Draft Preview: Rating the QBs

[TheGeneral+]

DALLAS - The family standard is higher than the NFL standard for Eli Manning.

Father Archie was the second overall pick of the 1971 draft by the New Orleans Saints. Brother Peyton was the first overall pick of the 1998 draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Both became Pro Bowl quarterbacks. So Eli has huge footsteps to follow on draft day and on the field.

"I never thought, 'I wish my last name was Smith,'" Manning said. "I've always been proud to be a Manning. It's been great watching Peyton play football. He was always a role model and someone I looked up to through high school and college.

"Obviously he set the standards for me as a quarterback. I've watched him my whole life and learned from him, asked him questions on what he's learned from college and the pros, and tried to help my game by learning from him. Hopefully one day I can be as good as him."

Eli didn't quite get there as a collegian. Peyton passed for 12,114 yards and 96 touchdowns at Tennessee (1994-97) and Eli passed for 10,119 yards and 81 scores at Mississippi. But 2003 was a great season for the family as Eli became the SEC Player of the Year and Peyton the NFL co-MVP.

Peyton might have a slight edge over Eli in preparation.

"I'll watch film and know what the defense is doing," Eli said. "Peyton will also read the media guide and find out where every player went to high school and college."


THE TOP 15

Rank . . . Player, School . . . Ht., Wt. . . . Noteworthy

1. Eli Manning, Ole Miss . . . 6-4 1/2, 221 . . . 81 career touchdown passes

2. Philip Rivers, NC State . . . 6-5, 229 . . . 13,009 career passing yards

3. B. Roethlisberger, Miami (Ohio) . . . 6-4 1/2, 241 . . . Career 65 percent passer

4. J.P. Losman, Tulane . . . 6-2, 224 . . . UCLA transfer

5. Matt Schaub, Virginia . . . 6-5 1/2, 243 . . . Sacked only 9 times in 2003

6. Luke McCown, La Tech . . . 6-3 1/2, 208 . . . Passed for 12,666 career yards

7. Josh Harris, Bowling Green . . . 6-1 1/2, 238 . . . 830 rushing yards in 2003

8. Jeff Smoker, Michigan St. . . . 6-3, 223 . . . Winningest QB in MSU history

9. Cody Pickett, Washington . . . 6-3 1/2, 233 . . . 4 career 400-yard games

10. Bradlee Van Pelt, Colo. St. . . . 6-2, 231 . . . 25 career rushing touchdowns

11. John Navarre, Michigan . . . 6-6 , 246 . . . Won 20 of 22 home starts

12. Jared Lorenzen, Kentucky . . . 6-3, 288 . . . Set 6 NCAA passing records

13. Rod Rutherford, Pittsburgh . . . 6-1 1/2, 240 . . . 37 TD passes in 2003

14. B.J. Symons, Texas Tech . . . 6-0 1/2, 210 . . . 10 300-yard games in 2003

15. Matt Mauck, LSU . . . 6-1 1/2, 228 . . . Won 18 of 20 career starts


NOTABLE


Rams Outlook:


At the NFL owners meeting, coach Mike Martz said he really liked 10 quarterbacks in this year's draft pool. One of those 10, Tulane's J.P. Losman, visited Rams Park last week.

Losman is projected as a late first-round selection, but may not be around when the Rams pick No. 26 overall. Some mock drafts have Green Bay, which picks right before the Rams at No. 25, taking him.


Yards aplenty:

These quarterbacks leave campus as the all-time leading passers at their schools: Jared Lorenzen (Kentucky), Eli Manning (Ole Miss), Brett Mitchell (Evangel), Cody Pickett (Washington), Philip Rivers (N.C. State), Ben Roethlisberger (Miami of Ohio), Casey Bramlet (Wyoming), Ryan Dinwiddie (Boise State) and Robert Kent (Jackson State).


On the run:

Josh Harris, Bradlee Van Pelt and Kansas State's Ell Roberson were almost as effective on the ground as in the air. Harris rushed for 2,566 yards, Van Pelt 2,274 and Roberson 2,818.


Brainiac:

Ohio State's Craig Krenzel was the smartest player in college football last season, winning 2003 Draddy Award as the NCAA's top student-athlete. He spent the summer of 2003 working in medical research at the Ohio State Med Center.


Bowling:

Rivers played in five bowls - two Tangerine Bowls, a Gator Bowl, a Micronpc.com Bowl and the Senior Bowl - and was named the MVP of each.


For the record:

Casey Clausen and Peyton Manning are the only Tennessee quarterbacks to win 30-plus games. Clausen also set the school record with 14 road victories. The winningest quarterbacks on this draft board:

QB, School . . . Starts . . . W

Casey Clausen, Tenn . . . 44 . . .34

Philip Rivers, NC St . . . 51 . . . 34

John Navarre, Mich . . . 42 . . . 31

Ryan Dinwiddie, Boise . . . 34 . . .28

B.Roethlisberger, Miami-O . . . 38 . . . 27

Jeff Krohn, UMass . . . 41 . . . 27


THE BEST:

Eli Manning, Mississippi: The name alone makes him one of the safest picks on this draft board. His father and brother also were first-round NFL draft picks who became Pro Bowl quarterbacks. Eli started for three years at Ole Miss and set 45 school passing records. He was the SEC Player of the Year in 2003 after passing for 3,600 yards and leading the Rebels to the Cotton Bowl. Manning is one of only five quarterbacks in SEC history to pass for 10,000 career yards.

