Grayson, Hundley, Petty, Carden etc. … the qbs this year

http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/NFL-Combine-Interview-Brett-Hundley/90fd022e-63a8-4ead-90c7-55c46cbcfe18

Hundley Interview

Smart young man. I don’t think we will ever see any doe eyed looks of bewilderment on Hundley’s face like we’ve seen from Bradford over the years.

Grits

from this article: 2015 NFL Draft Outlook Note: Note: written from a Green Bay perspective

By Bob McGinn

the whole article is here: .http://theramshuddle.com/topic/mock-draft-roundup-third-edition-posted-14-hours-ago-myles-simmons/#post-18856

Marcus Mariota*, QB, Oregon: 6-3½, 222. Heisman Trophy winner in 2014. “Kid’s a good athlete,” one scout said. “I kind of like him. But he’s not a passer right now. He’s a thrower. He’s like a better Colin Kaepernick. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but this kid is kind of quiet. He’s going to be a project the first year. But, other than Andrew Luck, all those guys are.” Finished with a phenomenal NFL passer rating of 121.3, and also rushed for 2,237 yards (6.6) and 29 TDs. “You know he’ll put the time in to be a good pro,” said another scout. “That’s about as big an obstacle as there is at the position: guys that are willing to put in the time.” Hands were 9 7/8. Vertical jump of 36 inches. Ran 4.52.

Jameis Winston*, QB, Florida State: 6-3½, 231. Led Seminoles to national championship in 2013 and won the Heisman Trophy. “Has an uncanny ability to know what’s around him and get himself out of trouble,” one scout said. Finished with NFL passer rating of 107.9, and also rushed for 284 yards (2.0) and seven TDs. Has had numerous run-ins with the legal system. “Someone will take him in the first round, but how could you even let that guy in the building?” another scout said. “The second law of thermodynamics basically is the more ways something can happen, the more likely it is to happen. That’s true of players. The more ways they can (expletive) up, the more chances they (expletive) up. This guy’s got a lot of stuff that would lean him more likely to be a bust than a good player.” Played two seasons of baseball at FSU as a closer-outfielder. “If he doesn’t (mature) he won’t be playing football,” a third scout said. “Knows how to play the position. I don’t think he’s Andrew Luck. He’s not a John Elway arm coming out, but he’s a talented kid.” Tested poorly with 4.97 40, 28½ vertical jump.

Brett Hundley*, QB, UCLA: 6-3, 226. Three-year starter redshirted in 2011. “The physical tools are there,” one scout said. “He’s going to need time. He’s going to have to go to a team that will need to have patience with him and just continue teaching him the game. A team at the top of the second (round) that needs a quarterback might throw him to the fire too early, and he’s not ready for that.” Operating a zone-read offense similar to the Eagles’, his NFL passer rating was 103.7. He also rushed for 1,747 yards (3.6) and 30 TDs. Idolizes Donovan McNabb. “I don’t think he can mentally process,” another scout said. “His arm and talent are OK. He’s got a lot of flaws in his game.” Ran 4.63.

zn wrote:

I saw some of the Combine, and it’s just obvious that Carden has a weak arm for the NFL.

Noted.

Mayock projects Carden as an NFL backup because of his lack of arm strength.

brett hundley blew this combine out of the water. i really really really want him on the rams.

by the way. not that it matters but hundley ran a sub 4.00 ss. wow.

also did well in the throwing drills.

from Joe Marino’s 2015 NFL Scouting Combine Notes: Receivers, Quarterbacks and Running Backs

http://draftbreakdown.com/joe-marinos-2015-nfl-scouting-combine-notes-receivers-quarterbacks-and-running-backs/

When you couple his performance today with what he displayed at the Senior Bowl, it’s hard to imagine East Carolina QB Shane Carden getting drafted or sticking in the NFL. His passing skills need significant improvements.

A pleasant surprise from the QB’s was Nevada’s Cody Fajardo. His ball placement was on-point today.

It’s easy to see that South Alabama QB Brandon Bridge has a live arm and can drive the football down the field. That said, his feet are slow and sloppy. He has intriguing tools but he is extremely raw.

I came away very pleased with UCLA QB Brett Hundley’s day. He tested extremely well and threw the football great. He did a good job of leading his targets and setting his feet when throwing.

