2010 Draft Prospects - QB's

Sam Bradford

Oklahoma

6'5

197


Sam Bradford from Oklahoma almost came to the NFL draft last year, where he was expected to compete with Matt Stafford (who was selected number 1 overall) to be rated as the top QB. Bradford went back to school, but ended up getting injured early in the year, and therefore missed most of last season. He is still struggling with the injury, and will not compete at the combine, although he will paticipate in the interview process.

Bradford is a typial pocket passer, very accurate, great arm strength and can produce all the throws. He has been under centre for most of his career, which is a big plus for the pro teams.

Bradford has never really been put under heavy pressure in his career. Throwing on the run, and ability to aviod the rush are questions that scouts will want answered at the combine.


Jimmy Clausen

Notre Dame

6'3

223


Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame is just a junior, but is expected to push Bradford all the way for the number 1 QB rating. There is no doubt at all that Clausen will be a franchise QB in the NFL. A born leader, he has delt with the pressure of playing for Notre Dame very well. Whoever takes him will have their QB of the future.

Playing at Notre Dame, Clausen has played all his college career in a pro style offence. He has great accuracy, a strong arm and gets rid of the ball extremely quickly. He has also shown amazing toughness and leadership throughout his time in South Bend.

Clausen does not have great footwork, and therefore isn't the best at moving in the pocket. The scouts at the combine will be looking for improvement in these areas.


Colt McCoy

Texas

6'3

210

Colt McCoy is a very experienced senior, who has played in alot of big games for the Texas Longhorns. Colt is not expected to compete with Bradford and Clausen in the ratings, but his leadership and skill set could, with work, make him a very successful NFL QB

McCoy makes quick decisions, gets rid of the ball quickly and has good pocket awareness. McCoy is also very athletic and faster than you would expect. This makes him very good at gaining a yard or two on broken plays. Very likeble character, and good leader.

Most of Colts career has been spent back in the shotgun. So the first thing the scouts will be looking for at the combine is the QB / C exchange. Also the Longhorns system is very catered to McCoy, and may hide flaws in his technique. He is also the smallest of the top rated QB's, this could be a problem as the big lineman may restrict his downfield vision.


Tim Tebow

Florida

6'3

236

Tim Tebow from Florida is a Heisman Trophy winner, and is renowned as one of the best ever college players to ever play. There are a lot of questions whether Tebow can be effective at the QB position at the NFL level. There has been talk of him maybe playing RB or even FB.

Tebow is a natural born leader. If he can't motivate a locker room, then no-one can. He has great physical presance and is a devastating power runner. He has great pocket presance, an can escape the pass rush well.

Florida is not a pro style offence. Tebow has spent most of his time in the shotgun, and hasn't had to make the reads or progressions that will be required in the NFL. Also his footwork isn't up to scratch, and he has a very long release of the football. The scouts will have to decide whether the upside of Tebow outweighs these problems.


Tony Pike

Cincinnati

6'5

212


Tony Pike of Cincinnati was off the draft radar until his senior year. His great performances along with the success of the Bearcats have put him very much in the conversation for a high draft pick.

Pike is very tall and therefore can easily see over any lineman. He is a very fast decision maker and has excellent timing with his recievers.

Pike is very small framed and therefore his duribility may be a question. He does not have a strong arm, and is not naturally athletic, therefore he struggles to evade the pass rush.


So there are a few of the QB's avaliable in this years draft, and this will give you a few names to look out for at the combine. If you think I've missed anyone out, or disagree with any of my points let me know. Also let me know in which order would you rank these players?? Get in touch email - nflgbview@googlemail.com , twitter - nflgbview, or leave a comment.

NFL Scouting Combine

The first major event on the NFL calender is the 'Scouting Combine' between the 24th February and the 2nd March. What is this all about?? Well for one week the NFL world desends on Indianapolis and the Lucas Oil Stadium. General Managers, Head Coaches, Positional Coaches and Scouts all turn up to put the top recruits for the NFL draft, through their paces. They do this both on and off the field. For the first few days each team can select some of the recruits theat they will want to speak to. This takes place as a formal interview, and this is were the teams try to access a players attitude, and try to get to grips with his personality. This is very important for the teams as if they bring in a wrong type of player, it can upset the dressing room. Also, if the player turns out to be somebody who is not particualy a hard worker, or does not handle the fact that he now has a lot of time and money on his hands, then this can be a very expensive mistake.

