2011 NFL Draft Prospects Individual Evaluation: Ryan Mallett

RYAN MALLETT

6’ 6”  WT: 238LBS

40 TIME: 5.12

ARM STRENGTH:  MALLETT HAS ONE OF THE STRONGEST ARMS IN THIS DRAFT, THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT HIS ARM STRENGTH IS DIMINISHED BY HIS LONG, SLOW RELEASE.  OUT OF ALL THE QUARTERBACKS IN THE DRAFT, MALLETT THROWS THE BEST DEEP BALL.

GRADE: 19 OUT OF 20

ACCURACY & THROWING MECHANICS:  ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO SHORTEN HIS DELIVERY. AT NEARLY 6’ 7” HE SHOULDN’T NEED SUCH A LONG DELIVERY TO GENERATE THE TORQUE NECESSARY TO THROW THE BALL WITH VELOCITY. OVERALL, HIS PASS EFFICIENCY RANKED AMONG THE HIGHEST IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL, AND HIS DEEP BALL ACCURACY IS BY FAR THE MOST IMPRESSIVE OF ANY OF THE QB’S IN THIS DRAFT.

GRADE: 18 OUT OF 20

FOOTWORK & MOBILITY:  MALLETT IS NOT AS IMMOBILE AS MANY OF THE SCOUTS MAKE HIM OUT TO BE. HIS 40 TIME IS SLOWER THAN MOST LINEMEN SO HE IS NEVER GOING TO BE A THREAT TO RUN, BUT DOES A SOLID JOB OF THROWING ON THE RUN, MOVES AROUND THE POCKET WELL, AND DOES A GREAT JOB OF GETTING HIS FEET UNDER HIM BEFORE MAKING THE THROW.

GRADE: 14 OUT OF 20

STATISTICAL PRODUCTION:  MALLETT HAS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE PURE PASSING NUMBERS OF ANYONE IN THIS DRAFT. THIS PAST YEAR RYAN THREW FOR 3869 YARDS AND 32 TD’S TO ONLY 12 INTS, AND 3624 YARDS AND 30 TD’S IN 2009. THIS IS SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCED BY THE FACT THAT HE WAS PLAYING AGAINST SOME OF THE MOST ELITE DEFENSES IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT.

GRADE: 18 OUT OF 20

INTANGIBLES:  ON THE SURFACE, IT APPEARS THAT RYAN MALLETT SAYS AND DOES ALL THE RIGHT THINGS, BUT I CAN’T HELP BUT WONDER WHAT LIES BENEATH. HERE IS A QUOTE FROM MALLETT FOLLOWING HIS DECISION TO LEAVE ARKANSAS FOR THE NFL: “AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, I HAVE DECIDED TO DECLARE FOR THE 2011 NFL DRAFT. EVER SINCE I WAS A KID, MY DREAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO PLAY FOR THE RAZORBACKS AND I AM THANKFUL I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.” DID MALLETT THINK THAT EVERYONE FORGOT THE FACT THAT HE COMMITTED, ENROLLED, AND PLAYED FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN EVEN THOUGH HE HAD BEEN ONE OF THE TOP RECRUITS OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL? DESPITE THIS, THERE IS NO DENYING MALLET’S CREDIBILITY ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD. MALLETT CONSISTENTLY ROSE TO THE OCCASION THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER, THE BIGGER THE GAME, THE BETTER THE PERFORMANCE. PLAYING IN THE TOUGHEST CONFERENCE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL, MALLETT THREW FOR 1968 YDS AND 14 TDS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS THIS PAST YEAR. ALSO WORKING IN HIS FAVOR IS THE FACT THAT HE PLAYED IN TWO PRO-STYLE SYSTEMS AT BOTH ARKANSAS AND MICHIGAN. IF HE IS DRAFTED BY A TEAM THAT CAN PROVIDE HIM ENOUGH PROTECTION, HE CAN FLOURISH. (RECENT SPECULATION & ALLEGATIONS OF ALLEGED DRUG ISSUES WOULD SEVERELY DIMINISH HIS RATING IN THIS CATEGORY IF THERE IS ANY TRUTH TO THEM)