I remain unconvinced that Oregon State QB Sean Mannion is worth a draft pick. Everything he does is slow and his throwing mechanics are a train wreck.

Florida State QB Jameis Winston is a natural thrower of the football with terrific footwork. His accuracy was outstanding and he can be as good as he wants to be. I fully believe that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cannot pass him up with the top pick in the draft.

Oregon QB Marcus Mariota continued to display the physical traits that are possessed by high-level NFL quarterbacks and had a strong showing today. Considering how well Mariota and Winston performed it’s crazy to think that their participation was ever in question.

I just don’t know about Hundley. If the Rams draft him, hopefully it’s not the 1st round, and hopefully he can learn the NFL game for a year before thrown to the wolves.

IMO, it doesn’t matter who we draft, or where.

It comes down to this. Bradford stays healthy for 16 games, and we make the playoffs, or Bradford gets hurt, and we flounder below .500, again.

I do think we should draft a QB, and I mean the best available, whatever round that may be. Bradford is either going to stay healthy or he isn’t. My bet is that he isn’t, so it’s time to draft his replacement, and let the chips fall where they may. If Bradford stays healthy, great! If he doesn’t, then we’re moving forward without him.

This team has had 3 years of above average to good drafts. The QB is the last and most important piece. We still need one.

Carden had a poor combine, so he has dropped down the charts. He should be there at 5. imo I will still take Mannion in the third. But, what does Weinke think? Maybe he likes Hundley? or Petty? or?

WalterFootball.com

2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Garrett Grayson

http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2015ggrayson.php

Garrett Grayson, 6-2/215

Strengths:
Field vision
Works through his progressions and reads the defense
Ability to thrive as a pocket passer
Strong arm
Can make all the NFL throws
Distributes the ball to a variety of weapons
Good on touch passes
Basis for good footwork
Athletic; can scramble and avoid sacks with his feet
Accurate in the short to intermediate part of the field
Improved throughout college
Quality mechanics
Quick release
Intelligent
Hard worker
Good character
Intangibles

Weaknesses:
Not ready to start
Needs to improve deep-ball accuracy
Can have bouts of poor decision-making
Needs to speed up his clock sometimes
Needs to improve footwork and get more comfortable under center

Summary:

The quarterback-needy nature of the NFL means there is always the potential for a quarterback to rise during the draft process. If one is going to do it in the 2015 NFL Draft, Grayson is the most likely prospect to have a big climb. There are a lot of teams that need quarterbacks, but there is a dearth of prospects to satisfy that need. Thus, Grayson could end up going higher than many expect.

Early in the 2014 season, a general manager told WalterFootball.com that they loved Grayson and thought he could end up being a quarterback to rise like Jimmy Garoppolo or Blake Bortles did in the 2014 NFL Draft. Grayson barely played as a freshman and sophomore, but he won the starting job as a junior in 2013 and had a breakout year under the guidance of Jim McElwain. Grayson completed 62 percent of his passes for 3,696 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He played well to close out the season especially.

Grayson was even better in 2014. He threw for over 400 yards in back-to-back games against Boise State and UC Davis. Grayson helped lead a comeback win over Boston College on the road. He had the most efficient passing game of any quarterback in the nation as he completed 18-of-21 passes for 390 yards with five touchdowns against Wyoming. The senior completed 65 percent of his passes for 4,006 yards with 32 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2014.

Grayson was the best quarterback at the Senior Bowl. He had a quality week of practice and made some beautiful throws, but also had some missed opportunities. It was a solid, but not great week. Grayson did interview well and illustrated to teams that he has a great attitude about developing as a backup and working to support a starting quarterback. It appeals to Grayson to go the Aaron Rodgers route and sit behind a great signal-caller for a few seasons. Grayson’s character receives good marks as he is viewed as a good teammate with leadership skills.

Not every team is on board with that general manager I cited about Grayson. Some don’t like him, but many do. What appeals to teams about Grayson the most is the ability to be a pocket passer. He can drop back, work through his progressions and deliver some accurate passes. Grayson does a nice job of avoiding the rush and keeping his eyes downfield. He also has a strong arm that can make all the throws. Grayson displays some good accuracy at times, but needs to get more consistent. He has some mobility to avoid sacks and make throws on the run.