The next stage of the combine is the workouts. Each participent has to complete a set of general workouts, for every player, before moving onto more position specific drills. Every player has to complete these drills;


40 Yard Dash - This tends to be the most watched event. The players start in a three point stance an explode into a 40 yard run. Their times are broken down into 10, 20 and obviously 40 yard sections, which shows the scout the explosion of the player.

Bench Press - This is an endurance test. The weight is 225 lbs, and the players have to complete as many reps as possiable. This will show he scouts how far that the player can push his self, as well as how much preparation he has put in, in the gym.

Vertical Jump - This is a test of the players lower body explosive power. The player starts flatfooted, jumps as high, and reaches as high as he possiably can. The height that the players hand reaces is measured, giving the coach a good idea of just how much power the player possesses.

Broad Jump - This again is another test of lower body strength and explosion. The player stands balanced, leaps forward as far as possiable, but has to land and not move. This test also shows the players balance.

3 Cone Drill - This is a test of the players ability to change diection quickly. 3 cones are set out in a L shape, the player starts at th first cone runs to the second cone, touches it and runs back to his start point. He then touches that, turns around, before taking off round the 2nd cone, weaves through and around the 3rd, back round the 2nd and back to the first, which stops the clock.

Shuttle Run - This is a test of the players lateral movement and quickness in a small area. He starts in a 3 point stance at the middle cones, he then explodes out of the position and laterally moves to the left cone. He touches this cone before turning and running , through the midle cone, to the right cone. He touches this cone before turning and sprinting back to the middle cone, which stops the clock.

They also complete a number of postition specific drills, in which the scouts look for certain abilities and traits. Here is a quick guide to what the scouts are looking for in each position:

QB - The QB / C exchange, the 3, 5, 7 step drop, throwing the whole route tree and the throwing motion.

RB - The intitial explosion off the line, ability to change direction quickly and reactions. Also pass protection understanding.

WR - Vision, hand / eye co-ordination, good hands and a good understanding of the route tree.

OL - Ability to get out of stance effectivley, balance, postitioning over heels and power of punch into DL.

DL - Reaction to snap, explosion out of stance, rip and swim techniques and acceleration.

LB - Back pedal, change of direction, hands and ability to be a 3 down LB.

DB - Back pedal, change of direction, ability to attack the ball and natural hands.

So as you can see, the combine is a very stern examination of their personality and skills. Their performance can certainly effect where in the draft that they will get selected, and ultimatly how much money they will make. For a full list of all players that are due to attend this years combine go to http://tiny.cc/cIabK

Over the next few days nflgbview will take a closer look at the top 5 players from each postion, tell you their strengths and weaknesses and what to look for when they compete at the combine. I hope you can now understand the importance of this process for these young players and the teams. Be sure that nflgbview will have in depth coverage from the combine, you will not miss a thing!!

If you have any questions or points to raise regarding the NFL Combine or any other NFL issue, please get in touch. Email - nflgbview@googlemail.com Twitter - nflgbview or leave a comment

So you think you could be a GM??

So budding NFL GM's here, as promised, is a complete list of all of the players that will be free agents this year. Obviously some of them will resign with their current clubs before the bidding begins, but I want to hear who you would not be able to play without. If you were the GM of your team, and were struggling to get a deal done, which of the free agents would you put the franchie tag on?? Remember that you only have one franchise tag avaliable, and the wages for the player would be very high, so make sure hes worth it. Leave a comment telling us your thoughts, and lets gt some discusions going!!



Will Darren Sharper recieve the 'Franchise tag' from the Saints?? You decide!


Bills

Ryan Denney DE, Chris Draft OLB, Keith Ellison OLB, Todd Johnson S, Seth McKinney G, Terrell Owens WR, Josh Reed WR, Derek Schouman TE, Jonathan Scott T, Bryan Scott S, George Wilson S, Ashton Youbouty CB.

Dolphins

Ronnie Brown RB, Anthony Fasano TE, Jason Ferguson DT, Nathan Jones CB, David Martin TE, Quentin Moses DE, Chad Pennington QB, Jason Taylor OLB.

