On the heels of the success of Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco last year, more will be expected of rookie quarterbacks—and sooner, too. That’s a tough row to hoe for any rookie class, but this one in particular seems ill-equipped for the challenge. After all, until the underclassmen declared there was a distinct possibility ther wouldn’t be a quarterback taken on the first day of the draft, let alone in Round One.
Thing about it: both Ryan and Flacco were seniors—red-shirt seniors, in fact—with plenty of collegiate experience to draw from. Also, you’ll note that the teams behind the rookies finished 1-2 in the league in rushing attempts and 2-4 in the league in rushing yards.
Day One Candidates
Nonetheless, the bar has been raised with regards to rookie signal callers, and expectations will be high as well. And the two quarterbacks most likely to be squarely in the crosshairs are a pair of early entries. Most mocks and scouting services have Georgia’s Matthew Stafford not only atop the quarterback rankings but in many cases going first overall to the Lions; in a few instances, USC’s Mark Sanchez claims that honor.
Stafford has the stronger arm and three years of starting experience against SEC competition; Sanchez was productive in just over a season of directing Southern Cal’s pro style offense, and while scouts love his intangibles his lack of game experience leaves some unfulfilled. With Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, and Tim Tebow all opting to stay in school, however, teams looking for immediate help at quarterback are left to decide: Stafford or Sanchez? Both should go off the board in the first half of Round One—as early as first and third, potentially as late as 10 and 19.
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