Grayson needs to improve throwing the deep ball and getting his footwork down while working under center. He also needs to get better at hanging tough in the face of a pass rush and not letting it rattle him. Grayson needs to polish his overall game and land with a good quarterback coach who will work with him.

Grayson’s best course for the NFL would be best sitting for a year or two and developing before seeing the field. The best-case scenario for him would be to get drafted by a team like New Orleans and sit behind a great quarterback. However in the quarterback-needy NFL, Grayson could be forced to play sooner rather than later. He looks likely to be a second- or third-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Player Comparison: Ryan Tannehill. Grayson is very similar to Jimmy Garoppolo as a prospect, but the latter hasn’t seen the field yet in the NFL. Of the starters in the NFL, the closest resemblance to Grayson could be Tannehill. Both are athletic passers who can function from the pocket, but struggle with deep-ball accuracy. Grayson has some mobility, but isn’t as athletic as Tannehill is. Tannehill was the eighth-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, while Grayson won’t go nearly that high. If Grayson becomes a starter though, I could see his game being similar to Tannehill.

NFL Matches: St. Louis, Houston, New York Jets, Carolina, San Francisco, Cleveland, Miami, Chicago, Tennessee, New Orleans

Given the demand for quarterbacks in the NFL, there shouldn’t be any shortage of teams hoping to land Grayson on the second-day of the 2015 NFL Draft. The Rams could have Grayson develop behind Sam Bradford in 2015, plus Grayson could be good insurance in case Bradford gets injured again. The Texans and the Jets will also consider Grayson as a possible competitor at the position to go with each team’s holdover signal-callers.

At the Senior Bowl, Grayson told WalterFootball.com that he met with Carolina and San Francisco, so perhaps those teams are looking at Grayson as a potential upgrade to their respective backup quarterback situations. The Panthers or the 49ers also might be able to develop him into trade bait.

2015 NFL Draft Position Review: Quarterbacks

By Charlie Campbell.

http://walterfootball.com/draft2015positionreviewQB.php

This page was last updated March 5, 2015. Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

Position Review: Quarterbacks

Quarterback Class
Early-round talent: C
Mid-round: D
Late-round: D
Overall grade: C-

2014 prospects vs 2013
Jameis Winston > Blake Bortles
Marcus Mariota > Johnny Manziel
Garrett Grayson < Teddy Bridgewater
Brett Hundley < Derek Carr
Bryce Petty < Jimmy Garoppolo
Sean Mannion > Logan Thomas
Shane Carden < Tom Savage
Cody Fajardo < Aaron Murray

The 2012 class was a banner year for quarterbacks. The 2013 class was ugly in comparison, and 2014 also paled in comparison. That is the case once again. Although the difference is that Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are far better prospects than any quarterback since Andrew Luck in the 2012 class. In this analyst’s opinion, Winston is in Luck’s league entering the NFL, but is just a hair behind. Winston is a better prospect than Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford or Sam Bradford. Winston is a true franchise quarterback who is a near-flawless player on the field and is just a little bit behind Luck.

If you were to merge the two classes together, Winston would be the clear cut No. 1. Mariota would be the second rated-quarterback, and multiple team sources have said that Mariota is a better prospect than Bortles; a few teams said the comparison is not even close. After Winston and Mariota the 2014 first-rounders and Carr would slot in, ahead of Grayson. That being said, WalterFootball.com knows some teams that have a higher grade on Grayson than they did on Bridgewater last year.

Garoppolo and Grayson are about equal as prospects. Some teams might rank Hundley ahead of those two, while others would firmly put Hundley behind them.

Petty and Mannion are about equal to the fourth- and fifth-rounders from last year of Thomas, Savage, Murray and A.J. McCarron. However, Titans’ sixth-round pick Zach Mettenberger was a better talent than all of that group but fell because of off-the-field and injury concerns. Carden and Fajardo may not get drafted this year.

Safest Pick: Jameis Winston, Florida State
Overall, Winston is the best pure passer in the 2015 NFL Draft; the rest aren’t even close. Winston has a great skill set for the NFL with a strong arm, superb accuracy, amazing anticipation, field vision, football I.Q., the ability to hit tight windows and leadership. There is no doubt that Winston is the safest pick on the field with zero football flaws. Jameis Winston is the real deal. I honestly believe he is going to have a Hall of Fame career.

