2011 NFL Draft: Ranking the Top 10 Quarterback Prospects

Quarterback prospects are the most talked about players leading up to the NFL draft. With prospects such as Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Mallett all making the jump to the NFL this season, there is once again a lot of speculation surrounding which quarterback prospects are the best.

I will rank the top 10 quarterback prospects in this year's NFL draft and let you know who will be taken off the draft board first.

As always, let me know your comments, regardless of if they are good or bad.

10. Ricky Stanzi (Iowa)

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TEMPE, AZ - DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Ricky Stanzi #12 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the Insight Bowl against the Missouri Tigers at Sun Devil Stadium on December 28, 2010 in Tempe, Arizona. The Hawkeyes defeated the Tigers 27-24. (Photo by Christian Peter

Stanzi doesn’t have the big arm that Newton, Gabbert and Mallett have, but Ricky is a winner and knows how to lead his team to victory.

Ricky is a high-IQ quarterback that has great accuracy and will be a great late-round pickup for any team that would like to improve its depth at quarterback. At 6'4" Stanzi also has good height for an NFL quarterback.

The lack of arm strength will hold Ricky Stanzi back, but if you can get past that, then you will find Stanzi is definitely a quarterback worth looking at.

9. Greg McElroy (Alabama)

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ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: Greg McElroy #12 of the Alabama Crimson Tide smiles after winning the Capitol One Bowl against the Michigan State Spartans at the Florida Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2011 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

McElroy doesn’t make losing a habit, and he is more than a dependable field general for a coach to rely on.

McElroy has nice arm strength and mechanics, but a broken hand has plagued him as of late. Greg is also a high-IQ quarterback and has tremendous smarts, which he showed on the Wonderlic test, where he scored 48 out of 50.

McElroy projects to be a solid NFL backup, and many draft projections are predicting that he will be taken in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL draft.

8. Pat Devlin (Delaware)

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COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 25: Quarterback Pat Devlin #7 of the Penn State Nittany Lions hands off the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes on October 25, 2008 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

The former Penn State Nittany Lion is hoping to follow the path of his predecessor, Joe Flacco.

Devlin has good size at 6-4 and scouts love the Delaware product’s accuracy. There are concerns about the level of competition Devlin played against at FCS Delaware, although as I said earlier, Flacco showed that the transition can definitely be made to the next level.

Many draft projections are predicting that Devlin will fall to the fourth round, which would allow him to inherit a situation where he could mature as a backup first before one day hopefully taking on a starting role.

7. Christian Ponder (Florida State)

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CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 04: Teammates EJ Manuel #3 and Christian Ponder #7 of the Florida State Seminoles watch on during warmups before the start of their game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Bank of America Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Charlott

Christian dealt with two arm surgeries throughout his time at Florida State, and there are questions regarding his recovery from the surgeries.

Despite health problems, Ponder had an extremely successful career as a starter for the 'Noles. Christian threw for 6,872 passing yards and 49 touchdowns.

Scouts love Ponder’s accuracy, and his 6'3", 227-lb. frame is also passable and won’t raise any questions. Christian’s mobility is also impressive and was put on display at FSU, where the quarterback rushed for 10 touchdowns.

If Christian can put to rest the doubts that come with his injury history, then he could begin to really rise up draft boards.

6. Andy Dalton (TCU)

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Andy Dalton #14 of the TCU Horned Frogs looks to pass against the Wisconsin Badgers in the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Andy Dalton threw for over 10,000 yards and 71 touchdowns during his four years at TCU. Dalton capped of his Horned Frog career with a victory over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

A proven winner that put up big numbers in college, Dalton has been rapidly ascending the draft boards.

Questions about Dalton’s arm strength and accuracy are holding him back from moving up in the draft. Many scouts wonder if Andy will be able to make the transition to the NFL.

Andy Dalton will be available in the middle rounds and could be, as Mel Kiper calls it, “a good value pick” for teams that are in need of a quarterback.

5. Colin Kaepernick (Nevada)

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JANUARY 09: Colin Kaepernick #10 of the Nevada Wolf Pack throws the ball against Boston College during the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park on January 9, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Questions may arise about Colin Kaepernick, but no one will ever question the prospect’s mobility. Kaepernick rushed for 1,206 yards last season and scored 20 touchdowns with his legs.

