5 Developmental QBs New York Jets Should Consider in 2012 Draft

The amount of ink spent on the subject is nearly immeasurable; the number of fingers left cramped from atop sports blogging soapboxes around the football world must be in the trillions. I believe it is now safe to say that the situation under center for the Jets has reached full-fledged panic levels.

While the endless combinations of could-be and would-be experiments that may come through free agency this offseason for general manager Mike Tannenbaum, there is no question that at the very least the Jets quarterback corps needs the addition of a strong challenger to the heir apparent.

If the total elimination of Mark Sanchez is not eminent by the time the 2012 NFL draft class steps into Radio City Music Hall in April, the Jets will do themselves a tremendous favor by drafting a strong project quarterback to help push Sanchez to become the success the few remaining supporters still hold hope he could be.

Here are five of the talented soon-to-be rookies who could fill the role of pressuring No. 6 to be all he can be.

Ryan Tannehill

Let me begin by saying that I like what the former Texas A&M Aggie has put on film. I would argue that his immense talent is even more marketable specifically to the needs of the Jets because of his much-lauded “team first” attitude. Tannehill could be the remedy to several of the ills the New York Jets suffer from right now.

The likelihood that the mathematics that needs to happen before Tannehill walks onto the stage with a Jets cap in hand actually happen is slim.

Tannehill is generally ranked as either the third or fourth best quarterback prospect in this draft by a variety of draft projections and is due to be drafted late in the first round or in the second. That of course, was before a broken foot prohibited him from performing in this year’s Senior Bowl, a priceless opportunity to display game-situational talent before the NFL draft.

Tannehill’s injury not only jeopardizes his marketability as far as his participation in the January 28 Senior Bowl is concerned but also underlines his history of being injury prone.

I would make the argument that in the era of the Jay Cutler experience, the Houston Texans quarterback revolving door, and even to some degree the Peyton Manning fall from grace, organizations will begin to put even greater stock in a player’s vulnerability to injury.

That said, Tannehill may fall to the Jets in later rounds and could very well serve as a compelling backup option instead of as a starter elsewhere.

Kellen Moore

There is no denying that while this upcoming draft class has intriguing depth of talent, the shortage of elite collegiate players makes this year’s draft a bit top-heavy. Once you account for likely superstar Andrew Luck and potential starter Robert Griffin III, the talent gap suddenly widens. Only those two quarterbacks are assured to be first round selections.

The market for solidly viable backup quarterbacks-in-waiting is substantial this season, and there may be no bigger potential diamond in the rough than former Boise State Bronco Kellen Moore.

The Jets interest in Moore could grow should they come to understand the fact that Moore may just be the yin to Mark Sanchez’s yang. Moore is every bit the quarterback and has achieved every performance benchmark (albeit at the college level) that Sanchez is having difficulty matching at the professional level.

Moore is a wildly accurate passer, his 74.3 completion percentage stood as the best in the country in 2011. Moore has done little else in college other than win as he stockpiled a staggering 50-win total in his four-year career at Boise State, a NCAA record not soon to be broken.

All of Moore’s proficiency as the record setting passer he is can be attributed to his on-field intelligence. Moore makes errors in mental processing and game diagnoses only in the rarest of cases, and possesses the finesse and fundamental mechanics that the current Jets gunslinger is woefully short on.

In my study of Moore, it is becoming difficult to deny his resemblance to former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington. Undersized and equipped with a less than Herculean arm, yet abundantly intelligent, Moore will fall to the late second to third round of this year’s draft. Jets fans across the nation should take a second look at Kellen Moore as the key to raising the game of the Jets offense.

Kirk Cousins

The winningest quarterback in Michigan State history, Cousins may be the most underwhelming of these six potential future Jets but would no less serve as a strong challenger to Sanchez.

Where I am drawn to Kellen Moore because of his potential for success in aspects of the game Mark Sanchez has had none, I believe bringing in Kirk Cousins would force the Jets to address the shortcomings both he and Sanchez share and may lead to them finally being rectified.

The consensus line on Cousins is that while he has had success on the scoreboard for the Spartans during his career in East Lansing, and he shows tremendous character in the face of challenging game situations, his questionable decision making and less than stellar technical prowess in delivering an accurate pass make him a liability at times.

Sound familiar? It should. The paths that Cousins and Sanchez have taken in their respective football domains are eerily similar. The potential for achievement, should they finally decide to rectify the issues they do have as passers, is another trait they share.

One thing I have noticed over the past three seasons with Mark Sanchez under center for the Jets is the lack of progress that has been made in Sanchez’ delivery. With the vast coaching talent available to him at the pro level, you would think at some point we as fans would stop being subjected to Sanchez once again hurling a five-yard check down pass at 100 mph, directly into the ground, three yards behind the intended target.

There are definitely missed teaching points passing by at Atlantic Health, and with the arrival of Cousins, there is the potential that a mirror Sanchez image forces the Jets to finally deal with the underlying problems in the game of their franchise quarterback.

Darron Thomas

Let’s face it Jets fans, Gang Green does not exactly have a long lineage of dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks under center. From the hobbled knees of Broadway Joe to the always-precarious shoulders (and arms, legs, neck, ankles, head, immune system, etc) of Chad Pennington, to the spastic happy feet of Mark Sanchez, the Jets have never sent a game-changing playmaker onto the field.

If there was one team this past season in college football that personified the exciting, explosive offense that will be needed in New York in order for Rex Ryan to keep his supporters believing in his cause, it was the Oregon Ducks. It seemed that at any given moment the Ducks offense, led by junior quarterback Darron Thomas, were capable of some sort of field-tilting offensive masterpiece.

The value of Thomas as a potential Jet is not in his statistics and it is not in his technical prowess; both leave questions unanswered as to whether or not he will be able to function within a pro style offense. True value exists in Thomas as a developmental quarterback because of his combustibility. Among the plethora of things that were lacking in the 2011 Jets offense was the complete void of potential for the big play.

The Jets offense this season could be considered many things, most unfit for print, but the one thing they were not considered, was a threat. The predictability of the Jets offense, whether it was due to an inept play caller or disconnected teammates, made defending it elementary. There was nearly no concern shown by opposing defenses towards any potential schoolyard improvisation from the Jets backfield, something Thomas would provide in abundance.

In the truest sense of the term developmental, Darron Thomas would be a wild card selection for the Jets in this draft.

Brandon Weeden

Oh yes, the proverbial chicken or the egg. The old proverb will encircle the 28-year-old former Oklahoma State Cowboy has he enters the 2012 NFL draft. Was Weeden’s success at the college level possible only because of the pro-level talent surrounding him, or was Weeden the catalyst for making those around him into the pro-level talent they have become?

I believe that if the Jets true intentions in this draft (and in their offseason moves as a whole) are to bring in competition for Mark Sanchez that will push him immediately, Brandon Weeden will be a very tempting option. This short-term approach will also be of necessity should they decide to draft the elder Weeden, as his age drastically shortens the learning curve.

There is no questioning the accomplishments of Weeden at the collegiate level. He has helped make the Oklahoma State Cowboys a fashionable fan-favorite around college football enthusiasts and has produced some solid numbers in the meantime.

Weeden, a former minor league baseball prospect, has the strength to stretch a football field vertically in a manner that was absent from the Sanchez-era Jets offense. He is able to deliver the football into the tight windows that Sanchez often attempts, and just as often fails, to take advantage of and has the quick delivery that has become invaluable in the professional game.

Weeden will most likely be called to the stage in the late third to fourth round of the 2012 draft, which could provide the Jets with an outstanding opportunity to obtain their developmental project quarterback without costing them a precious first or second round pick.