Previous Picks:
2014: Derek Carr
2013: Geno Smith

Biggest Bust Potential: Brett Hundley, UCLA
This was a tough call, but I’m going with Hundley. The reason is how he struggled to read the field in college and didn’t show significant improvement from 2013 to 2014. Hundley never hung tough in the face of a rush while delivering passes. That led to him being sacked over 100 times the past two years. If Hundley’s first read was covered, he regularly looked to run immediately. He has a nice skill set and seems to have a good work ethic, but he needs a lot of development as a pocket passer.

Previous Picks:
2014: Johnny Manziel
2013: Mike Glennon

Quarterback Rankings by Attributes

Accuracy:
NFL prototype: Aaron Rodgers, Packers

Jameis Winston
Garrett Grayson
Marcus Mariota
Bryce Petty
Brett Hundley

Recap: The most important characteristic for any quarterback in the NFL is accuracy. Not only do accurate quarterbacks reduce turnovers and maintain time of possession, they increase the opportunities for skill-position players to have a bigger impact. Thus, accurate signal-callers will give teams more return on their dollars with high-priced wide receivers. It takes an accurate quarterback to be a weapon as a pocket passer, and the elite quarterbacks are able to beat good coverage with precision passes into tight windows.

Hands down, Winston is the most accurate passer in this group. It’s not even close. Even from his first game as a starter, Winston was deadly with his accuracy. He had completion percentages of 67 and 65 percent in his two years at Florida State. Not only can Winston put the ball in a shoe box downfield, he has amazing anticipation to lead his receivers open and throw accurate passes before they are even turned to the quarterback. His tremendous football I.Q., instincts and anticipation lead to him being even more accurate. Entering the NFL, Winston’s accuracy is phenomenal.

You might be surprised that I have Grayson rated second considering Mariota had higher completion percentages in his career. However if you watch the offenses the signal-callers ran, it is clear why. Grayson was throwing the ball with timing and accuracy into tight windows out of a pro-style offense. Mariota’s college system consistently produced receivers running open in busted coverage. Grayson does have to get better at throwing deep balls more accurately though.

Don’t get me wrong, Mariota was accurate in college. However there were points in his career that his placement would be off at times, but he made strides. Accuracy potential is there with Mariota, but he has to learn to throw into tight windows. Oregon’s offense produced wide-open receivers, and he won’t be able to live on that in the NFL. When Mariota had covered wideouts, he typically ran the ball rather than throwing into a tight window. That will have to change at the next level.

Petty is similar to Mariota as a system quarterback. Hundley and Petty are tied for fourth. They both need to improve their accuracy and ball placement for the NFL.

Arm Strength:
NFL prototype: Joe Flacco, Ravens

Marcus Mariota
Jameis Winston
Brett Hundley
Garrett Grayson
Bryce Petty

Recap: The quarterback with the strongest arm doesn’t always mean that much. Last year, the quarterbacks with the strongest arms where Logan Thomas, Zach Mettenberger and Tom Savage. All were third-day selection, and none are viewed as the rock-solid quarterback of the future for their respective franchise.

I give the edge to Mariota, but he and Winston are extremely close. I think Mariota may spin the ball a little faster and tighter, but they both have strong arms that can make all the throws.

Hundley and Grayson both have good arms. They can make all the NFL throws. At the Senior Bowl, Grayson showed the arm strength to have his passes cut through some wind and hit receivers downfield. Hundley and Grayson are above average with arm strength.

Petty’s arm is adequate, but it isn’t a cannon that will won’t blow anyone away.

Field Vision:
NFL prototype: Peyton Manning, Broncos

Jameis Winston
Garrett Grayson
Marcus Mariota
Bryce Petty
Brett Hundley

Recap: Field vision is one characteristic that separates the elite quarterbacks of the NFL. Quarterbacks who throw a lot of interceptions are inclined to lock on to their primary read and stare down receivers. Signal-callers with good field vision can quickly work through their progressions and see more than one receiver on a route. Such quarterbacks also can help get wideouts open by looking off safeties and playing games with their eyes. Many college quarterbacks enter the NFL with subpar field vision and have to improve this at the next level.

