7 NCAA Quarterbacks 49ers Should Pay Attention To Through Bowl Season
With the 2010 Bowl season underway, many of the nation's best young football players are being given a chance to showcase their talents one last time before they embark on their pro careers.
Naturally, many 49ers fans will want to pay attention to quarterbacks.
San Francisco's 2010 season has been all but swept away by a storm of quarterback controversy. Both Smith's will be free agents this off-season, Nate Davis is still entirely untested, and David Carr will (in all likelihood) be let go. In one round or another, it's extremely probable the 49ers will draft a quarterback in 2011.
The performances they put forth in their respective bowl games will leave lasting impressions.
Note: several players mentioned may not enter the draft quite yet.
* indicates a Junior
**indicates a sophomore
Cam Newton
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*Cameron "Cam" Newton—6'6—250—Auburn
Bowl Game: BCS National Championship Bowl—Jan. 10, 2011—Glendale AZ
Cam is pretty much the biggest of the big boys. Newton plays an amazing game at his size, and moves incredibly well. He's another of several very tall quarterbacks who could be in the draft market this coming April.
The most impressive thing about Cam Newton, however, might be his will. The tangibles on Cam are awesome for sure, but his reputation as the NCAA's comeback kid ballooned severely in 2010. Newton lead the Auburn Tigers to come-from-behind victories in eight of the teams 13 wins this season.
Andrew Luck
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**Andrew Luck—6'4—235—Stanford
Bowl Game: Discover Orange Bowl—Jan. 3, 2011—Miami, FL
Perhaps the only person in the world who will be surprised if Luck declares himself draft-eligible has a last name that rhymes with turkey. The sophomore is a cornerstone of a Stanford program on the cusp of greatness.
Nevertheless, fans of cellar dwellers all over the country are eyeing Luck as a likely first-overall draft pick for 2011.
Luck has it all. He's tall, but not a huge target for defenders. He's fast, but not inviting contact. He's got a nice arm and a mind capable of digesting Jim Harbaugh's 300-play-plus offense.
One of the less talked about aspects of Lucks game, however, is his booming deep voice. A team struggling to win on the road often has issues dealing with crowd noise.
*Cough*Alex*cough*Smith*cough*
A quarterback whose voice resonates the way Lucks does could work miracles for offenses having this problem.
Kellen Moore
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*Kellen Moore—6'0—185—Boise State
Bowl Game: MAACO Bowl—Dec. 22nd, 2010—Las Vegas, NV
Matchup: Utah Utes
Little Kellen Moore is anything but the prototypical quarterback, and could possibly even go undrafted in April if the planets and stars line up terribly. Its fair to believe he will stay at Boise for his senior season. If sophomore Andrew Luck from Stanford is being mentioned as a first-overall pick who will start for an NFL team in 2011 however, then Moore deserves a little attention here as well.
More's stats stand tall, even when he doesn't.
Moore has a record of 37-2 as a starter. His three-year career at Boise has so far yielded 803 completions on 1180 attempts for 10,528 yards. Moore's put up 97 touchdowns and only 18 interceptions—10 of which came during his freshman year. He also has three rushing touchdowns, and one touchdown receiving.
On a particularly interesting note, Moore is a southpaw, and thus his field is flipped, along with the rotation of the passes he throws.
Update: Moore wasn't perfect in Boise States 26-3 stomping of Utah. All he did was complete 28 passes for 339 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Ryan Mallet
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*Ryan Mallet—6'7—238—Arkansas
Bowl Game: Sugar Bowl—Jan. 4th, 2011—New Orleans, LA
Matchup: Ohio State
Mallet, or "Big Tex" as he been appropriately named, has Ben Roethlisberger (only bigger) written all over him. He's a big guy with a strong arm. He can see (and throw) over just about any lineman in the NFL. Although scrambling isn't a huge part of his arsenal, he's got a cannon for an arm and he knows how to use it.
Jake Locker
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Jake Locker—6'3—226—Washington
Bowl Game: Holiday Bowl—Dec. 30th, 2010—San Diego, CA
Matchup: Nebraska
It was said that Jake Locker would have been the first overall pick in 2010 if he had entered the draft. When Locker opted to return to Washington for his senior season, however, he might have hurt his draft position a fair amount. This position might take another hit when Washington's offense goes up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and their black shirts on defense.
If Locker looks good, though, it should be considered a very impressive performance—Nebraska is no joke.
Terrelle Pryor
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*Terrelle Pryor—6'6—233—Ohio State
Bowl Game: Sugar Bowl—Jan. 4th, 2011—New Orleans, LA
Matchup: Arkansas
The other quarterback in the Suger Bowl, Terrelle Pryor has great size as well. It's Pryor's speed and scrambling ability, however, that set him apart. With wheels clocked in the 4.3 range for the 40, Pryor can make a fool out of many defenders.
Colin Kaepernick
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Colin Kaepernick—6'6—225—Nevada
Bowl Game Matchup: Fight Hunger Bowl—Jan. 9th, 2011—San Francisco, CA—Boston College
Kaepernick is an intriguing physical specimen who should fall well past the first round. The senior scored 20 touchdowns rushing and 20 passing in Chris Ault's weird pistol offense this season. At 6'6 with good mobility, think of Kaepernick as "Cam Newton Lite."
Honor Roll Of 7 More QBs To Watch This Bowl Season
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Christian Ponder—6'3—220—Florida State
Bowl Game: Chick-fil-A Bowl—Dec. 31, 2010—Atlanta, GA
Tyrod Taylor—6'1—205—Virginia Tech
Bowl Game: Discover Orange Bowl—Jan 3, 2011—Miami, FL
Opponent: Stanford
Scott Tolzien—6'3—205—Wisconson
Bowl Game: Rose Bowl—Jan 1, 2011—Pasadena, CA
Opponent: TCU
Andy Dalton—6'3—215—TCU
Bowl Game: Rose Bowl—Jan 1, 2011—Pasadena, CA
Opponent: Wisconson
Greg McElroy—6'1—210—Alabama
Bowl Game: Capitol One Bowl—Jan 1, 2011—Orlando Florida
Opponent: Michigan State
Zack Frazier—6'4—230—Connecticut
Bowl Game: Fiesta Bowl—Jan. 1, 2011—Glendale, AZ
Opponent: Oklahoma
Taylor Potts—6'5—220—Texas Tech
Bowl Game: TicketCity Bowl—Jan. 1, 2011—Dallas, TX
Opponent: Northwestern
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
