This is it. We made it. We’ve searched through the stats, the hype and the ridiculously silly mock drafts that populate the internet to make our own list of the Top 10 quarterbacks coming out in this year’s NFL Draft.
Once again I reiterate that the consensus quarterback list in this draft mystifies me. My rankings don’t match anyone’s I’ve seen, yet in five years I’d like to come back to this list and look at it, comparing it to Mel Kyper’s and Todd McShay’s and see who’s right.
To recap the Top 10 you can check out Part One, Part Two and Part Three by clicking on those links. The quick list is; 10. Cordale Jones, Ohio State, 9. Christian Hackenberg, Penn State, 8. Marquis Williams, UNC, 7. Carson Wentz, North Dakota State, 6. Jared Goff, California, 5. Cody Kessler, USC, 4. Vernon Adams Jr., Oregon and 3. Paxton Lynch, Memphis.
Here’s your top two. As I mentioned with Lynch’s entry, he and these two guys are the only first-year starting caliber quarterbacks I see in this draft. Everybody else needs a lot of work.
2. Connor Cook, Michigan State
2015: 56.1 completion percentage, 3,131 yards, 24 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 6-foot-4, 220 pounds
Cook got hurt from his bowl performance, literally. He was injured and still played, hoping to give his team a chance it probably wouldn’t have to begin with. You want tools? Cook has a chest full. He makes his reads, attacks downfield and throws with touch and accuracy. The only thing I don’t like about his stat line is he doesn’t have an over 60 percent pass percentage, but that’s because Cook tries to make passes other guys on this list would never even attempt. He throws tough balls into tight coverage that demand NFL-level hands to haul in and Cook only ever played with one of those guys.
When I look at Cook’s film, when I watch him on the field, he reminds me so much of Jim Kelly that it would almost be a shame if the Buffalo Bills didn’t draft Cook when he falls in their lap in the first round. And Cook’s college numbers blow Kelly’s away.
Cook’s arm is fantastic, his throwing style and release are practically carved out of marble and the ball comes out with zip and touch. He might have the best downfield accuracy of any QB on the list and that’s what makes an NFL team explosive.
Cook is projected to be a late first rounder or second rounder and is a steal at any of those spots.
1. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
2015: 66.2 completion percentage, 3,793 yards, 29 touchdowns, five interceptions, 588 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns, 6-foot-2, 226 pounds
No player exemplifies every thing I would be looking for in a quarterback coming out of college than Prescott. He has it all. When you watch that highlight reel up there, keep an eye on Prescott’s head. Watch him step back in the pocket and scan the field. He’s made a career of reading defenses, hitting the open man on his third or fourth read and, if the first guy is open, looking the safety off so he can make the uncontested pass. That insanely low interception total isn’t an accident.
What I see when I look at Prescott as the perfect hybrid between Russell Wilson and Cam Newton. If Prescott was two or three inches taller, no one would be projecting him in the third or fourth round. But at 6-foot-2, he’s hardly a short quarterback by any measure. Aaron Rodgers is 6-2, Tony Romo is 6-2, Kurt Warner and Joe Montana were 6-2.
Prescott has a rocket launcher for an arm and can fit the ball into tight windows when he has to. Now, granted, that’s not something he’s had to do at Mississippi State, since unlike Connor Cook, Prescott is such a danger with his legs he can capitalize on plenty of one-on-one match ups. Truthfully the comparison to Steve Young is a good one. Prescott has the exact same skillset as the Hall of Fame quarterback. And I can’t stress this enough, he’s not just accurate on the medium stuff like Jared Goff. He’s accurate downfield, 20 and 30 yards, tossing passes that look like he basically ran down the field and handed them to the receiver.
This is a franchise quarterback, a guy that can start on day one and I don’t believe for a second I’m the only one that sees it, or that he’ll be sitting at home waiting for a call in the third round.