This was not a tough call by any means; Winston is absolutely the best of this group. He has excellent field vision entering the NFL. Winston is very advanced at reading defenses and working through his progressions to find the open receivers. He has also shown the ability to look off safeties. He is also ranked first because he stays patient in the pocket and delivers the ball well while under duress. Winston keeps his downfield while under pressure, and while Grayson does that somewhat, Winston clearly does it better than any of the group. He hangs tough and reads the field to deliver the ball even when he knows he’s going to take a shot.

Grayson has quality field vision. He has quick eyes to work through his progressions, and he showed the ability to move around in the pocket and still keep his eyes downfield. His field vision still needs some work, but he’s better than the other quarterbacks in terms of reading a defense and going through his receiving options.

Mariota shows the potential for good field vision at times, but never got consistent. There were plays where he would scan his options and other plays where he would tuck and run when his first read was covered. Mariota didn’t have a lot of complex plays called where he would drop back, survey many options, look off a safety and fire the ball to an open receiver. Oregon’s offense was much more simplistic. Mariota improved in 2014 and should continue to get better with NFL coaching. This one of the biggest hurdles for Mariota to overcome in order to turn into a good pro.

Petty is in a similar state to Mariota. He needs to improve his field vision and ability to read defenses. Hundley is a mixed bag. His field vision was excellent against Arizona State last year, but that was an aberration. Hundley’s field vision was awful in other games.

Decision-Making:
NFL prototype: Tom Brady, Patriots

Jameis Winston
Marcus Mariota
Garrett Grayson
Brett Hundley
Bryce Petty

Recap: This was a tough one. While Mariota threw fewer interceptions than Winston, Oregon’s offense didn’t present him with NFL-style decision-making like Winston’s did. As far as developing NFL decision-making for throwing against pro secondaries in an NFL playbook, Winston is further ahead than Mariota. Generally, Winston had sound decision-making when you consider his body of work over the past two seasons.

Mariota, Grayson, Petty and Hundley all did well with their decision-making. Because of his offense, Grayson could have a smoother transition to the NFL, but Mariota was very adept at avoiding turnovers. Grayson and Hundley each only threw five interceptions last year. Mariota totaled four, but a number of picks were dropped. Petty allowed seven and could have had more.

Upside:
NFL prototype: Andrew Luck, Colts

Marcus Mariota
Brett Hundley
Jameis Winston
Bryce Petty
Garrett Grayson

Recap: All five of these quarterbacks have some athletic upside with the room to grow. It isn’t like last year’s group where guys like A.J. McCarron and Aaron Murray were pretty much tapped out athletically and what you saw was what you would get.

A few sources have stated that the quarterback who has the most upside in this draft class is Mariota. And that makes sense because he adds more of a dynamic running element than any of the other quarterbacks. In terms of athletic skill sets, Mariota is firmly the best in the draft class.

Hundley isn’t far behind Mariota in terms of arm strength and running talent. Winston has good athleticism for such a big quarterback and isn’t a statue in the pocket. He can take off and hurt teams with his feet. For an example, check out his highlight-reel touchdown run against Oklahoma State in the season opener.

Petty has the ability to move around and make plays on the ground. In the NFL, his ability to run and hurt defenses on the ground won’t be as strong as it was in college.

While he’s last on this list, athletically, Grayson has some upside to him. He can move around with his feet and pick up some first downs on the ground. Grayson has the potential to develop as a passer as well.

Mobility:
NFL prototype: Cam Newton, Panthers

Marcus Mariota
Brett Hundley
Jameis Winston
Bryce Petty
Garrett Grayson

Recap: Mobility is becoming a more sought-after attribute for quarterbacks in the NFL. The league’s top young quarterbacks, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson all have excellent mobility. They aren’t statues in the pocket like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.

Offensive coordinators like to challenge defenses with spread-option plays. Mobility also can help a quarterback to avoid hits and, in turn, avoid injuries if the skill is used wisely. Jon Gruden and Rich Gannon have always maintained that there are a few third downs in every game that a mobile quarterback can provide a first down over other quarterbacks who may have to force a pass into a covered receiver. Having mobility is in demand.

Mariota is the most mobile quarterback in the 2015 NFL Draft, and no one else is even close. He is a quick, shifty runner who can destroy defenses with his feet. Over the past two seasons, Mariota ran for about 1,500 yards with 24 touchdowns. His mobility and running ability is very rare.

Hundley is a mobile quarterback. He is very skilled at moving around defenders and extending plays with his feet. Hundley also can pick up yards running through the secondary.

