Mayock's Look At The Draft: Quarterback
For the 12th straight year, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock breaks down each position in the draft for the Daily News.
Mayock's Look At The Draft: Quarterback
Paul Domowitch, Daily News NFL Columnist
For the 12th straight year, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock will break down each of the positions in the draft for the Daily News, providing his assessment of the best player at each position, as well as his top riser and sleeper. Mayock, 54, resides in Newtown Square and is a graduate of the Haverford School. He was a tenth-round pick of the Steelers in 1981 and played two seasons with the Giants (1982-83). I’ll run his assessments in the days leading up to the April 25 draft, starting today with the quarterbacks:
QUARTERBACKS
THE BEST
Geno Smith, West Virginia (6-2, 218)
40-time: 4.59
Hands: 9 1/4 inches
Round Projection: 1
Mayock: "He has all of the components of a franchise quarterback, but is not consistent enough on tape for me. He doesn’t have very good pocket awareness. He had something like 32 fumbles at West Virginia.
"He has no awareness of the rush surrounding him. I don’t sense a feel in the pocket to slide and move at all. I don’t sense an internal clock when he’s standing inside his own five-yard line. Common sense things I’d love to see and don’t.
"His deep-ball accuracy is erratic. I mean really erratic. Guys wide open (that he missed). Six to eight touchdowns that he threw away this year. He played horribly in the Bowl game in the snow (Pinstripe Bowl) and he also played poorly in the cold and wind at Iowa State. I’m not sure what that means other than it disturbs me. For me, there’s a bunch of different red flags, and it doesn’t add up to a top-10 quarterback. Or even top 20."
THE RISER
Tyler Bray, Tennessee (6-6, 232)
40-time: 5.05
Hands: 9 1/4 inches
Round Projection: 2-3
Mayock: "I think people are starting to recognize his arm talent and are digging deeper into what kind of kid he is, which was the knock. He’s got big-time arm talent. There’s no way he’ll get out of the third round, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he went in the second."
THE SLEEPER
Sean Renfree, Duke (6-3, 219)
40-time: 4.76
Hands: 9 inches
Round Projection: 5-6
Mayock: "He hurt his shoulder on the last snap of their bowl game and might not even get drafted. But he’s got the best anticipation and time of any quarterback in this draft. Part of it is because he’s got an average arm and has to. (Duke head coach) David Cutliffe told me that Sean approaches the game with a work ethic and passion similar to Peyton Manning’s."
Every one sees that Smith is NOT a first round draft pick---Please Eagles-DO NOT DRAFT HIM! With all of that said- Eagles will take him and swear on a stack of Bibles that he IS a franchise QB and will be great. Then in three years we will be looking for another QB.— kingofpoker- I agree-please do not take Smith who is not first round material.— hankhammer2
- Smith sure doesn't sound like a first rounder.— Justaschmuck
- I really trust and respect Mayock. Initially, I was also down on Smith, but then I started to talk myself into the Eagles drafting him - mainly because i want this guy to be a franchise quarterback - but after reading this, there are just too many red flags, and the same types of concerns that I've heard before about 2nd tier QBs that wound up going high in the draft.— CosmoK
- They can't take Smith at 4. But, I'd like to read what Mayock wrote about Kaepernick ...
— Copper34 - Here you go, Cooper34:
"THE RISER
Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
Size: 6-4 1/2, 233. 40 time: 4.53.
Projected round: 2
Mayock: "I first saw him last summer at Peyton Manning's passing academy. He's got a big-time arm and big-time athletic ability. But he's very raw. A developmental project. But people have become enamored with him and he's gone from preseason, when most people figured him for a fifth-round kind of guy, to a solid consideration in the second round."
