If you are an NFL team with a need at quarterback, and none of the top QBs in the 2014 NFL Draft thrill you enough to spend a first-round pick on him, which one would you target after the first 32 selections and in what round?
In the second round I really like Jimmy Garoppolo from Eastern Illinois. The same school that produced Tony Romo is going to produce another good NFL quarterback. He's got quick feet, quick release and can extend plays with his athleticism. At the East-West Shrine Game when he got to play against some of those bigger-school guys, he was clearly the top quarterback down there. Then he gets a promotion to the Reese's Senior Bowl and does a nice job down there as well.
Target? Aaron Murray. Round? After what I anticipate will be a tremendous pro day for him next week, teams should begin thinking about the Georgia QB in the second round. Due to a late-season knee injury that kept him out of the postseason all-star games and the NFL Scouting Combine and has limited him in individual workouts, Murray has been below the radar. Some are leery of his height (below 6-foot-1). Others question his arm strength. I see a 52-game starter in the SEC who left as the all-time leader in passing yardage, with 121 touchdowns, and got better every year. On film, I see plenty of wide-field throws as well as numerous downfield shots taken (and completed). Tough, competitive, smart (two-time Academic All America). Let the word get out: Aaron Murray is a QB to be considered. Strongly.
I'm taking Tom Savage and I'm taking him in the second round because he likely won't be there in the third. If you don't need him to play in 2014, even better. His lack of experience, not his ability, could hinder him early. He only played in 28 college games with three different schools -- Rutgers, Arizona and Pittsburgh. However, you saw progress in his final season at Pitt when he threw nine interceptions but only three in the final nine games. He has a gun for an arm that was tough to show off with little talent around him. I think that Savage will be selected in the top half of the second round.
If I had to pick a QB outside of the first round to lead my team, I would target AJ McCarron as my guy. The three-time BCS national champion won 90 percent of his games, while showing superb management skills from the pocket. He completed more than 66.9 percent of passes and compiled an impressive 77:15 touchdown-to-interception ratio over his career. While critics dismiss his potential as a franchise quarterback, I would love to have a player who knows how to get his team to the winner's circle. Thus, McCarron is my choice to lead my team into the future.
I'll take Tajh Boyd. When you put him next to all of these quarterbacks, he arguably had one of the best college careers. In the last three years at Clemson, he averaged 2,800 yards and 34 touchdowns a season. The thing I like about him the most is he can throw every ball. He can throw the deep ball; he puts it right there on the money. The one thing we love to evaluate quarterbacks on is the deep out, and he can absolutely throw that ball. And let's not forget, he can also run with the football, too. When you add all of those dimensions together, Tajh Boyd is the guy I'm definitely keeping my eye on.
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- Chase Goodbread College Football 24/7
McCarron is as NFL-ready as any QB in draft
For this exercise, let's presume the second round opens with four already off the board: Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr. NFL clubs could jump off in any direction from there, from Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo to Pittsburgh's Tom Savage. But the smart pick is Alabama's AJ McCarron. Clubs drafting a quarterback in the second round will have an immediate need for someone who can legitimately compete for a starting job right away. McCarron is as ready-made for the NFL from a mental standpoint as any quarterback in the draft. Clubs that don't want to deal with much developmental time will covet him.
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- Mike Huguenin College Football 24/7
No sure-fire starters beyond first round
While this is seen as a deep quarterback class, I'm not convinced there is a sure-fire starter after the top four guys. That said, I think Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo has enough of an upside that I would take him in the second round. I also think San Jose State's David Fales and Georgia's Aaron Murray in the fourth or fifth round would make sense, and Wyoming's Brett Smith and Clemson's Tajh Boyd would intrigue me in the sixth. QBs I would avoid: AJ McCarron, Zack Mettenberger, Tom Savage and Logan Thomas.
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- Bryan Fischer College Football 24/7
Hold off until Day 3 of draft for developmental player
I'd say if Teddy Bridgewater slips to the second round, as is the buzz about him, he's the first guy I target after the first round and would even considering moving up to get him on the second day. Jimmy Garoppolo interests me, but I think given the talent that could be in next year's quarterback class, I'd rather look on the third day to get Aaron Murray or David Fales as a third quarterback on the roster/developmental guy.