Winston is a lot like Big Ben with the ability to avoid sacks with his size and feet. He is very tough to bring down for defenders. Winston can move around in the pocket and take off downfield when he has to.

Petty and Grayson both have good pocket mobility with the skills to run for a first down in third-and-manageable situations.

Ball Security:
NFL prototype: Tom Brady, Patriots

Marcus Mariota
Garrett Grayson
Bryce Petty
Jameis Winston
Brett Hundley

Recap: Obviously, turnovers are killers for offenses in the NFL, and quarterbacks who turn the ball over a lot won’t stay on the field long.

A lot has been made about Winston’s interception total from last year, but this is closer than you would think, and I don’t actually think a lot separates him from the top. Mariota had a lot of fumbles in college, but he was lucky that Oregon recovered them the vast majority of the time. He also should have thrown more interceptions as he had quite a few dropped last season. So while Mariota did a good job of avoiding turnovers, his numbers are a little misleading.

Grayson and Petty both did a good job of avoiding turnovers. Winston’s interceptions are also overblown. Not all of them were on him as he had a very young receiving corps and his offensive line struggled in pass protection at times during 2014. If you look at Winston’s body of work over the past two seasons, there really was only two games that he had poor ball security – against Florida and Louisville last year.

Hundley improved his ability to avoid interceptions in 2014, but he still has to work on that for the NFL. Hundley also needs to avoid fumbles when he runs with the ball.

Intangibles:
NFL prototype: Drew Brees, Saints

Marcus Mariota
Garrett Grayson
Brett Hundley
Bryce Petty
Jameis Winston

Recap: The only quarterback with questionable intangibles is Winston. There are well-publicized off-the-field maturity questions with him. However, I believe they’ve been overblown and so do NFL teams. Scouts and sources say that Winston is very good in the locker room and team facility. He is a leader and hard worker who grinds tons of tape, and did everything the baseball and football coaches asked of him at Florida State. Winston’s problems came in his down time, but plenty of good NFL players grew up after entering the league as immature young men.

Obviously, Mariota’s intangibles are off the charts. He is known for being exceptional as a person with character, work ethic and dedication who leads by example. NFL teams love Mariota as a person and feel you couldn’t draw up character any better.

The remaining three signal-callers all have good intangibles. Grayson was a leader in his program’s resurgence. Hundley is known to be very hard working. Petty also is known to have intangibles that are a plus.

While Winston had some maturity issues in college, I think all of these quarterbacks present plus intangibles for the NFL.

Agamemnon wrote:

Grayson seems to be their number 3 qb. I haven’t seen much posted about him. Maybe Weinke likes him?

from off the net

There’s some stuff on him in this thread, actually. Earlier on.

Here’s some more bits:

===

Flipper336

I think Grayson is worth a draft pick if a team wants to spend the time with him. He wins me over with possibly the best accuracy deep and intermediate I have seen this year. He just rifles it in at those levels with no wasted arc and his mechanics really tighten up. Those mechanics are a mess short, I just don’t get it. He rushes almost everything short. I like his pocket awareness (has the part you can’t really teach) but I’m not a fan of his movement in the pocket…it’s exaggerated.

—

Coach King 2

One thing that really sold me is the work Grayson has put in going through his progressions and learning the art of selling a pass in one direction and throwing to the other. His arm I would average but he shows great touch. Plus he is a smart, well grounded kid.

I’d rather have a smart guy with a great skillset and average arm than a guy with a gun that is lacking in those areas.

I think if they draft a QB he won’t be the worst QB on the roster. So, they probably will, maybe in the 4th round? But next year they will have a much better chance of finding their QB of the future and they now have an extra #2 for 2016.

zn wrote:

They could do both.

Draft one this year and next year.

After all, they used the RG3 bonus to stock a pretty good roster…they can afford to draft 2 qbs.

Anyway word I heard was that they really liked Cook and he would have been the target if he had come out this year.

…

I liked Cook. Maybe they can get him next year and Mannion this year.

Fisher still looking to draft a QB

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/fisher-still-looking-to-draft-a-qb/article_3e5c1e23-450a-5456-b538-3ff9742f471c.html%5B

PHOENIX • Even with the arrival of Nick Foles via trade, the Rams’ game plan at quarterback remains unchanged according to coach Jeff Fisher.

