2012 NFL Draft: Brandon Weeden Will Be a Bust Despite Rising Stock

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden has seen his 2012 NFL draft stock rise after a good week down in Alabama for the Senior Bowl, but after scouting him, I'm not buying into his hype.

Forget the the age factor that is supposedly an issue for NFL teams.

I don't about the fact that he's 28 years old—to be frank, that's the least of his worries.

In my opinion, he does not possess enough of the intangibles to be a good NFL quarterback, and he certainly isn't going to be a "franchise guy."

He may have looked good in Mobile, but when looking back at his 2011 season, there were certain traits that did not impress me.

Sure, he put up good numbers, but I firmly believe they should be attributed more to the system the Cowboys ran and the elite play of wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

I scouted Weeden using the system utilized by Bleacher Report's NFL Draft lead writer Matt Miller.

Here's what I saw:

Note: All scores are out of a possible 10.

Arm Strength: 5.3

Brett Deering/Getty Images

I'm not impressed by Weeden's overall arm strength.

He can make the throws that he needs to, but there is never any "zip" or "pop" on the ball. He throws a good ball on most routes, but many of the throws he was asked to make at Oklahoma State were slants or posts—which any quarterback should be able to easily complete.

He didn't really step into his throws as much as I'd like to see either. These things can all be worked on and improved, but overall I saw more wobbly balls than I'd like to out of an NFL prospect.

Accuracy: 6.9

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Good accuracy overall, but when he missed, he missed badly.

He throws his best ball when his feet are set and he has a good base, but seems to lose it when he's throwing off his back foot—specifically when under pressure.

Made his receivers work for a few too many passes, and to be frank, he definitely benefited from the great hands and play-making ability of Blackmon.

He also benefited from all the short passes and quick reads Oklahoma State ran, which made for easy throws.

Touch: 9.2

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

This is Weeden's strength as a quarterback. When he's on, he has excellent touch, puts good arch on his deep passes and throws beautiful screen plays.

My gripe about the lack of zip on his ball is countered by the fact that everything he throws comes in soft and catch-able.

Picture the opposite of the traditional Brett Favre bullet pass to a receiver five yards away—that good 'ole incomplete on 3rd-and-3.

Mobility/Pocket Awareness: 5.5

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

He's primarily a shotgun quarterback, so this is the part of the scouting report where I need to wonder if he can transition under center and make clean drops.

He doesn't have exceptional foot speed or mobility, but he does seem to have a decent feel off the pocket.

By biggest gripe with him was that I didn't see him stepping up into the pocket much, and that's an integral part of negating smarter, faster and quicker NFL defenses.

Vision: 8.1

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The offense he ran at Oklahoma State had him making a lot of quick reads and throws, and he has pretty good overall vision.

The one place he needs to work on is scanning the field and moving his eyes, as it looked like he had a tendency to lock on to a spot with both his head and eyes—which telegraphed some throws.

Release: 9.0

Brett Deering/Getty Images

Good release with no major hitches or flaws, but would like to see him get a little bit more zip behind the release, especially against veteran and fast NFL secondaries.

Overall Grade: 7.3

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Weeden actually grades higher in my book than Arizona QB Nick Foles, who graded out a whole point below, but I would still consider Foles to be the better pick to be honest.

In Foles I see all the intangibles of a future NFL starter; in Weeden there is just something in me that is not connecting to that.

According to Miller's system, this is what he would say about Weeden:

Rookie starter, first or second round draft pick, may have blackmarks

I agree that a quarterback-desperate team will most likely take him in the second round, but he's more of a third-round prospect in my opinion. He may also be thrust in as a starter, but I don't see him being a successful starter in the NFL.

Much of what Weeden accomplished can be attributed to the system he ran at Oklahoma State, and the other players around him.

I see him being a solid backup in the NFL, but not anything more than that.