Award winners: Manning (Maxwell, Unitas), Symons (Baugh), Will Hall, North Alabama (Harlon Hill, best player in D-II).

Best underclassman: Ben Roethlisberger.

Potential first-round picks: Manning, Rivers, Roethlisberger, Losman.


SLEEPER:

Brett Mitchell, Evangel (Mo.): Has the size (6-3, 229 pounds) and mobility (1,493 career rushing yards, 17 touchdowns) the NFL likes. He started as a freshman at tight end, then moved to quarterback and started three more years there. Despite his limited background at the position, he passed for 8,001 career yards and 67 touchdowns. He led the NAIA in total offense in 2002.

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[NEWPORT]

I AGREE with your Rivers placement at 2nd, actually I think he is the WINNER at the QB in this draft. I know the Manning label puts him higher, but I Hate the STEELERS, but if they pass on RIvers, they are fools. If they do not, watch out AFC..........

Whoever gets Rivers.......BE READY FOR SUCCESS!!

 

[GLJJNOVA]

I like the size and accuracy of Roethlisberger. Navarre is a proven winner ala Tom Brady.

GP

 

[TheGeneral+]

Charley Armey convinced Bill Parcells to select Drew Bledsoe over Rick Mirer in 1993, deserves most of the credit for the signing of Kurt Warner in 1997 and now says Tulane's J.P. Losman is Brett Favre reincarnated.

Maybe it's time to give the Rams' general manager a listen.

"I see a Brett Favre in this group," said Armey, a Green Bay Packers scout in the mid-1980s who left as New England's personnel director in 1997 to become general manager of the Rams. "That's who Losman is going to be . . . 100 percent. If I was drafting a quarterback, that's who I'd draft."

The Rams own the 26th pick in the first round (one behind Green Bay), so Armey knows his team wouldn't have a chance at Mississippi's Eli Manning and probably wouldn't have a shot at Miami of Ohio's Ben Roethlisberger or North Carolina State's Phillip Rivers.

Sixteen personnel people responded to a Journal Sentinel poll asking them to rate the quarterbacks on a 1-to-4 basis, with a first-place vote worth four points, a second-place vote worth three and so on.

Manning had 13 firsts and 60 points, followed by Roethlisberger with 47 (two firsts), Rivers with 31 (one first), Losman with 19 and Virginia's Matt Schaub with one.

Again, Armey is no shrinking violet when it comes to ranking this quarterback class as a whole.

"This is going to be like '83 all over again," Armey said, referring to the 1983 draft when John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly were first-round picks. "It will really help the game. All these guys, including Schaub and (Josh) Harris, are going to be good players."

Although the Rams aren't looking for a quarterback, the Packers are. Losman's value in this draft probably falls somewhere between 20 and 45. Favre was a second-round pick in '91, the 33rd selection overall.

"He'd be a great fit up in Green Bay," an AFC personnel director said. "If they draft him they've got another Brett Favre, maybe. His arm is as good as anybody else's and he's got the competitiveness and all that."

The similarities between Favre and Losman are somewhat startling. Consider:

-- Size. Favre was 6 feet 2 inches and 217 pounds at the combine in 1991. Losman measured 6-2 .25 and weighed 224.

-- Intelligence. Favre scored 23 on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test. There is mild controversy regarding Losman because he scored 14 when it was administered on campus last April before getting 31 at the combine. One scout has given Losman a corroborative test and says it came back in the range of what would be 22 to 27 on the Wonderlic.

-- Arm strength. Favre's gun is of epic proportions. Losman can bring it, too. Scouts debate whether Losman or Roethlisberger has the best arm in the draft.

-- Lack of seasoning. Favre was a washout as a rookie in Atlanta after playing in a so-so program at Southern Mississippi. Losman played an hour's drive away at downtrodden Tulane and will need time as well.

"It's going to take him a year or so because he played with a poor team," Armey said.

Said Rich Snead, director of player personnel for the Tennessee Titans: "You see it in their styles. Losman just kind of plays by the seat of his pants. Kind of winging it around out there."

-- Leadership. Nobody was better than Favre. Losman was a team leader at Tulane.

"I brought him in (to St. Louis)," Armey said. "His personality is just like Brett Favre's. He's a street-tough, hard-nosed kid. He's going to do his thing and find a way to win. His confidence is like Brett's: 'Don't worry about it, I'll get it done.' "

One of the major differences between Favre and Losman is how they come across to people. Favre has an easy-going warmth that draws even strangers to him. Raised in Venice, Calif., Losman has never been in any kind of trouble but uses foul language all the time and comes off as arrogant to some.

"That guy worries me to death," one personnel director said. "I think there is some Brett Favre, but it's disrespectful to compare anybody to Brett Favre. This guy's a loose cannon.

"He transferred schools (UCLA to Tulane) for all the wrong reasons. He's really committed to playing up that whole California guy thing. I think he's a nut job. You can have him."

Eleven of the 16 scouts also agreed to predict who would be the most likely bust. Five said Losman, two said Roethlisberger, one said Manning and one said Rivers. Two said none would disappoint.

"Last year was a good quarterback group and I think this year is," Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "Next year will be, too. It's a trend we're starting to see now because our Saturdays look like Sundays. The colleges have adopted our game. That's good for our game, obviously."

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