“It’s our intention to draft one,” Fisher said. “The Nick (Foles) trade has no bearing over what we do in the draft.”

OK, but it’s probably not going to be Florida State’s Jameis Winston or Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, the top two QB prospects in the 2015 draft.

Winston is widely expected to go No. 1 overall to Tampa Bay. And Mariota could very well go second overall to Tennessee.

“They’re unique; they’re rare,” Fisher said of the pair. “They’ve clearly proven they can win games. Marcus obviously is a little bit more mobile than Winston is. But Winston makes all of the throws. They’re both very impressive to watch.”

Winston operated in more of a pro-style offense with the Seminoles, but Mariota will have to make the adjustment from a college spread system unless he’s drafted by his former college coach Chip Kelly in Philadelphia.

“I don’t think it’s going to be difficult,” Fisher said. “He’s been working under those circumstances now in training situations. I think it just added to the intrigue. He tested out so well as an athlete.”

If for some reason Tennessee doesn’t take Mariota at No. 2 overall, things might get interesting. The next interested team might be the New York Jets at No. 6. They have veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and youngster Geno Smith, but Jets owner Woody Johnson likes to make a splash, and having Mariota in the Big Apple would do just that.

But what if they pass on Mariota? Do the Rams at No. 10 overall get on the phone and try to move up?

“Well, you know how I am with respect to hypotheticals,” Fisher said, grinning broadly.

Fisher doesn’t like to comment on hypotheticals. But we also know how the Rams are when it comes to draft trades. From the Robert Griffith III trade and several spinoff moves in 2012, to trading up for Tavon Austin in 2013, the Rams haven’t been shy about moving around in the draft under Fisher and general manager Les Snead.

“We’ll see,” Fisher said. “I think it’s highly unlikely that either one of them gets to us. They’re both very talented players.”

If that’s the case, that leaves the Rams looking at the second-tier of quarterbacks.

“There’s some outstanding players once you get beyond (Winston and Mariota),” Fisher said. “We’re just starting the process. My understanding based on our first-wave draft meetings is that there’s some young quarterbacks that can play.”

That’s debatable, and if anything it’s not a very deep quarterback pool. Barring Winston or Mariota, the Rams would be looking at the likes of Baylor’s Bryce Petty, UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Oregon’s Sean Mannion, and Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson.

Petty could be the best of the rest, and he indicated on Sirius XM radio earlier this month that he has a “top 30” visit planned to St. Louis.

“Good combine,” Fisher said. “Got a very strong arm. Good athlete. You don’t see him do things that we’re gonna ask him to do, so I think you have to see him actually work out, private workout, things like that.”

That’s because Petty also played in a spread offense in college, never lining up under center. If the Rams were going to draft a QB among the second tier, they almost have to do so in the second round because the supply might be largely depleted if they wait until Round 3.

With Foles as the Rams’ starter in 2015, a drafted quarterback in theory could watch and learn as a rookie.

Rounding out the quarterback depth chart are Austin Davis and Case Keenum, which appears to be an either/or proposition.

“We’re gonna let Austin and Case compete for that No. 2 spot,” Fisher said. “That’s our plan.”

Which means the loser probably is out on the street if the Rams indeed draft a QB.

Davis started out in surprising fashion last season, putting up big numbers against the likes of Dallas and Philadelphia but stumbling through turnover-plagued games as the season progressed before getting benched at midseason in favor of Shaun Hill.

The Rams have made a qualifying offer to Davis as a restricted free agent, which means he could get an outside offer from another team.

“Austin’s still in our plans,” Fisher said. “He’s still gonna come in and compete.”

Fisher says it’s possible Davis can cut down on mistakes and revert to his early-season form of 2014, particularly under the revamped offense of new coordinator Frank Cignetti.

“We’re gonna be doing different things,” Fisher said. “We’re gonna throw it quicker. I think Austin has a chance. You can see he’s got a quick release. He’s got mobility.”

As for Keenum, the Rams had to trade a 2016 seventh-rounder for him 2 ½ weeks ago to get him back after Houston plucked him off the Rams’ practice squad last season.

“We really like Case,” Fisher said. “He was making progress, but didn’t get the opportunity I think he would’ve liked from a practice standpoint because he was our third (QB). And usually the third doesn’t get (much work) but he would stay out after every practice and work.”