Will Washington find its next QB in the draft?
The need is obvious. Too bad the pick, ultimately, is not. The Redskins need to find a quarterback of the future at some point. Considering they have the 10th overall selection, that need could be filled early.
Then again, considering the questions surrounding the quarterbacks in this draft, they might opt to wait a round — or two.
Before the All-Star games, the scouting combine and individual workouts, here’s a primer on quarterbacks the Redskins will consider based on interviews with draft experts, including Russ Lande, a former scout who heads the Sporting News draft coverage, and a general manager:
Auburn’s Cam Newton
He’s a one-year starter and those typically don’t fare well in the NFL. But he’s an elite athlete with a cannon arm who makes highlight-reel plays and those types often do succeed. However, the Heisman winner comes with major red flags because of off-field issues. One expert worried that more would be discovered once teams started doing more homework.
“I wouldn’t consider him in the first round,” Lande said.
Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet
Another big guy at 6-foot-7, which makes for tough mechanics at times. He throws certain passes, including fades, better than anyone in college. And he has a rocket arm. But he struggles when forced up in the pocket or on the move — in the NFL, that’s half the snaps. Because of his size, any change in his mechanics causes his passes to be wildly inaccurate.
Washington’s Jake Locker
He has a strong arm and elite athleticism. He’s also competitive and his intangibles are said to be outstanding. His mechanics are considered excellent. But Locker’s problem is that he’s an inaccurate passer — and, because his mechanics are so good, this is a major red flag. He’d be a project — and players drafted 10th overall shouldn’t be.
“He’s a Shanahan prototype,” one general manager said.
Delaware’s Pat Devlin
He’s from the same school as Joe Flacco, but does not have the same rocket arm as the Ravens quarterback. Devlin is accurate, giving receivers a chance to run with the ball after the catch. He has an OK arm, but he does a lot of other things well, such as setting up quickly and with good mechanics. But the question in some expert’s minds: downfield arm strength.
“The Redskins like to roll out and throw deep balls,” Lande said. “That’s where he would have trouble.”
Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick
Lande calls him the second best quarterback in the draft — and a guy Shanahan might love — though he rates him as a second-rounder. The 6-foot-6 Kaepernick is faster than Newton and has a strong arm — with no questions about his character. The big question, though, is Nevada’s run-option system, an offense that hasn’t produced NFL quarterbacks.
Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert
In Missouri’s spread system, passes are like extended handoffs and that prevents quarterbacks from developing. He rarely had to go through a progression and his mechanics sometimes suffered from some of the lazy passes. His arm is good enough and physically one scout said he’s comparable to Houston’s Matt Schaub — whom offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan coached in Houston. Lande calls him a safer pick than Mallet or Newton.
