Quarterbacks at the 2009 Combine

The NFL Combine is in full swing, and one of the most highly-watched groups right now is the quarterback group. With many of the top quarterbacks from 2008 opting to stay at school one more year, NFL teams who need a quarterback this year have a lot of consider. Here’s how the top QB prospects are doing:

Matt Stafford:

He’s been impressive so far with athletic ability, and everyone knows he can throw. The real question here is this: Is he worth top-ten salary or should a team who needs a QB wait until next year when that same top salary will get them a Tim Tebow or Sam Braford or Colt McCoy? He opted not to throw, while most others did, so I’m not sure is that was a good decision or not, especially with others nipping at his heels.

Mark Sanchez:

Sanchez has a lot to prove, even though he came in as a top-rated player. He only really played in college for one year, as a starter at least, but he’s really been having a great combine so far. He ran a fairly fast 40 for a quarterback and has been on the mark athletically otherwise. He’s one of those guys nipping at Stafford’s heels.

Josh Freeman:

You won’t know this name unless you followed Kansas State or draft prospects, but he’s been impressing analysts so far at the combine. They’ve noted that he did exceptionally well in his interviews.

Nate Davis:

He doesn’t have the best build for the NFL, but looking at the pure stats from last season, he really seems like he could do well in the NFL. He’s done so-so at the combine, middle of the pack-ish.

Pat White:

In 2007, people talked about White a lot. Last year, not so much…until now. He was the Senior Bowl MVP, and he had a great workout yesterday. He’s on the small side for the NFL, but does that really matter if you have a strong arm and are accurate? He also has the advantage of being a wide receiver as well, which could entice some teams.

John Parker Wilson:

Wilson started over the past three years at Alabama, but people didn’t really talk much about him. He broke a ton of school records, though, which is really not an easy thing to do at Alabama, and he’s had a good combine so far.

In general, all of the quarterbacks are going to go through a lot this year to be a top draft pick. For teams to take a change on someone this year, especially first round, they’re going to want to know they’re getting a good value for the money. Most of these guys have been flying under the radar during the season, so NFL teams have some tough decisions to make.