Senior Bowl performances

dduncan · Post by **dduncan** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 12:25 pm

This thread really relates to Omar in a way, but also not. Here are some updates on players that may or may not affect where Omar might get drafted:

1. Brodie Croyle (QB from Alabama) has impressed in practice, lately. Looks like he may have the upper hand on Omar, at the moment, though he has size issues and has an injury past, including a torn labrum!

2. Darrell Hackney (UAB QB) and D.J. Shockley (UGA QB) are currently not performing very well in practice. Hackney has a very strong arm, but not much accuracy.

3. Michael Robinson (Penn St. QB/WR) has been terrible and will probably be moved to WR, maybe even in the game.

4. Charlie Whitehurst (Clemson QB). Keep an eye out for him, as he and Omar are suppose to be picked in the same area (rounds), according to some people. He will get plenty of reps in the actual game, as it looks like Robinson will not. And I'm sure Matt Leinart's agent doesn't want him out there for very long either.

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 12:32 pm

Also, apparently Cutler has been wowing all the scouts at the practices and blowing the other QBs away. Looks like he'll end up top 10 with Leinart and Young. The real battle is going to be for the fourth QB selected between Omar, Whitehurst, Hackney, etc. I'm still not sure when the fourth QB will be drafted. Could be anywhere 1st-3rd round.

dduncan · Post by **dduncan** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 12:42 pm

Right, Cutler and Leinhart are not even worth being mentioned, currently. Jay Cutler is this year's J.P. Losman or Kyle Boller. A player that scouts/pro personnel are drooling over, yet will probably be average at the pro level.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 2:06 pm

Leinart is not at the Senior Bowl.

From the scout.com writeups it sounds as though Cutler is wowing scouts with all of his physical abilities, however apparently scouts are less impressed with his personality. Saying that he seems to have a bad attitude, and he's been "surly".

Sounds as though Cutler is solidifying himself in the top 20 though.

dduncan · Post by **dduncan** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 4:42 pm

According to Chris Mortensen (obvious SEC bias), he thinks it won't be a surprise if Jay Cutler is the 1st QB taken, ahead of Leinhart and Young.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/ ... id=2307306

ESPN insider article (subscription needed)

Don't be shocked if Cutler is the first quarterback taken in the draft. It's not a lock, but Leinart and Young could go behind him.

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 4:47 pm

dduncan wrote:According to Chris Mortensen (obvious SEC bias), he thinks it won't be a surprise if Jay Cutler is the 1st QB taken, ahead of Leinhart and Young.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/ ... id=2307306

ESPN insider article (subscription needed)

Don't be shocked if Cutler is the first quarterback taken in the draft. It's not a lock, but Leinart and Young could go behind him.

I've heard that from Kiper as well. It would still shock me if it were true, but not so much anymore as it would've 2 months ago. I still have never seen this kid play, I hope to catch some of the Senior bowl so I can see him. From all accounts he's a prototype NFL QB that just got washed up in a crappy program.

I'd still be pretty surprised to see him go ahead of Leinart or Young.

phatnicrocks · Post by **phatnicrocks** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:07 pm

Hackney and Shockley shouldnt be drafted ahead of Omar. They dont match up physically with Omar, and one could argue that Hackney had a lot less success in games. Shockley obviously won big games, so that is what he has going for him. Mike Robinson shouldnt either. He wont be a good pro QB, or even WR. Whitehurst will probably give Omar a run for his money.

Peregrinner · Post by **Peregrinner** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 10:33 pm

hammb wrote:From the scout.com writeups it sounds as though Cutler is wowing scouts with all of his physical abilities, however apparently scouts are less impressed with his personality. Saying that he seems to have a bad attitude, and he's been "surly".

Saw a similar report at FOXSports.com:

Scouts in attendance have concerns about quarterback Jay Cutler of Vanderbilt. While he physically has the makings of an NFL passer, his mental makeup is a little different. Several people we spoke with say Cutler can be surly at times. Teams aren't willing to invest a fortune in that type of person as the future leader of their franchise.

Good to know that some people aren't too keen on questionable mental stability, apparently others see no problem with it:

Believe it or not, the agents for former Ohio State and Denver Broncos running back Maurice Clarrett said this week that they have no plans to drop their client despite all of his off-the-field issues.

dduncan · Post by **dduncan** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 10:14 am

Mel Kiper's updated from last night:

QBs Jay Cutler from Vanderbilt and Brodie Croyle from Alabama are among the players who raised their stock this week.

Croyle moved from the third or fourth round into the second. He was electric during Wednesday's practice. His arm is outstanding -- as good as any QB I've seen down here in the last few years. He was accurate in the pocket or on the move.

MACMAN · Post by **MACMAN** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 10:49 am

you know it was said on the nfl network with reguards to Ben R. but i feel it appliles to Omar, the he benifited very well from being picked where he was, as the intent was to give him time to develop (although he clearly did not need it being from the MAC

. this should put Omar in a position to be Drafted by A. a team who realy wants to invest in him and build around him. B. Give him the time to gel into the system.

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:10 am

MACMAN wrote:you know it was said on the nfl network with reguards to Ben R. but i feel it appliles to Omar, the he benifited very well from being picked where he was, as the intent was to give him time to develop (although he clearly did not need it being from the MAC . this should put Omar in a position to be Drafted by A. a team who realy wants to invest in him and build around him. B. Give him the time to gel into the system.

Ben got lucky that a really good franchise with great ownership and coaching had a down year and had the 11th pick. The Ben R comparison doesn't really work though since Ben was a first round talent in everyones eyes, and viewed by many scouts as the best QB available in the draft. Omar will be at best the 4th QB taken so it just depends on whether there are 4-5 teams that want to spend a first rounder on a developmental QB.

Omar will get both A and B above because he will likely be a 3rd rounder. Those guys aren't viewed as the savior of the franchise or expected to contribute heavily right away.

dduncan · Post by **dduncan** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:13 am

you know it was said on the nfl network with reguards to Ben R. but i feel it appliles to Omar, the he benifited very well from being picked where he was, as the intent was to give him time to develop (although he clearly did not need it being from the MAC Laughing . this should put Omar in a position to be Drafted by A. a team who realy wants to invest in him and build around him. B. Give him the time to gel into the system.

What you say is somewhat true. Roethlisberger was fortunate that the offense wasn't built around the QB. He didn't go to a west coast offense (SF - Smith), he didn't go to an offense that made the QB an important part of the offense (NYG - Manning). That being said, I made a list of the teams that need or will need a QB this year/upcoming years:

Miami
NY Jets
Tennessee
Kansas City
Oakland
St. Louis
Arizona
New Orleans
Detroit
Dallas
Baltimore
Minnesota (rumors of Culpepper being traded)

You can take away 3 of those teams, since Leinart, Young, and Cutler will be drafted ahead of Omar. Most likely New Orleans (Leinart), Tennessee (Young), and Detroit (Cutler).

Obviously, Omar may not be ready next year. Of the teams remaining, who has a QB contributing but may be declining or on his way out? What teams fit Omar's style? Can he adjust to a west coast offense? I think he can. Here is my guess to where Omar could land, in order:

1. Arizona
2. Dallas
3. Oakland
4. KC
5. St. Louis
6. NY Jets
7. Miami
8. Baltimore
9. Minnesota

The reason why I put the Jets and Miami low, is because of the pressure to win right away and the need to have a QB step in and play in a short amount of time.