Blaine Gabbert: Was the Missouri QB this Good Coming Out of High School?

With the NFL draft being about a month away, I decided to go back and re-visit another top prospect and examine his high school merits. This time, that prospect is Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who is regarded by most as the top signal-caller in the draft.

Gabbert is a lock to go in the top 10, and he is gaining steam to go first overall to Carolina. A 6'5", 230-pounder with a cannon arm and great athleticism, he has all of the tools to be solid starting NFL field general. But was Gabbert expected to be this good at Missouri?

In 2008, the top QB college football recruiting was Terrelle Pryor, but some had Pryor as an ATH. Gabbert was always looked at as the best pure passer in the country and an elite prospect.

Rated a five-star recruit, he was ranked slightly ahead of other top QBs in the class such as E.J. Manuel, Dayne Crist, Mike Glennon and one Andrew Luck.

Gabbert was invited to and attended the prestigious Elite-11 QB camp the summer before his junior year and lit up the event. Just two days into the week-long camp, talk was Gabbert was the top QB there over the likes of Luck, Crist, Jacory Harris, Kyle Parker, Manuel and Landry Jones.

Observers said he had the best arm there, and his 6'5" frame and athleticism projected him to be a future star.

The junior QB was originally pledged to Nebraska, as then-coach Bill Callahan was in the midst of installing a pro-style West Coast offense for Big Red. Gabbert was Callahan's prized QB recruit to grow with.

Ultimately, Callahan was fired after a sub-par season, and this forced Gabbert to re-open his recruitment.

The idea of staying in the "Show Me State" and playing in a wide open, QB-friendly spread offense at Mizzou appealed enough for Gabbert to sign with the Tigers. Back then, he was in the 6'4", 225-pound range, but his athleticism and arm strength were plenty apparent to everyone.

In high school, Gabbert dictated his own throwing lanes due to his size, saw easily over the rush, had solid pocket presence, could make plays with his legs and obviously had the arm to attack all three levels of a defense. His accuracy was very solid, and he made solid decisions with the football.

As a true freshman, Gabbert backed up Chase Daniel, who now serves as a backup to Drew Brees with the Saints. When given the reigns, however, he tossed for nearly 6,800 yards and 40 scores in his two seasons as a starter. His pro prospects picked up steam as 2010 wore on, and he declared for the draft.

Gabbert shows just about all of the qualities now as he showed as a five-star QB recruit in 2008. He's a pure pocket passer who can get out and run.

I think an underrated strength of Gabbert's is his run strength when getting up field with his legs. He's a big, strong player who generates good force at full tilt, which will serve him well in the NFL.

Some have questioned his accuracy at times, but that can be fixed with proper coaching on shoulder, footwork and stride discipline. Others negate him on not having experience from taking snaps from under center, but at his pro day, Gabbert showed that he has come a long ways in just a few short months of honing his drops and climbs from the snap.

Gabbert likely will hear is name called before Cam Newton's as the first QB chosen at the annual NFL College Player Selection Meeting next month. So as you hear about him now—watch him get drafted next month and became a starter on Sundays in the NFL—just remember it all started with him being a tall, strong-armed high school QB who was followed in college football recruiting.