Ranking the quarterbacks
By The War Room - SportingNews.com
The War Room's top-ranked quarterback prospect for the 2004 draft is Miami (Ohio) junior Ben Roethlisberger. The rest of TWR's top 10 entering this season:
2. Eli Manning, Sr., Mississippi, 6-4, 218, 4.85 40-yard dash. A son of Archie and brother of Peyton, Eli certainly has the gene pool. He isn't as smart a player as Peyton, but he's a better athlete and a more vocal leader. He should be a first-round pick.
3. J.P. Losman, Sr., Tulane, 6-21Ú2, 212, 4.80. He could be a little bit overrated at this point after the National Scouting Bureau ranked him as its top quarterback prospect, but he has the size, arm strength and accuracy to be a first-round pick. He's somewhat unpolished and needs to have a strong senior season.
4. Andrew Walter, Jr., Arizona State, 6-5, 219, N/A. Walter exploded onto the national scene in '02 with 3,877 yards and 28 touchdowns. If he strings together successful seasons, he could be a first-round selection as an underclassman entry in '04.
5. Cody Pickett, Sr., Washington, 6-31Ú2, 220, 4.78. Pickett has good size and athleticism and is tough and competitive. He has terrific arm strength and continues to improve his accuracy and ability to read defenses, but he still is erratic. He has the physical tools to be drafted early on Day 1.
6. John Navarre, Sr., Michigan, 6-51Ú2, 235, 5.30. Like former Wolverines Elvis Grbac and Todd Collins, Navarre is a tall, well-built pocket passer. He's relatively unathletic and must become more consistent in his decision-making, but he has the size and arm strength to be a first-rounder.
7. David Greene, Jr., Georgia, 6-21Ú2, 222, N/A. Greene can be very effective, but he loses the strike zone too often. More impressive are his leadership and his ability to run an offense. With D.J. Shockley breathing down his neck in Athens, Greene may choose to leave early and could be a mid-round steal, much like Tom Brady was for the Patriots.
8. Jared Lorenzen, Sr., Kentucky, 6-3, 285, 5.12. Lorenzen is an overweight, erratic passer with a big-time arm and good upside if he becomes more consistent during his senior season and gets into better shape after the season. Teams will shy away from drafting Lorenzen before the fourth round because of his lack of self-discipline.
9. Luke McCown, Sr., Louisiana Tech, 6-312, 202, 4.75. The four-year starter has all the physical tools of an NFL starter but must be much more consistent. Also, his college offensive scheme can deceive fans into thinking he is a better prospect than he really is. McCown could sneak into the middle rounds.
10. Matt Schaub, Sr., Virginia, 6-5, 244, 4.98. Schaub has terrific size and is intelligent, accurate and competitive, but he lacks great arm strength and is a below-average athlete; he'll drop to the later rounds of the draft. Schaub would fit nicely in a West Coast offense, but he probably won't ever be more than a backup in the NFL.
The War Room, a team of football scouts headed by Gary Horton, analyzes NFL and college players, coaches and teams exclusively for Sporting News.
