By Nino Colla
Published: April 21, 2008 PrintEmail
This is the QB Rating System. Every Quarterback is rated
on a 1-5 scale in ten different categories. Then all the points are
added up and tallied at the end. The most you can get is 50, but no one
has ever gotten past 45. Last year Drew Stanton had a high of 43. Last
year there was a category that really impacted things called Supporting
Cast. That has now been replaced with Mechanics, which is important
enough to be judged in its own right. This is the second year for 50
possible points, the first year it was on a scale of 45. To put it into
perspective, Matt Leinart got a 39 out of 45 which is an 87%. To get an
86% with 50 points you need 43 points.
1. ARM STRENGTH
Based on how deep a QB can throw the ball.
2. ACCURACY
Based on how well a QB can complete the short game and hit receivers.
3. FOOTBALL IQ
The ability to read defenses, play books and not throwing picks
4. MOBILITY
Make up how well a QB can make a play, create second chances, throw on the run and pocket presence.
5. LEADERSHIP
Based on how well a QB can lead his team.
6. TOUGHNESS
Based on how tough a QB is and durability or past injuries.
7. RESUME
Who's he beat and what has he done?
8. MATURITY
On or off the field problems, an important asset in today's NFL
9. PEDIGREE
Family Bloodlines, Coaches Played For, Systems Played In
1. ARM STRENGTH - 4
Not the strongest arm, but he gets the job done. 2. ACCURACY - 5
The system he played in called for him to be an accurate thrower, it is his strong point. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 5
Once again, he needed the smarts to run the system at Louisville, not to mention he comes from a family of Quarterbacks. 4. MOBILITY - 2
Torn ACL didn't help, but he isn't a rock. 5. LEADERSHIP - 3
Brohm is more of a lead by example kind of guy. 6. TOUGHNESS - 4
He played a season with a messed up thumb and still put
up decent play. He has had injuries in the problem though which brings
this down. 7. RESUME' - 4
Won a BCS Bowl game in 2007, 8. MATURITY - 5
Student of the game. 9. PEDIGREE - 5
Brothers, Fathers, generations of Quarterbacks. Not to mention Brohm was a three sport athlete in high school. 10. MECHANICS - 5
I compared him to Peyton Manning because of his
qualities and attention to detail in these types of aspects. He is very
sound and throws a quick ball.
Colt Brennan
Hawaii
6-3, 190
NFL Comparison: Jake Plummer Defining Moment: Setting the Single Season TD Record
1. ARM STRENGTH - 4
Didn't always show off his arm, and isn't a rocket but can throw it around. 2. ACCURACY - 5
He sees the field and delivers the ball on target, and had to in the Hawaii system. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 5
He ran a very difficult offense in Hawaii, and people
look down on that in the aspect that it gives him big numbers. But it's
not easy. He spread the ball around well. 4. MOBILITY - 4
He can tuck it and make the short run if needed, he can move around and elude some pressure as well. 5. LEADERSHIP - 4
He has shown a vast improvement in this area since coming to Hawaii 6. TOUGHNESS - 3
He took a beating in the Sugar Bowl. He also needs to
add some muscle, but don't worry about his weight from the Senior Bowl.
Also is coming off surgery 7. RESUME' - 4
He led Hawaii to an undefeated regular season and did
nothing but break what was thought to be unbreakable records in the
NCAA. Missing that big Sugar Bowl win or at least a closer game. 8. MATURITY - 4
Not quite a five because of his past which will always be there, but it shouldn't be a concern at all. A changed person. 9. PEDIGREE - 4
Comes from a long line of Hawaii Gunslingers and really was one of the best June Jones ever had. Former Back up of Matt Leinart. 10. MECHANICS - 3
Brennan has a side arm motion that causes trouble, and a little bit of
a hitch in his motion. He also slides his feet which needs to be worked
on. Quick release though.
Matt Ryan
Boston College
6-5, 218
NFL Comparison: Derek Anderson Defining Moment: Winning TD against V-Tech
1. ARM STRENGTH - 4
Nothing overly impressive. 2. ACCURACY - 4
Threw his picks in bunches, can get really reckless and "Brett Favre" like. Tries to do too much? 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 5
For what he lacks in his ability to throw the ball, he makes up for his smarts. 4. MOBILITY - 2
Not gonna kill you at all. 5. LEADERSHIP - 5
Natural Born Leader. 6. TOUGHNESS - 4
Hard worker but broke his foot Junior year. 7. RESUME' - 3
Senior year was his only big productive year with a great team. But did get some big wins. 8. MATURITY - 5
Battled through some tough obstacles to become the starter. 9. PEDIGREE - 3
Three sport athlete with some good coaches in his corner. 10. MECHANICS - 5
Like I said, he makes up for his lack of arm in mechanical soundness.