Patriots

Eric Alexander OLB, Tully Banta-Cain OLB, Leigh Bodden CB, Derrick Burgess DE, Dan Connolly G, Kevin Faulk RB, Stephen Gostkowski K, Jarvis Green DE, Chris Hanson P, Logan Mankins G, Stephen Neal G, Junior Seau OLB, Chris Taylor RB, Ben Watson TE, Vince Wilfork DT, Pierre Woods OLB.

Jets

Kellen Clemens QB, Drew Coleman CB, Marques Douglas DE, Braylon Edwards WR, Jay Feely K, Ryan Fowler ILB, Howard Green DT, Ben Hartsock TE, Wayne Hunter T, James Ihedigbo S, Larry Izzo ILB, Marques Murrell DE, Tony Richardson FB, Eric Smith S, Brad Smith WR, Leon Washington RB, Wallace Wright WR.

Ravens

Justin Bannan DT, Antwan Barnes OLB, John Beck QB, Prescott Burgess OLB, Chris Chester G, Mark Clayton WR, Dwan Edwards DT, Jared Gaither T, Edgar Jones TE, Sam Koch P, Dawan Landry S, Derrick Mason WR, Le'Ron McClain FB, Tony Moll T, Troy Smith QB, L.J. Smith TE, Quinn Sypniewski TE, Adam Terry T, David Tyree WR, Frank Walker CB, Fabian Washington CB, Kelley Washington WR, Demetrius Williams WR, Marshal Yanda G.

Bengals

Daniel Coats TE, Shayne Graham K, Abdul Hodge ILB, Rashad Jeanty OLB, Brandon Johnson OLB, Jeremi Johnson FB, Tank Johnson DT, David Jones CB, Reggie Kelly TE, Scott Kooistra G, Evan Mathis G, Frostee Rucker DE, Dan Santucci G, Bobbie Williams G, Roy Williams S.

Steelers

Charlie Batch QB, Tyrone Carter S, Ryan Clark S, Willie Colon T, Carey Davis FB, Nick Eason DE, William Gay CB, Casey Hampton DT, Travis Kirschke DE, Shaun McDonald WR, Willie Parker RB, Keiwan Ratliff CB, Jeff Reed K, Daniel Sepulveda P, Matt Spaeth TE, Darnell Stapleton G, DeShea Townsend CB

Browns

Abram Elam S, Greg Estandia TE, Mike Furrey WR, Michael Gaines TE, Rex Hadnot G, Jerome Harrison RB, D'Qwell Jackson ILB, Brodney Pool S, Hank Poteat CB, Jason Trusnik OLB, Ryan Tucker T, Lawrence Vickers FB, Billy Yates G.

Colts

Hank Baskett WR, Antoine Bethea S, Gary Brackett ILB, Melvin Bullitt S, Daniel Federkeil G, Aaron Francisco CB, Tyjuan Hagler OLB, Marlin Jackson CB Tim Jennings CB, Antonio Johnson DT, Charlie Johnson T, Freddy Keiaho OLB, Anthony Madison CB, Daniel Muir DT, T.J. Rushing RB, Matt Stover K.

Texans

Chris Brown RB, Tim Bulman DT, John Busing S, Rashard Butler T, Khary Campbell ILB, Owen Daniels TE, Nick Ferguson S, Rex Grossman QB, Ryan Moats RB, Chester Pitts G, Bernard Pollard S, Tutan Reyes G, Dunta Robinson CB, DeMeco Ryans ILB, Chaun Thompson OLB, Matt Turk P, Kevin Walter WR, Chris White C, Jeff Zgonina DT.

Jaguars

Atiyyah Ellison DE, Kynan Forney G, Reggie Hayward DE, Clint Ingram OLB, Jeremy Mincey DE, Greg Peterson DE, Brian Russell S, Adam Seward OLB Montavious Stanley DT, Ernest Wilford WR, Troy Williamson WR.

Titans

Eugene Amano G, David Ball DE, Tony Brown DT, Keith Bulluck OLB, Alge Crumpler TE, Nick Harper CB, Craig Hentrich P, Rod Hood CB, Kevin Kaesviharn S, Jevon Kearse DE, Kevin Mawae C, Donnie Nickey S, Bo Scaife TE, Stephen Tulloch ILB, Kyle Vanden Bosch DE, Kevin Vickerson DT, LenDale White RB.