GRADE: 16 OUT OF 20

OVERALL GRADE:  85

 

POTENTIAL PLAYER COMPARISON:  DREW BLEDSOE

Looking to gain some insight from my readers. Post your comments and let me know your opinion after reviewing the analysis and film

-AT

Contract Talks With Cardinals Suspended

ESPN News - Agent for Albert Pujols confirms further contract talks with Cards suspended until after 2011 season

2011 NFL Draft Prospects Indvidual Evaluation: Cam Newton

CAM NEWTON                        

HT: 6’ 5”  WT: 250LBS

40 TIME: 4.53

 

ARM STRENGTH:  Possesses an absolute cannon for an arm. Has the ability to fit the ball in between tight coverage and can throw the  ball a mile with just a flick of the wrist. Consistently throws the ball with velocity and has excellent ball rotation on his throws.

  GRADE: 19 OUT OF 20

 

ACCURACY & THROWING MECHANICS: Newton has a smooth delivery and a quick release. Shows decent touch, but not on a consistent basis. Occasionally overthrows receivers, and misses open targets, but his overall completion percentage has managed to stay above 60%

   GRADE: 17 OUT OF 20

 

FOOTWORK & MOBILITY: Newton combines his 4.5 speed with a 6’ 5” 250lbs frame which is a deadly combination. Newton is able to escape pressure, break tackles, stiff arm pass rushers, and still get the pass off. As a ball carrier, on numerous occasions, he will lower his shoulder on defenders as he is capable of trucking linebackers and simply dismantling defensive backs in the open field. Without a doubt, he adds a whole other dimension to the offense that opposing defenses have to account for.

 GRADE: 19 OUT OF 20

 

STATISTICAL PRODUCTION: This past season Newton threw for over 2800 yards and 30 td’s with only 7 int’s. His rushing stats were equally impressive: 1285 yards rushing with 20 td’s. His production last year was outstanding, but he only has one season of numbers to go by.

  GRADE: 17 OUT OF 20

 

INTANGIBLES: Cam Newton past indiscretions are well documented. A number of red flags have been raised such as the accusations of theft and alleged academic cheating while at Florida, and most notably, the alleged actions of his father during his recruitment out of junior college. Despite the negatives, no one can deny Newton’s ability to transform a program into an immediate winner. After transferring from Florida he led Blinn Junior College to the NJCAA Championship. From there, he joined what had been an above average Auburn team, playing in the toughest conference in college football, and led them to a National Championship. In order to be successful at the next level, he will not be able to simply rely on his natural abilities. His devotion to film study, and his overall football IQ will be make or break for him at the next level. What will be his learning curve? At Auburn, Newton ran a very explosive offense, but not one that translates very well to the pro level. One thing working in his favor; he had to learn three different offenses during his college tenure and he seemed to have very little problem adjusting.

  GRADE: 15 OUT OF 20

OVERALL GRADE:  87

EARLY PLAYER COMPARISON: BEN ROETHLISBERGER

Looking to gain some insight from my readers. Post your comments and let me know your opinion after reviewing the analysis and film

-AT

2011 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Quarterback

Many of the so-called draft "experts" pride themselves in assessing a quarterbacks "raw skills". Unfortunately, more often than not, raw skills don't always translate at the next level. A quarterback that can throw the ball through a brick building is useless if he can't figure out what brick building to hit, and the guy with pinpoint accuracy might not be able to get it there in time because he tried to force it into coverage or didn't have the arm strength to get it there before the defender was able to make a play on the ball.

The most important measure of a quarterback, and sometimes the hardest to gauge, is his intangibles. Is he a leader? Was he able to win with very little supporting cast? Does he make intelligent decisions on and off the field? Does he show poise under pressure? How does he perform on the biggest stage? It is from these guidlines that I begin my assessment and work backwards.  

Each quarterback will be assessed on a scale of 1-20 in 5 different categories ultimately adding up to 100 which will be the quarterback's overall grade

-AT