1. ARM STRENGTH - 5
Very Strong Arm that can make any throw. 2. ACCURACY - 4
Not only is he accurate in the short game, but in the long game as well. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 4
Woodson had an unbelievable streak of 271 consecutive
pass completions without a pick, he did a very good job breaking down
SEC defenses. 4. MOBILITY - 5
He can scramble and create second chances with his feet. 5. LEADERSHIP - 5
Battled through tough challenges in his road to being a starter, was the heart and soul of a surprising Kentucky team. 6. TOUGHNESS - 4
Comes from a background of a tough family, doesn't have many injury concerns. 7. RESUME' - 3
His senior year was the big year for him and his team, and he has some impressive marks. 8. MATURITY - 5
Almost lost his job, but hung in there and persevered. 9. PEDIGREE - 2
Kentucky and Military Family. 10. MECHANICS - 1
It is Woodson's biggest downfall. He needs to fix the
hitch in his motion that causes sacks, and some very inaccurate throws.
His overhead release also will delay a play and cause turnovers in the
NFL.
Dennis Dixon
Oregon
6-4, 205
NFL Comparison: Vince Young Defining Moment: Beating Michigan and USC in 2007
1. ARM STRENGTH - 4
Very underrated arm strength. 2. ACCURACY - 3
Spotty accuracy, but can be on target with time to set his feet. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 3
He is a smart guy but he has trouble with the NFL curriculum. 4. MOBILITY - 5
Despite the injury he can still move. 5. LEADERSHIP - 5
Very strong kid who was the one reason the Ducks had National Title Aspirations in 2007, but were cut short when he got injured. 6. TOUGHNESS - 3
Coming off a ripped up ACL, but also played with it 7. RESUME' - 3
Started to win in 2007 but it was cut short. Didn't do much before that. 8. MATURITY - 4
Works hard and has really grown over time. 9. PEDIGREE - 3
Also a prospect in the Braves organization, played for a college offense at Oregon, will need to adjust. 10. MECHANICS- 3
These need to improve if he is going to be a good QB.
Chad Henne
Michigan
6-2, 224
NFL Comparison: Carson Palmer Defining Moment: 3 Game winning TDs against MSU and PSU
1. ARM STRENGTH - 5
Elite, makes every throw possible. 2. ACCURACY - 4
Will overthrow or throw too hard to his shorter guys, but delivers the deep ball on point. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 4
He has what it takes to command his offense and guide them. 4. MOBILITY - 2
Not a complete statue, can try and elude a few tackles. 5. LEADERSHIP - 5
Very assertive and strong willed. Demands the best out of his receivers. 6. TOUGHNESS - 5
Played against Illinois with separated shoulder, took a beating from a shaky line last year. 7. RESUME' - 4
The knock was never taking down Ohio State, but finally won a bowl game, did start since Freshman Year. 8. MATURITY - 5
Was the perfect face for Michigan for four years. 9. PEDIGREE - 4
Could be one of the best QBs to come out of Michigan in... ever. 10. MECHANICS - 3
His downfall as a passer. If he gets out of rhythm, he struggles and sails his passes.
Paul Smith
Tulsa
6-2, 193
NFL Comparison: Jeff Garcia
Defining Moment: 08 GMAC Bowl
1. ARM STRENGTH - 3
His arm is okay 2. ACCURACY - 4
Good accuracy 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 4
Not only is he smart off the field, he is smart on it. 4. MOBILITY - 4
Can create on his feet and throw on the run. 5. LEADERSHIP - 5
Was the Tulsa leader for awhile 6. TOUGHNESS - 4
Tough and really put it out there every game. Gutsy and confident. 7. RESUME' - 2
Played for Tulsa, was okay won a big bowl at the end of his career. 8. MATURITY - 5
Finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy 9. PEDIGREE - 3
NFL Cousin 10. MECHANICS - 4
Very sound and sharp.
1. ARM STRENGTH - 4
He can make a lot of the throws needed, but isn't always accurate on the deep ones. 2. ACCURACY - 3
Very inconsistent, needs to have better form at all times. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 4
Decent decision maker, but has confidence issues. 4. MOBILITY - 3
Athletic but not fast. 5. LEADERSHIP - 4
Fought and won the QB job early in his career. 6. TOUGHNESS - 4
Tough, but has injury concerns 7. RESUME' - 3
He hasn't done what expected at Tennessee, then again UT hasn't really lived up to its billing either. 8. MATURITY - 5
Comes from a good background 9. PEDIGREE - 4
Uncle Danny is a former Celtic great. 10. MECHANICS - 2
Pretty bad, his delivery is the only thing good. The dropback is bad, he has awful footwork and just gets overall careless.