Chargers

Alfonso Boone DT, Jeromey Clary T, Tim Dobbins ILB, Malcom Floyd WR, Vincent Jackson WR, Travis Johnson DE, Brandon Manumaleuna TE, Marcus McNeil T, Shawne Merriman OLB, Dennis Norman C, Kassim Osgood WR, Ian Scott DT, Darren Sproles RB, Charlie Whitehurst QB, Kris Wilson TE.

Broncos

Mitch Berger P, Elvis Dumervil OLB, Brandon Gorin T, Nick Greisen OLB, Ben Hamilton G, Ross Hochstein G, Chris Kuper G, Ty Law CB, Brandon Lloyd WR, Brandon Marshall WR, Kyle Orton QB, Tony Scheffler TE, LeKevin Smith DT.

Chiefs

Andy Alleman G, Mark Bradley WR, Mike Brown S, Chris Chambers WR, Terrance Copper WR, Brodie Croyle QB, Matt Gutierrez QB, Derrick Johnson ILB, Corey Mays ILB, Ikechuku Ndukwe T, Rudy Niswanger C, Ryan O'Callaghan G, Jarrad Page S, Leonard Pope TE, Sean Ryan TE, Wade Smith T, Kenny Smith DT, Kolby Smith RB, Mike Vrabel OLB, Bobby Wade WR.

Raiders

Jon Alston OLB, Khalif Barnes T, Ricky Brown OLB, Hiram Eugene S, Charlie Frye QB, Bruce Gradkowski QB, Cornell Green T, Thomas Howard OLB, Sebastian Janikowski K, Luke Lawton FB, Chris Morris C, Kirk Morrison ILB, Stanford Routt CB, Gary Russell RB, Richard Seymour DE, Langston Walker T , Sam Williams OLB.

Giants

Kevin Boothe T, C.C. Brown S, David Carr QB, Danny Clark OLB, Barry Cofield DT, Kevin Dockery CB, Jeff Feagles P, Derek Hagan WR, Domenik Hixon WR, Darcy Johnson TE, Sinorice Moss WR, Fred Robbins DT, Dave Tollefson DE, Guy Whimper T, Gerris Wilkinson OLB.

Cowboys

Miles Austin WR, Stephen Bowen DE, Jason Hatcher DE, Montrae Holland G, Sam Hurd DE, L.P. Ladouceur LS, Pat McQuistan T, Duke Preston G, Cory Procter T, Allen Rossum CB, Gerald Sensabaugh S, Junior Siavii DT, Marcus Spears DE, Pat Watkins S.

Eagles

Jason Avant WR, Jason Babin DE, Nick Cole G, Omar Gaither ILB, Chris Gocong OLB, Ellis Hobbs CB, Max Jean-Gilles G, Sean Jones S, Akeem Jordan OLB, Sav Rocca P, Alex Smith TE, Jeremiah Trotter ILB, Leonard Weaver FB, Tracey White OLB.

Redskins

Lorenzo Alexander DT, D'Anthony Baptiste G, Jason Campbell QB, Phillip Daniels DE, Reed Doughty S, Kedric Golston DT, Stephon Heyer T, Levi Jones T, Rocky McIntosh OLB, Anthony Montgomery DT, Will Montgomery G, Hunter Smith P, Shaun Suisham K, Mike Williams T, Chris Wilson DE, Renaldo Wynn DE, Todd Yoder TE.

Bears

Mark Anderson DE, Josh Bullocks S, Danieal Manning S, Darrell McClover OLB, Adewale Ogunleye DE, Adrian Peterson RB, Nich Roach OLB, Pisa Tinoisamoa OLB, Jamar Williams ILB.

Packers

Atari Bigby S, Will Blackmon CB, Brandon Chillar OLB, Chad Clifton T, Daryn Colledge G, Nick Collins S, Ahman Green RB, Aaron Kampman OLB, John Kuhn FB, Derrick Martin CB, Ryan Pickett DT, Jason Spitz C, Mark Tauscher T, Tramon Williams CB, DeShawn Wynn RB.

Vikings

Ryan Cook T, Ray Edwards DE, Fred Evans DT, Eric Frampton S, Artis Hicks G, Tarvaris Jackson QB, Jimmy Kennedy DT, Greg Lewis WR, Karl Paymah CB, Benny Sapp CB, Naufahu Tahi FB, Chester Taylor RB.