http://articles.philly.com/2011-04-28/sports/29483202_1_mayock-mark-ingram-spread-offense— IgglesFan79 - Good job Iggles Fan79!— kingofpoker
- Eagles drafting Geno Smith w the 4th pick = Desperation— greenblood4200
- An athletic QB who doens't have a good sense of the pocket, can't pick up the rush, and turns the ball over. He'll fit perfectly in an Eagles uniform them. This organization has started QBS like this for the last 25 years.— bdd5014
- You're right King. We've been told Kolb was a franchise QB; Kafka was a franchise QB and then Foles was a franchise QB. None of it was true and neither is it true of Smith. Take the best OT on the board. You are going to need him Even if Peters was healthy, which he is not, he is still 32.— Bama
- Besides being a former player, what is Maylock's qualifications as a talent expert? Has he ever been paid by any teams for his analysis? Was he ever an NFL scout or college recruiter? He is nothing more than a talking head with an opinion. Not an expert. He is nothing more than a Mel Kiper clone. KIper was the first one to sell his snake oil as a draft expert. You can get just as accurate appraisals from Charlie the bartender at your local bar.— kelz1966
- Eagles aren't drafting Smith. You can't reach on the #4 pick; even Howie knows this.. They'll go with Star or one of the stud tackles...and that is perfectly fine.— Phront_Runner
- The only way we should stay put at #4 overall is if Star is still there. Of all the guys the Eagles are supposedly targeting, Star is the only one who is uniquely head-and-shoulders above the rest at his position. No other DT in this draft has his unique combination of size, athleticism, power, versatility and endurance (played in >90% of Utah's snaps in 2012). He and Cox would be eight-year fixtures on our line, terrorizing offenses as they struggle to comprehend how to block both at the same time. For those of you who want Fisher, Milliner or Jordan, I ask you, would we truly be worse off if we got Lane Johnson at 10, Xavier Rhodes at 12, or one of the million other athletic edge rushers in this draft not named Jordan? And added another decent draft pick to boot?— Bob1Progeny
- The CLEAR pick at #4 is Milliner...we definitely need a lock-down corner and this kid seems to be the real deal....DON'T BLOW IT CHIP— j.k.
- say what you want to about mayock,but this guy really knows his stuff...obviously,he does not think smith,or any other qb in this draft is worthy of being picked early in the first round,but previous history says one team will take a gamble on him or someone else...just so it's not the eagles,howie...— jabac
- Started with Sonny Jurgensen for Norm Snead....no Geno— Robert Garber
- Geno Smith at 4 = another stupid decision by stupid decision makers. Trade down, trade down, trade down.— TrollXterminator
- Milner is weak, he scares no one.— TrollXterminator
- If we can't get Star at 4-may go to Raiders at 3-but if we can't get him-move down to 10 or 12 and get the OT. Move Todd to guard and put the fireman on the bench. Fix the o-line and run the ball with authority.— kingofpoker
- Please do not draft Smith. Please.— CrustyMacD
- They will NOT take Smith at #4...they may trade down and take him, along with another 2nd round pick or whatever...Chip isn't a dip wit like Howie.— BirdinParadise
- Mayock called it when he said Kaepernick was a good bet, but he couldn't be more wrong about Tennessee's Tyler Bray. I've watched him play a lot in the SEC. He is not good. Extremely inconsistent and not all that accurate, couple that with blazing 5.05 forty and you've got yourself a great QB. Kaepernick, at least had a nice forty time, so you knew he could run away when things got hot. Tyler Bray will not make it in the NFL. Guaranteed.— 1983ufgator
- The difference with the collegiate ranks and professional ranks is consistency. A good professional franchise QB has to be consistent in his production and most of these QB prospects lack consistency. It is what separates playoff teams from the bottom dwellers. Whether it is consistency with their accuracy on the deep ball or just hitting the open WR, a good professional has to hit his target accurately and consistently. Chip Kelly as a long time collegiate coach may not grasp this concept. Some coaches feel that they can coach the talent up, but when you consider the amount of first time new money these young athletes are receiving and their lifestyle changes with becoming a professional athlete, there can be too many distractions that inhibit concentration and skill improvement.
- Hey Troll, you're clearly an idiot if you think Milliner is weak. Wow, what scintillating insight. He's a stud, clear and simple - like your brain. All Milliner did at Alabama was earn freshman All-SEC, SEC first-team and first-team All-American as a junior. Oh yeah and, by the way, Alabama did pretty well while he was there winning national championships in 2011 and 2012. But you're right Milliner is weak and slow too - he only ran a 4.37 forty at the combine.— 1983ufgator
- Respectfully disagree. Not Star.
In the new 3-4 defense, Sopoaga will be the NT, and Cox will be one of the two DEs. In the 3-4, Star would be a DE at 6-3 311, and he is now considered middle 1st round.
Floyd, at 6-3 303, is the top 3-4 DE in the draft and is considered a top-4 pick. In the 3-4, the Eagles second DE spot is open. If he is there at #4, and the Eagles go DE at that pick - bet on Floyd, not Star.
Assuming no more free agent signings before the Draft, the Eagles Board will show 1) OT Joeckel, 2) OT Fisher, 3) 3-4 DE Floyd, 4) 3-4 OLB Jordan. Obviously 1 of these 4 will fall to #4. If a team takes QB Geno Smith at #2 or #3, then two of these four will drop to the Eagles for their choosing.
We all know that the "Eagles interest in QB Smith" was smoke, for this very reason - so that a team will take him at #2 or #3 and then two of the Eagles Board list of four will drop to the Eagles.
The 2 OTs are at the top because of the need to protect the Eagles QB as Herremans is moved back to guard to stabilize the offensive line. If either drop to the 4th pick, the Eagles will grab him.
— PhillyTeams