John David Booty
Southern California
6-3, 215
NFL Comparison: Chad Pennington Defining Moment: 2007 Rose Bowl Victory
1. ARM STRENGTH - 3
Nothing to write home about and his one downfall. 2. ACCURACY - 5
His proper mechanics and work ethic lead to great accuracy. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 4
Very consistent and doesn't make a lot of mistakes. 4. MOBILITY - 3
Athletic and shifty back in the pocket. 5. LEADERSHIP - 4
Poised and sets a good example. 6. TOUGHNESS - 4
Had some injury issues down the stretch. 7. RESUME' - 5
Never won a Title or a Heisman like his predecessors but he was 12-0 against Top 25 teams and has some big bowl wins. 8. MATURITY - 5
He bid his time behind some good QBs at USC and didn't once make a big deal. 9. PEDIGREE - 5
Two NFL Brothers, a NFL Dad. 10. MECHANICS - 5
Very sound and professional about the nuances, quick delivery that is very smooth and he holds the ball up.
Joe Flacco
Delaware
6-6, 230
NFL Comparison: Ben Roethlisberger Defining Moment: Semi-Final Win Over SIU
1. ARM STRENGTH - 5
He probably has the best arm in the entire draft. 2. ACCURACY - 5
Not only does he have a cannon, he knows how to control it. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 4
He will have to adapt to a new foreign system but he is a quick learner and was very good at learning from his mistakes. 4. MOBILITY - 4
He has surprising quickness and mobility, has shifty Roethlisberger like moves in the pocket and out of it. 5. LEADERSHIP - 5
He has the poise and experience to lead a team. 6. TOUGHNESS - 5
Big and strong, can shake off tacklers in the backfield. 7. RESUME' - 2
He left Pitt and did some damage with Delaware his final year, but that is hardly enough. 8. MATURITY - 4
You have to wonder why he left Pitt so soon. 9. PEDIGREE - 5
Dad played football for Penn. 10. MECHANICS- 2
His major downfall, but it has everything to do with getting used to dropping back.
Matt Flynn
LSU
6-3, 228
NFL Comparison: Rohan Davey Defining Moment: National Title Game
1. ARM STRENGTH - 3
Mediocre 2. ACCURACY - 3
Gets shaky at times. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 3
He has very questionable decision making when deciding to run or not,
his speed won't hold up in the NFL. Can he break down a defense? 4. MOBILITY - 4
He moves around well, ran a lot of draws and his size lets him bruise his way through as well. 5. LEADERSHIP - 5
The general of a very good LSU offense. 6. TOUGHNESS - 3
It is a concern. 7. RESUME' - 4
He won a National Title his first and only year as a starter, also came
off the bench for an injured JaMarcuss Russell to lead LSU over Miami
in the Orange Bowl. 8. MATURITY - 5
He sat for four years just to play one year and win a National Title and never complained 9. PEDIGREE - 1
Nothing stands out. 10. MECHANICS - 4
He is very sound and its why he was a decent QB in college with talented players around him.
Josh Johnson
San Diego
6-3, 195
NFL Comparison: Tony Romo
Defining Moment: Shrine Bowl MVP
1. ARM STRENGTH - 4
He has a good arm. 2. ACCURACY - 4
It is good, but he occasionally under throws and struggles with the deep out pattern. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 4
He is very smart, but will have to make large adjustments going from a lower level school to the NFL. Threw ONE pick last year. 4. MOBILITY - 5
Will run and can does it very well, but doesn't always want to tuck it and run. 5. LEADERSHIP - 4
He is a veyr capable leader. 6. TOUGHNESS - 3
We need to see how he holds up against faster and tougher competition first. 7. RESUME' - 2
Played for a D I-AA program. 8. MATURITY - 5
He is a great kid. 9. PEDIGREE - 4
Played for former QB Jim Harbaugh at SD. 10. MECHANICS- 3
They are okay but need work.
Sam Keller
Nebraska/Arizona St.
6-5, 225
NFL Comparison: Philip Rivers Defining Moment: 04 Sun Bowl MVP
1. ARM STRENGTH - 4
Decent, gets him by. 2. ACCURACY - 3
Inconsistent, does throw the short pass well. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 3
Poor decision maker 4. MOBILITY - 2
Average
5. LEADERSHIP - 3
Does not have qualities, can be a jerk. 6. TOUGHNESS - 3
The injury was the reason he lost his job in the first place. 7. RESUME' - 2
He was a Sun Bowl MVP but really killed his career after he lost out on the QB job to Rudy Carpenter and went to Nebraska. 8. MATURITY - 3
He left Arizona State on bad terms. 9. PEDIGREE - 4
Dad played for Michigan and was a 3rd Round Pick 10. MECHANICS - 2
Bad mechanics, funky delivery(not a problem) with spotty footwork that makes him inefficent.