Lions

Copeland Bryan DE, Daniel Bullocks S, Vinny Ciurciu ILB, Damion Cook T, Daunte Culpepper QB, DeMarcus Faggins CB, Larry Foote ILB, Dylan Gandy G, Will Heller TE, Anthony Henry CB, Kevin Hobbs CB, Jason Hunter DE, Will James CB, Jon Jansen T, Adam Jennings WR, Daniel Loper T, Marquand Manuel S, Manny Ramirez G, Ephraim Salaam T, Ko Simpson S, Terrelle Smith FB, Cody Spencer OLB.

Saints

Remi Ayodele DE, Mike Bell RB, Jammal Brown T, Mark Brunell QB, Jermon Bushrod T, Dan Campbell TE, John Carney K, Jeff Charleston DE, Kendrick Clancy DT, Darnell Dinkins TE, Jahri Evans DE, Scott Fujita OLB, Anthony Hargrove DE, Roman Harper S, Nick Leckey C, Chris McAllister CB, Billy Miller TE, Marvin Mitchell ILB, Lance Moore WR, Pierson Prioleau S, Chris Reis S, Courtney Roby WR, Darren Sharper S, Zach Strief G, Pierre Thomas RB, David Thomas TE, Leigh Torrance CB, Usama Young CB.

Panthers

James Anderson OLB, Tyler Brayton DE, Thomas Davis OLB, A.J. Feeley QB, Jeff King TE, Louis Leonard DT, Rhys Lloyd K, Richard Marshall CB, Josh McCown QB, Matt Moore QB, Muhsin Muhammad WR, Julius Peppers DE, Quinton Teal S, Hollis Thomas DT, Tank Tyler DT, Keydrick Vincent G, Dante Wesley CB, C.J. Wilson CB.

Falcons

Marty Booker WR, Tyson Clabo T, Harvey Dahl G, Brian Finneran WR, Jamaal Fudge S, Tony Gilbert ILB, Antoine Harris CB, Verron Haynes RB, Michael Koenen P, Jerious Norwood RB, Quinn Ojinnaka G, Chris Redman QB, Jason Snelling RB, Brian Williams CB.

Buccaneers

Will Allen S, Antonio Bryant WR, Brian Clark WR, Angelo Crowell OLB, Donald Penn T, Jermaine Phillips S, Barrett Ruud ILB, Byron Storer FB, Maurice Stovall WR, Jeremy Trueblood T, Jimmy Wilkerson DE, Rod Wilson OLB.

Cardinals

Anthony Becht TE, Betrand Berry DE, Steve Breaston WR, Jeremy Bridges G, Ralph Brown CB, Dominique Byrd TE, Ben Claxton C, Karlos Dansby ILB, Mike Gandy T, Justin Green FB, Dan Kreider FB, Deuce Lutui G, Sean Morey WR, Chike Okeafor OLB, Ben Patrick TE, Neil Rackers K, Bryan Robinson DT, Lyle Sendlein C, Stephen Spach TE, Brian St. Pierre QB, Jerheme Urban WR, Matt Ware S, Gabe Watson DT.

Seahawks

Nate Burleson WR, Brandon Frye T, Justin Griffith FB, Lance Laury ILB, D.D. Lewis OLB, Ken Lucas CB, Olindo Mare K, Damion McIntosh T, Lawyer Milloy S, Ben Obomanu WR, Cory Redding DE, Jon Ryan P, Rob Sims G, Chris Spencer C, Darryl Tapp DE, Seneca Wallace QB.

49'ers

David Baas G, Arnaz Battle WR, Dre Bly CB, Ahmad Brooks OLB, Aubrayo Franklin DT, Walt Harris CB, Marcus Hudson CB, Tony Pashos T, Mark Roman S, Barry Sims T, Jeff Ulbrich ILB, Matt Wilhelm ILB.

Rams

Victor Adeyanju DE, O.J. Atogwe S, Alex Barron T, Eric Bassey CB, Kyle Boller QB, Craig Dahl S, Daniel Fells TE, Samkon Gado RB, Gary Gibson DT, James Hall DE, Richie Incognito G, Paris Lenon LB, Leonard Little DE, Ruvell Martin WR, Randy McMichael TE, Clifton Ryan DT, Mark Setterstrom G, Jonathan Wade CB.