’s good
enough, and he can be streaky at just the right time. However, he might
be a big gunshy after getting battered and bruised over the last few
years. While things weren’t exactly going well early last year, he
rebounded and led the way to a gutty finishing kick. While he’ll never
be a star, he has enough talent to become a good backup for the next ten
years. He’ll work his way into a job everywhere he goes.
CFN
Projection: Sixth Round
15. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech 6-2, 220
The best of all
the Red Raider quarterbacks under Mike Leach, Harrell is a smart,
clutch, ultra-tough producer who throw a great ball on the move and
loves the nuts and bolts of football down to the film study and the
practice reps. However, he doesn’t have the arm. While he was great in
the Texas Tech attack, when he had to throw NFL passes in off-season
workouts and all-star practices, he couldn’t. While he might stick on a
team as a No. 3 quarterback purely on smarts and practice production, he
doesn’t have enough arm to be a regular starter.
CFN Projection:
Seventh Round
16. Brian Hoyer, Michigan State 6-2,
215
Hoyer was a very nice Big Ten quarterback. Nothing more. Some
teams are going to like him because he played in a pro style offense,
but he failed to make his receivers better and he didn’t benefit from
having a great running game to take the heat off. On the plus side, he
looks the part with a good arm and a nice delivery; his mechanics don’t
need a lot of retooling. The down side is that he’s not that big, his
arm isn’t special, and he didn’t produce enough against the better
teams. His off-season workouts and all-star practices opened up enough
eyes to get drafted, but there’s a hard, immovable ceiling on what he
can become unless he’s on a team that lives on the short to midrange
passing game.
CFN Projection: Fifth Round
17. Mike Reilly, Central Washington 6-3 215
The one-time
Washington State Cougar was able to get in plenty of work and plenty of
experience at Central Washington where he was tremendously accurate at
the D-II level. The D-II level … the D-II level. His mediocre arm wasn’t
quite enough for D-I/FBS, much less the NFL, but he throws a nice,
catchable short ball and he’s fantastic at reading defenses and making
plays on the fly. He makes himself shorter with his low delivery and he
has to work to get a little more zip on his fastball, but with a little
work he could become a nice backup for someone who doesn’t care about
bombing away.
CFN Projection: Free Agent
18. Mike Teel, Rutgers 6-3, 230
All of a sudden the light went
on and boom went the dynamite. After struggling early last year, with a
missed punch of a teammate on the sidelines the lowlight, he caught fire
and started to bomb away to become a decent NFL prospect. When he was on
there were few better, but when he was off, things were really, really
ugly. He has the experience, a live arm, and good size, but he needs to
have a calmer, steadier demeanor and has to be able to forget about the
misses and move on quicker. However, he has the tools to develop into an
interesting project with a coach who wants to make him a star.
CFN Projection: Free Agent
19. Tom
Brandstater, Fresno State 6-5, 220
It all appears to be there
from the size, the mobility and a decent arm, but he doesn’t have
it. He didn’t produce nearly
as well as he should have considering his experience and the speedy
receivers he had to work with. His throws are too erratic and he needs
to completely overhaul his throwing motion to throw up to his size. When
he was on, he had the look of a can’t-miss world-beater. But those
moments were few and far between.
CFN Projection:
Free Agent
20. Chase Holbrook, New Mexico State 6-5 240
After a somewhat strange and slightly disappointing career having
failed to improve much in his years under Hal Mumme, Holbrook will be
nothing more than a flier for some team. He’s very big, almost too big,
and has a great arm that can make every throw in the book as long as he
isn’t on the move. However, he doesn’t get rid of the ball in a hurry
and will force too many throws that aren’t there. He’ll be a sitting
duck at the next level, but he’s used to getting popped. Even so, if he
plays behind a great line he could have spurts where he puts up big
numbers. Throw a pass rush his way and it’s over.
CFN
Projection: Free Agent
ON THE RADAR
21. Willy Tuitama, Arizona
22. Rudy Carpenter, Missouri
23. Brian Johnson, Utah
24. Joe Ganz, Nebraska
25. Chase
Clement, Rice