This is a new segment to Jonny's Court. Everyday leading up to the 2011 NFL Draft, I am going to outline one draft prospect. The positions will change everyday. I will provide you with strengths, weaknesses, overall outlook, possible destinations, and probable pick.Prospect: Blaine Gabbert
Position: Quarterback
School: Missouri
Class: Junior
Height: 6-5
Weight: 240
Strengths: With the quarterback class not being the strong point in this year's NFL draft, it was tough to pinpoint a number one quarterback prospect. My number one guy is Blaine Gabbert out of Missouri. Gabbert is a perfect size for an NLF quarterback at 6-5, 240. He has a big arm and is quite mobile for a big guy. His mechanics are better than anyones' of those in the NFL draft and he has shown he can make the NFL throws necessary to be successful.
Weaknesses: His footwork is quite inconsistent and is caught often throwing off of his back foot and not stepping into his throws. He also played in a spread offense at Missouri which helps most collegiate quarterbacks "pad" their stats and throw a lot, almost 75 percent of the time. There have also been questions about his character and work ethic but we see that with almost every prospect so I wouldn't throw up a red flag just yet.
Overall Analysis: When everyone thought Andrew Luck was going to declare for NFL draft, Gabbert really flew under the radar and never got the respect he deserved so now with Luck out, Gabbert can show off what potential he has. The bottom line on him is that he is a strong and mobile quarterbacks with all the tools NFL scouts look for. He will definitely have to adjust to the NFL game though. He has virtually never taken a snap under center and he will HAVE to learn how to before he can be successful.
Possible Destinations: Buffalo Bills/ Arizona Cardinals/ San Francisco 49ers/ Tennessee Titans/ Washington Redskins/ Minnesota Vikings/ Miami Dolphins/ Jacksonville Jaguars
Probable Pick: Top 10
How would you rate him compared to what you rated Luck. It was obvious that Luck was going to be the #1 QB in the draft. Now that Gabbert looks like the top QB in the draft, how do they compare?
ReplyDeleteI am pretty high on Gabbert. I think I was one of the few who thought that gap between Luck and Gabbert was small. Luck is very good and is a extremely good pro prospect but Gabbert possesses a lot of the same traits that Luck does. Gabbert has perfect size and I think his throwing mechanics are some of the best in the past few years we have seen. He does have inconsistent footwork and the NFL game is something he will have to adjust to coming from a spread offense but there 2 things I really like about him. 1, is his running ability. He is not Mike Vick or Cam Newton but he possesses that Aaron Rodgers like running that can make him quite dangerous. The other part of his game I like is the ball he throws. Both Luck and Gabbert have big arms but Gabberts ball is more of a tight spiral and doesn't flutter as much. I do believe Luck is the better pro prospect but if Luck did enter the draft I wouldnt see them being drafted too far apart.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the question!