2015 NFL Draft: Where Each Top Quarterback Will Land
The top two quarterbacks in the 2015 NFL draft will receive the lion's share of the discussion over the coming months. But while the talent drops off considerably after Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, there are plenty of other prospects teams will be paying close attention to throughout the draft process.
The majority of this year's quarterback prospects will come off the board on the third day of the draft, so predicting where they will land is a difficult process.
The following slideshow takes at look nine prospects and is listed in the predicted order in which they'll come off the board.
They're each matched up with a team likely to consider them in that range, but remember, it's far too early to have any concrete information on who likes who in the sixth round. These are educated guesses based on team needs and quarterback traits.
Jameis Winston, Florida State
1 of 9
Draft Projection: No. 1 overall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The off-field concerns will linger over Jameis Winston throughout the draft process, but his on-field success makes him a viable option for the Buccaneers.
Another franchise may have more concerns about Winston, but with a strong, veteran coaching staff featuring Lovie Smith and new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, the Bucs should feel confident in their ability to handle Winston's immaturity.
With young weapons such as Mike Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Winston would be in an ideal situation in Tampa.
Additionally, Winston has the physical strength to handle the pressure he'll face behind the Bucs' struggling offensive line.
Marcus Mariota, Oregon
2 of 9
Draft Projection: No. 6 overall, New York Jets
Concerns about Marcus Mariota's ability to transfer from Oregon's offensive scheme into an NFL system have been well-documented, but one of the many quarterback-needy teams in the league is likely to roll the dice on him early in the draft.
The Jets are desperate for a solution to their quarterback situation and would have a difficult time justifying any selection other than Mariota if he were on the board.
In order to succeed immediately in New York, the Jets would need to meld their current playbook with concepts Mariota is already familiar with from his days at Oregon.
Washington found success with a similar strategy during Robert Griffin III's rookie year, giving the Jets a blueprint for how to ease Mariota into the league.
Brett Hundley, UCLA
3 of 9
Draft Projection: 3rd round, Philadelphia Eagles
While questions emerge in discussions of all the quarterbacks in this class, perhaps no one is more polarizing than Brett Hundley.
Despite obvious NFL traits, Hundley never eliminated the bad decisions which caused his draft stock to plummet throughout his junior year at UCLA.
Someone is bound to fall in love with Hundley's upside and gamble on him during the second day of the draft, and his athleticism makes Chip Kelly a candidate to be that guy.
With Nick Foles returning, Kelly could bring Hundley aboard without any need to rush him into action. And with a third-round price tag attached to Hundley's name, Kelly could throw in the towel on the experiment at any time if it doesn't pan out.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Garrett Grayson, Colorado State
4 of 9
Draft Projection: 4th Round, Chicago Bears
Day 3 prospects mostly bring limited upside this year, and the group starts with Garrett Grayson.
Grayson was groomed by Jim McElwain, who also coached Greg McElroy and AJ McCarron at Alabama. As a result, Grayson fits into that same mold as an intelligent quarterback with some basic NFL tools but limited potential for growth.
It's unlikely that Grayson would be developed into a future long-term starter for the Bears, but he could give John Fox someone to turn to in the short term if he decides to move on from Jay Cutler within the next year or two.
If nothing else, Grayson appears to be the type of quality backup quarterback who can manage the game if needed in a spot-starter role.
Bryce Petty, Baylor
5 of 9
Draft Projection: 5th Round, Washington Redskins
Opinions of Bryce Petty vary greatly depending on how his performance within Baylor's system is viewed.
Bringing in another Baylor quarterback may cause some Redskins fans to groan, but Petty and RG3 are very different players.
Petty is a true pocket passer who was rarely asked to leave the pocket at Baylor. In that sense, he may not be the ideal backup to Griffin, but their differences may be exactly what the coaching staff would like about Petty.
Due to his inconsistent deep ball, Petty will likely be a similar NFL quarterback to Colt McCoy, who found some success in Washington's system while filling in for Griffin and Kirk Cousins last season.
Connor Halliday, Washington State
6 of 9
Draft Projection: 6th Round, Buffalo Bills
Connor Halliday isn't the quick fix the Bills need but would at least give the staff a young quarterback to groom in hopes that he develops into the long-term solution down the road.
Halliday has the general profile of an NFL quarterback with the height (6'4") and decent mobility to help him maneuver within the pocket.
Mike Leach quarterbacks have found very little success in the NFL, but many of them have lacked the arm strength. Leach's system tends to rely on short, quick passes like those Graham Harrell excelled at, but Harrell never had the arm for the NFL.
Halliday, however, may throw the best deep ball of any Leach quarterback to enter the league.
The Bills staff would need to work with his decision-making skills, but there's enough talent there to make him worthy of this late-round selection.
Jerry Lovelocke, Prairie View A&M
7 of 9
Draft Projection: 6th Round, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys don't need to find Tony Romo's replacement just yet, but it's about time the team starts looking for a young quarterback to groom behind him.
Jerry Lovelocke is purely a developmental prospect, but his raw physical traits are exciting.
At 6'4", 245 pounds, Lovelocke has the same physical build as Jamies Winston and similar mobility to go along with the size. His accuracy is nowhere near Winston's level, but he would have a few years to work on those issues in Dallas before the team even considered throwing him into game situations.
Working with Jason Garrett and Scott Linehan would be an ideal situation for a still-developing quarterback like Lovelocke.
Hutson Mason, Georgia
8 of 9
Draft Projection: 7th round, Atlanta Falcons
What you see is what you get with Hutson Mason.
He doesn't have an exciting arm, isn't particularly mobile and doesn't even have much experience. But he's a smart, patient quarterback who knows how to play well within a defined system.
Mason is a classic example of a quarterback who will draw interest from teams strictly for what he could bring as a backup quarterback.
Like similar quarterbacks such as Jim Sorgi or Chase Daniel before him, Mason may never see significant time on the field but could be a valued piece of the roster for the stability he could bring to the backup role.
The Falcons need a steady pocket passer to work behind Matt Ryan, and Mason could be their guy.
Brandon Bridge, South Alabama
9 of 9
Draft Projection: 7th Round, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are another team with an aging quarterback who should be on the market for a late-round prospect to groom as a potential long-term replacement.
Brandon Bridge is as raw as they come, but if a team is willing to bring him along slowly, its patience may pay off down the road.
Bridge has a Colin Kaepernick-like build and perhaps an even stronger arm than the 49ers quarterback.
His decision-making and accuracy, however, are far from NFL-ready.
Grooming Bridge for the pros will be at least a two-year process. He has only one year of starting experience against lower-level competition, so the leap to the NFL will be difficult. But someone is going to take a flier on this high-upside prospect.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
