Top college QBs often more sizzle than steak

PERHAPS NOW sanity will manage a toehold.

The best of 2014's quarterback class were undressed in consecutive playoff rounds. Florida State's Jameis Winston by Oregon, then the Ducks' Marcus Mariota by Ohio State. The Buckeyes did so in prime time, on national television, drawing record ratings.

The Buckeyes did it without a particularly remarkable defense. It was good, to be sure, but it did not dominate.

The Buckeyes ranked 15th in yards allowed per game. They were 17th against the pass. They allowed 21.2 points per game, 23rd in the country.

There were, arguably, nine defenses in the Big Ten and SEC alone that performed better than Ohio State's.

So, this time next year, no one should be surprised that no franchise quarterback emerges quickly from this draft.

That is, unless Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones declares for the NFL draft, and even Jones has said he is years away from the consistency and polish he needs to succeed in the league.

If Jones emerged as the nation's most alluring enigma, the naked truth that emerged from college football's final three games is that neither Winston nor Mariota will be a key cog on a good pro team anytime soon. No matter who takes them, neither appeared particularly ready for the NFL.

Heck, they weren't even ready for prime time.

This is relevant in Philadelphia, because the drum of discontent is being banged, and loudly.

The current, flawed narrative runs thus:

Because Nick Foles was imperfect in eight starts, the Eagles must "upgrade" at the position. Because Mariota efficiently ran versions Chip Kelly's offense the past two seasons, he is the best man for the job. Assuming Tampa Bay considers Mariota a savior and refuses to part with the No. 1 pick and takes him, Winston is a fine consolation prize. So, package a couple of first-round picks, throw in a top, young player, mortgage the future, ignore the crushing secondary needs - just get one of those guys.

Madness, all of it.

Sure, they might go 1-2 in April.

But to consider either player the equal of the recent top-two quarterback picks is to view both with desperation-colored glasses.

When Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III went 1-2 in 2012, they represented a rarity.

Luck's size, arm strength, body strength, football IQ and athleticism made him perhaps the best predraft quarterback in history.

Griffin offered the physical gifts of Michael Vick - arm strength, body strength, open-field running (a 4.38 40!) - without Vick's character baggage.

By themselves, they were gems seen once every decade or so. Together, they were unprecedented.

Also, when Luck and Griffin went 1-2, it was only the fifth time in the Super Bowl era that quarterbacks occupied the top two slots of the draft.

That's because it never works out.

To be fair, consider the book open on that pair, given RGIII's injury issues, the circus atmosphere in Washington and the fact that Luck, while brilliant, has played only three seasons.

Of the remaining four pairs, only the first one worked out. Jim Plunkett and Archie Manning went 1-2 in 1971 and played 15 productive seasons each, long before the NFL legislated itself into a passers' league.

Since then, at least one half of the projected Dynamic Duos has bombed:

Peyton Manning thrived, but Ryan Leaf became a pill-popping felon. Drew Bledsoe did all right as Tom Brady's warmup act, but Rick Mirer turned out to be a much better vintner than passer.

Injury might have cost Tim Couch some longevity, but he quickly was unmasked as the product of a passer-friendly offense at Kentucky. In 1999, Couch went right before the most decorated of the No. 2s; that's right, ol' Donovan McNabb.

The four pairs of 1-2 quarterbacks averaged about 11-plus seasons - you get lots of chances with a top-two pedigree - but they managed only 23 Pro Bowls in their 90 years in the league. Manning went to 11 of them; McNabb, six.

Even if the Eagles managed to move up and take Mariota or Winston, the odds are that the one they selected would not pan out.

For every Cam (Newton) there's a Sam (Bradford); for every Luck, a JaMarcus Russell. Even Eli Manning and Alex Smith have vast shortcomings.

Newton went first overall in 2011, and it has taken him four seasons to develop . . . as far as he has developed. Consider his bizarre maturation process over the first three seasons, then include his performance against the Seahawks on Saturday, and you see how far he had to go to become proficient and how far he has yet to travel to become great.

And, yes, he can be great. Newton deserves to use the "Superman" move after he scores for good reason. Anyone who compares the physical abilities of Mariota and Winston with those of Newton needs to borrow Clark Kent's glasses. Perhaps then they will at least notice that Newton is 2 inches taller than each and at least 30 pounds heavier.

Granted, both Mariota and Winston have greater gifts than Foles.

But in Foles you have a player who knows this precise offense; after being tinkered with by West Coast devotee Pat Shurmur, the team's offensive coordinator, it is not identical to what Kelly ran at Oregon. Just ask former Oregon receiver Josh Huff, who needed half of his rookie season to master it.

In Foles, you have a player who has seen and defeated real NFL defenses; not a player foiled by the fifth-best defense in the Big Ten.

In Foles, you have a player with a rapport with No. 1 receiver Jeremy Maclin, who is expected to sign an extension; with an outstanding offensive line; with franchise running back LeSean McCoy; and big, dangerous pass-catchers Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz.

Hoping that a rookie could develop instant chemistry with this cast is beyond absurd.

All of which distills to this obvious conclusion:

No quarterback in this draft is worth moving up for; none is worth heavily mortgaging the future; none is worth wasting a precious year or 2 of an NFL franchise's existence.

Really, there never is.

On Twitter: @inkstainedretch