Anthony Morelli
Penn State
6-4, 232
NFL Comparison: Kyle Boller
Defining Moment: 07 Outback Bowl
1. ARM STRENGTH - 5
He has elite arm strength 2. ACCURACY - 2
He is rather awful. He is just not a confidential short passer. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 2
He is way too confident in his arm strength, he tries to fit his throws into tight spots, holds onto the ball too long. 4. MOBILITY - 2
He can't throw on the run, he does have a little movement but once again he holds onto the ball too long 5. LEADERSHIP - 1
He is an awful leader. It seems as if the team plays down to his level of play 6. TOUGHNESS - 2
Review This Section 7. RESUME' - 1
Penn State severely underachieved with him. He won his last Bowl Game but PSU was supposed to do a lot more. 8. MATURITY - 4
He has had a lot of issues off the field with fans. People sent him death threats. Obviously he can't handle the pressure 9. PEDIGREE - 3
Won a punt-pass-kick award as a 10 year old in which he threw a 50 yard pass at Three Rivers 10. MECHANICS - 3
He is sound. But he could clean some stuff up. OVERVIEW
A guy who was rivaled with Chad Henne coming out of High School, he is
a severe disappointment. He won't amount to much in the NFL. He is Kyle
Boller without the successful College Career. Big arm, big bust.
Kevin O'Connell
San Diego State
6-6, 228
NFL Comparison: David Garrard Defining Moment: N/A
1. ARM STRENGTH - 4
Decent Strength. 2. ACCURACY - 3
Not efficient. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 3
Not a good guy under pressure. 4. MOBILITY - 4
Moves well and is extremely athletic for his size. 5. LEADERSHIP - 5
Competitive and has experience. 6. TOUGHNESS - 4
I've seen him battle he can hang. 7. RESUME' - 2
Has a lot to prove. 8. MATURITY - 5
Hard worker. 9. PEDIGREE - 2
Would be a fantastic Seneca Wallace type player at the next level. 10. MECHANICS - 2
Definitely his downfall, doesn't follow through
Bernard Morris
Marshall
6-4, 212
NFL Comparison: Kellen Clemens Defining Moment: Hula Bowl Performance
1. ARM STRENGTH - 5
Terrific Arm 2. ACCURACY - 2
Erratic and sails short passes. 3. FOOTBALL IQ - 3
Decently average, learns from mistakes but he does make them and will get rid of the ball too late. 4. MOBILITY - 5
Can run when the play breaks down and can also throw on the run. 5. LEADERSHIP - 3
Not sure, was a walk-on who has come a long way. 6. TOUGHNESS - 4
Good not great. 7. RESUME' - 2
He played for Marshall. 8. MATURITY - 3
Question Mark. 9. PEDIGREE - 1
Doesn't have much to work with. 10. MECHANICS - 3
Needs to step into his throws more.
MISSED THE CUT:
These QBs will probably go un-drafted and did not make the Ratings System or I just don't know enough.
Taylor Tharp, Boise State
Mike Kokal, Miami(OH)
Tyler Donovan, Wisconsin
Sean Clayton, Florida Atlantic/Michigan State
Ben Mauk, Cincinnati/Wake Forest
Blake Mitchell, South Carolina
Bret Meyer, Iowa State
Adam Trafalis, San Jose State
T.C. Ostrander, Stanford
Brandon Cox, Auburn
Kyle Wright, Miami
Alex Brink, Washington State
Ricky Santos, New Hampshire
Nick Hill, Southern Illinois
Kyle Spotts, Kutztown
Mark Nicolet, Hillsdale
Xavier Lee, Florida State
Final Tally John David Booty - 43
Brian Brohm - 42
Chad Henne -41
Joe Flacco - 41
Colt Brennan - 40
Matt Ryan - 40
Josh Johnson - 38
Andre Woodson - 38
Paul Smith - 38
Dennis Dixon - 36
Erik Ainge - 36
Matt Flynn - 35
Kevin O'Connell - 34
Bernard Morris - 31
Sam Keller - 29
Anthony Morelli - 25
Every year there is a surprise atop this
list, and this year it is John David Booty. He has a lot of high marks
in some of the later categories that make up for his low arm strength.
Will he be the best Quarterback in this draft? Probably not, but he has
a lot of useful tools to be a backup.
