Senior Bowl 2012: How QBs Kellen Moore and Brandon Weeden Need to Improve

Boise State's Kellen Moore and Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden are two of the more recognizable players in the 2012 Senior Bowl.  As they prepare for the 2012 NFL Draft, their draft stock will certainly be affected by their performances in the Senior Bowl this weekend. 

To some extent, the stats each player logs in this game will affect their draft value. But on another level, it will be how much each quarterback has improved since their bowl games. 

Either way, each player still needs to impress.

Right now Moore is considered a sixth/seventh-round pick and Weeden a late fourth/early fifth-round pick. With that being said, here is a breakdown of each quarterback and how they can both improve this weekend.

Kellen Moore

The interesting part about breaking down Kellen Moore's game is that despite losing his two best receivers from 2010 (Austin Pettis, Titus Young), he actually improved in 2011 against more difficult competition.

He finished each of the past two seasons with a completion percentage of over 71.0 and at least 3,800 yards, not to mention his ratio of 78 touchdowns to just 15 picks.

As for the Senior Bowl, look for the zip on his intermediate throws.

Moore does have excellent accuracy but he must learn to utilize his entire body to put some velocity in deep passes. He is patient in the pocket and has a good football IQ. Expect him to take more snaps from under center as well, since he didn't do that much with the Broncos.

One area to really keep an eye on is Moore's ability to take what the defense gives him. Provided that he finished college with a 50-3 record and Boise State had a weak defense in 2011, Moore couldn't afford to make mistakes. 

And he didn't.

Therefore, playing with efficiency and controlling the rhythm of the offense will be key. The difference lies against tougher competition on a bigger stage. Here, we'll see the first glimpse of Moore stepping up when NFL-esque pressure is on.

Brandon Weeden

Much like Kellen Moore, Brandon Weeden was not helped by much of a defense throughout his collegiate career. The Cowboys may have forced a bunch of turnovers but they also allowed a lot of points and yards per game.

As for Weeden, he has a very strong arm and is confident when releasing the rock. Unfortunately, that also worked against him the past two seasons.

Despite throwing for over 9,000 yards in the past two seasons, Weeden also threw 26 interceptions. In turn, it means that he's prone to turnovers and becomes impatient when under pressure, as evidenced by the Iowa State game.

Still, Weeden is athletic enough to avoid blitzes. The problem is recognizing the rush.

For most of the past two seasons, Weeden had the luxury of throwing to receiver Justin Blackmon, and Oklahoma State rarely ran the football or worked from under center. So, Weeden was throwing basically all day every game.

When he's hot he's on fire, but when cold Weeden can be disastrous. In the Senior Bowl, look for how he adjusts to the blitz and if audibles are called to accommodate for the defense's weakness. 

John Rozum on Twitter.