St. Louis Rams Would Be Wise To Draft Jimmy Clausen

Breaking news: Mel Kiper Jr. has actually accurately evaluated a player in the NFL Draft.

I know he is one of the biggest idiots among sports personalities, but Kiper's evaluation of Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen is completely on target. Clausen is going to be a solid pro quarterback at worst and possesses the intangibles to be a star.

Quarterbacks coming out of South Bend to the NFL have been traditionally awful ever since Joe Montana left the Irish in 1979.

Since Montana graduated, no golden-domer under center has anything close to a prominent professional career. When one pictures a Notre Dame quarterback nowadays, busts such as Rick Mirer and Brady Quinn come to mind. Mirer had a decent rookie season, setting records for yards, attempts and completions, but over the next 11 years he did absolutely nothing.

It may not be fair to label Quinn as a bust just yet as he just finished his third season, but it certainly appears Quinn will not be a successful pro. Clausen, however, will cast the negative light surrounding Irish quarterbacks elsewhere.

Clausen may not have been a winner in South Bend, but in his defense he played his first two seasons in complete rebuilding mode under an extremely inexperienced offensive line but eventually led the Irish to their first bowl win since 1993 at the conclusion of his sophomore season. Not to mention awful would be an understatement in describing Notre Dame's defense under Charlie Weis.

Clausen was the No.1 high school prospect coming out of Oaks Christian High School in 2007 and journeyed to South Bend solely to play in a pro-style offense. He struggled mightily during his freshmen campaign, throwing for just 1,254 yards and seven touchdowns, but he rebounded strongly his sophomore season, going for 3,172 yards through the air and tossing 25 touchdowns.

After Clausen's nearly flawless performance against Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl in December 2008, going 22-26 for 401 yards and five touchdown passes, Clausen was touted as one of the premiere passers in the NCAA.

Statistically speaking, Clausen didn't disappoint either professional scouts or Irish fans with his 3,722 yards and 28 touchdowns. Perhaps his most impressive stat was his four interceptions on the season, three of which were tipped balls. His 161.4 efficiency rating ranked him third among all Division I passers.

The most valuable attribute and something that scouts will certainly marvel at is Clausen's experience, and success, in a pro system. Weis developed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady as a superstar and Clausen definitely has the potential to accompany him as a Weis prodigy.

Another thing teams should take into consideration is Clausen's experience dealing with adversity. He was thrust into the starting position in just his second college game and was expected to succeed with a young offensive line and an inept defense. He didn't excel immediately, but he responded to his critics with back-to back 3,000 yard seasons.

Many have been skeptical of Clausen's ability to hold up in the NFL with his 6-2 215 pound frame. But I believe that skepticism can be eliminated by taking a look at film from Clausen first two seasons with the Irish as he was pounded constantly due to his putrid offensive line. Clausen was hampered much of this season with a toe injury, but everyone knows those toe injuries are nagging. It shouldn't affect his draft stock.

Clausen is the best quarterback in this year's draft. Some would argue that 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford holds that label, but Clausen earned that title with his consistently impressive play this season while Bradford dealt with a shoulder injury.

I don't believe Clausen is the best overall talent in the draft, but I am a believer that most teams should draft by necessity not by best talent available. So in that case, I think the Rams would be wise to use their No.1 pick on Clausen.

I won't be as bold as to say that Clausen will join the likes of Notre Dame greats like Paul Hornung, Joe Theismann and Joe Montana as an NFL Hall of Famer. I will say, however, that Clausen will not only end the string of unsuccessful Irish quarterbacks, but also be a star in the NFL.