NFL Draft 2010: Making the Case for Second-Day Quarterbacks

The first goal of any NFL team is to make sure it has a “franchise” quarterback. 

What separates Detroit and Tampa Bay from the other top drafting teams is that both feel they have now found a young quarterback prospect they can build around.

Because of this, the motivation for a team on the hunt to expand its first choice on a quarterback is quite high.  Finding a long-term face for one’s franchise generally takes precedence.

This year the first-round choices for quarterback are obvious.

Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford have considerably separated themselves from the rest of the pack, and both are considered top-ten draft picks in a crop that has no mid-late first round talent at the position.

But neither is the surefire choice that instills instant confidence. 

Jimmy Clausen treads the fine line between confidence and arrogance, and a false step into the later conjures up images of another highly touted prospect whose attitude made him an instant flameout—Ryan Leaf.

Recently, Sam Bradford looks to be quelling most of the early offseason questions.  His wonderlic score was an impressive 36 (or roughly 156 percent of Clausen’s very average 23), he put on added bulk to improve both his strength and his toughness, and looked very impressive throwing the football in his pro day.

However, he is still an injury concern after being knocked out twice to shoulder injuries and there are questions about his arm strength and ability to transition into a pro-style offense.

Neither player is an entirely safe bet, and a misfire at the top can put a struggling team back several years.

So where does this leave a team in need?  The answer may lie in the second day where a host of other quarterbacks sit after being largely ignored thanks to the two standouts.

Gambling on a second day prospect does not provide nearly the potential to start right away in 2010. Most players in this range have fallen because of rawness or inconsistency and would require time to improve such at the NFL level.

A team willing to do this can reap the benefits of not only landing a solid quarterback prospect on the second day, but also land an elite impact player in the first round.

No quarterback in this lot resembles the next Drew Brees, but a struggling team may find itself content to find the next Chad Henne.

Henne was drafted in the second round in 2008 and was given time behind savvy veteran Chad Pennington to learn football at an NFL level.

An early injury in 2009 thrust him into the starting lineup ahead of schedule. Henne was also forced to deal with a milquetoast receiving corps and a host of injuries among the offense, including focal-point Ronny Brown.

Considering the circumstances surrounding his 2009 season, Henne posted respectable numbers, and by all accounts, looked ready to transition into the starting role.  He does not appear Pro Bowl bound in the near future, but he gives Miami a viable option to augment its run-focused attack.

A team that can find that kind of player, while pairing with him an elite left tackle or game breaking defensive standout, may just put itself into a better position to transition into respectability than by hoping they have found the next star quarterback.

Teams like Washington and Seattle are prime examples of where the strategy could pay dividends. Whether or not Jason Campbell is considered the future of the Redskins, he is a solid enough starter that the team can afford to keep a rookie quarterback on the bench.

In Seattle, the insurance of a player to pair with Charlie Whitehurst for that long-term option could be a great benefit and would soften the blow should the untested ex-Charger fail to pan out. 

At a minimum, it provides a solid and stable backup in the event that Whitehurst does evolve into the team’s 2011 starter.

That extra year (or more) could be vital for a raw prospect like Jarrett Brown, Jevan Snead, or John Skelton.

Colt McCoy’s status as a probable third round pick makes for another interesting option.  He is a player with horrible measurables who managed to put up a Heisman-caliber year despite the array of scouting-report knocks against him. 

His ability to find results in the face of limited tools follows a trend similar to many late- to mid-round success stories. For a team looking down the road, this could make him a solid choice, with a winner’s mentality who, at minimum, could be a Kyle Orton-esque blue-collar player.

Beyond the notion of a poor team maximizing its draft with an impact first-rounder in lieu of a quarterback, the case for a second day signal caller on a team with an established quarterback can be made.

Oftentimes, the greatest single-season collapses are incurred by teams riding a veteran arm one year too long or failing to have a replacement once that veteran retires.

Life after Favre in Cheesehead country and a potential parting with McNabb are both made easy by having an heir apparent in place. 

Teams like Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and New England boast multi-Pro Bowl (and in the first and last cases, Hall of Fame) quarterbacks whose ages range from 30 to 34.

If such a team should be willing to part with a potential 2010 contributor at another position and spend that second day (or early third day) pick on a quarterback prospect, they will allow him three or four pressure-free years in the system. By doing so, that team can reap anything from a solid backup to its future starter.

This year’s draft is not considered particularly well-endowed in the quarterback bracket.

The only place where they should truly have an effect is the late first to early second rounds. 

The patience and confidence to draft just beyond that may just help provide the necessary tools for a team to either make its way back to respectability or maintain continuity as its current starter declines.

Either way, the unheralded second tier of quarterback prospects are a bunch that should warrant a bit of extra attention for just about any team.