Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley saw Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan and Cal quarterback Jared Goff on back-to-back days last week for their respective pro-day workouts.
Goff is considered a potential top-10 pick, while Hogan's draft party might drag into Day 3 (Rounds 4-7). That speaks more to overall talent than the learning curve each faces at the pro level, though. Where the latter is concerned, Whaley gives the nod to Hogan, not only over Goff, but over any quarterback in the draft -- at least as it pertains to the Bills.
"Is Hogan the most pro ready?" Whaley said on Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting in Boca Raton, Fla., according to The Post-Standard. "I would say for us probably because he runs the same system we run. For everybody else, I can't say that."
Stanford runs a pro-style offense that operates from the huddle and requires quarterbacks to read defenses at the line of scrimmage more than most college offenses. Cardinal head coach David Shaw spent 10 years as an NFL assistant before taking over as Stanford's offensive coordinator in 2007, so the NFL-like demands on his quarterbacks are nothing new.
Former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck's relatively smooth transition to the NFL was no small example, though Luck was, of course, drafted No. 1 overall.
Hogan had his best college season as a senior last year, throwing a career-high 27 touchdown passes to lead the Cardinal to a Pac-12 title and Rose Bowl win. Whether he has the talent to stick in the NFL remains to be seen, but Whaley, for one, doesn't think his football IQ will be any issue.
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