Kaepernick put up big numbers at Nevada with his legs and also with his arm. There are questions about the level of competition Kaepernick played against in the WAC, but Colin did play well against Boise State last season.

Kaepernick is one quarterback who is rapidly ascending draft boards, and it will be interesting to see how far he can climb until draft day.

4. Jake Locker (Washington)

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SEATTLE - OCTOBER 30: Quarterback Jake Locker #10 of the Washington Huskies scrambles against the Stanford Cardinal on October 30, 2010 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. Stanford won 41-0. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Jake Locker was considered to be the top quarterback prospect available in last year’s draft before he made the decision to return to Washington for his senior season.

Unfortunately Locker didn’t enjoy a storybook ending with the Huskies, and the quarterback only threw 17 touchdowns in comparison to nine interceptions. Questions about accuracy and the inability to put up huge numbers in college are dogging Jake as the NFL draft approaches.

The 6'3", 230-lb. quarterback does have a strong arm and good mobility, which bodes well for Locker at the next level. As a freshman at Washington, Locker ran for 986 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Jake Locker’s play and performance with the Huskies has been dissected and deliberated to death, so it will be nice to see Locker finally make the transition to the NFL. There are questions surrounding Jake, but there are also aspects of the quarterback’s game that translate to the next level.

3. Ryan Mallett (Arkansas)

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Quarterback Ryan Mallett #15 of the Arkansas Razorbacks looks to pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Matthew

Mallett has tremendous arm strength to go along with his 6'6", 238-lb. frame. Ryan threw 62 touchdowns passes during his past two seasons at Arkansas, and there is no denying the strong-armed quarterback’s big-play ability.

The quarterback was also a winner during his time in Fayetteville, as evidenced by Arkansas’s Sugar Bowl appearance last season against Ohio State.

There are questions surrounding Mallett’s mobility, attitude and decision-making though. Scouts don’t like the fact that Mallett doesn’t show a lot of scrambling ability in the pocket. There are also concerns that Mallett sometimes lets his emotions get the best of him on the football field despite Ryan’s insistence that those issues are behind him. Finally, there is a worry that sometimes Mallett forces passes into coverage.

All in all, Mallett is still one of the top quarterbacks available in this year’s NFL draft.

2. Cam Newton (Auburn)

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 27: Cam Newton looks on during the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Newton won a junior college national championship at Blinn College and then brought a title to the fans at Auburn during his one season at the school.

The one undeniable fact about Cam is that he has won everywhere he has gone and comes up big in the big games. Scouts are also impressed with his strong build, athleticism, and rocket arm.

There are definitely a lot of things to like about Newton as a prospect, but there are a couple of potential drawbacks.

The two major red flags have been discussed ad nauseam, but they are character issues and throwing mechanics. The scandal involving Cam’s father Cecil was well documented, but it will still be an issue that Cam will be questioned about by NFL executives. In addition, scouts have said that they see problems with the way Newton delivers the football and have their concerns about his mechanics.

Cam Newton is without a doubt the most polarizing prospect in this draft class, and despite the fact that he will in all likelihood be a first-round pick, there is great debate about Cam’s future prospects.

1. Blaine Gabbert (Missouri)

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TEMPE, AZ - DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Blaine Gabbert #11 of the Missouri Tigers drops back to pass during the Insight Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Sun Devil Stadium on December 28, 2010 in Tempe, Arizona. The Hawkeyes defeated the Tigers 27-24. (P

At 6'5", 235 lbs., Gabbert has the prototypical size to go along with the strong skill set that has NFL scouts drooling over the Tiger quarterback.

Blaine’s arm strength is off the charts, and the quarterback shows no problems firing it down the field with ease. What is truly impressive about Gabbert is that he was able to put touch on his passes in college and make the short throws as well.

The only knock on Gabbert is that he played in a system at Missouri that doesn’t translate well to the NFL. Blaine played out of the shotgun in college and lined up with four- and five-wide receiver sets. Gabbert will have to adjust to playing in a more traditional pro-style offense when he is in the NFL.