NFL Draft 2011: Who Could Be Tom Brady's Next Disciple?

Entering the 2011 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots sit with nine draft picks, the most out of any NFL team. 

When looking at New England's roster from a pure "depth-perspective" the quarterback position jumps out. The Patriots only have two quarterbacks on their roster—Tom Brady and Brian Hoyer. 

With nine selections, it's quite possible Bill Belichick will look for a quarterback to possible "groom" and make him Brady's disciple, like Hoyer. 

Forget Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker and Ryan Mallett. I'm talking about a later-round pick—a true developmental project.

While analyzing this year's draft class at the quarterback position, three possible players could catch Belichick's eye: Alabama's Greg McElroy, TCU's Andy Dalton and Iowa's Ricky Stanzi. 

Here's a quick analysis of the three prospects:

Greg McElroy - 6'3", 225 lbs.

Strengths

McElroy proved to be a winner during his time at Alabama posting a 23-3 career record as a starter. He's extremely efficient as a passer, especially his senior year where he completed 70.6 percent of his passes. 

McElroy played for a coach within the Belichick coaching tree: Nick Saban. While playing for Saban, McElroy played in a pro-style offense, and showed great strength at reading defenses and checking down receivers properly. 

When it comes to intelligence, McElroy is the draft's best—he finished with the highest Wonderlic test score out of all quarterbacks in the draft class.

Weaknesses

McElroy's glaring weakness is his arm strength. He cannot make NFL throws, he needs to improve tremendously. Another minor note is that he takes too many sacks rather than throwing the ball away.

Andy Dalton - 6'2", 220 lbs.

Strengths

Dalton is the most experienced player out of the three, and he is a winner. During his time at Texas Christian University, Dalton recorded an impressive 42 wins. 

Dalton is notably a team leader, and coaches and players show great respect towards him due to his football intelligence.

He is extremely athletic, considering he played in a college spread offense, but he can make NFL throws. 

Weaknesses

He's pretty much average—doesn't stand out with any great talents. 

As stated earlier, he played in a spread-style offense, and will need to adapt to an NFL offense. 

Ricky Stanzi - 6'4", 221 lbs.

Strengths

While playing in a pro-style offense at Iowa, he's the most "NFL-ready" out of the three. 

He's notably a great leader and was Iowa's team captain.

Plays with a high motor, and makes all the right decisions due to his high football intelligence. 

Weaknesses

Stanzi needs to improve his accuracy to succeed at the next level.

Another major issue with Stanzi is that his footwork in the pocket is awful. However, he has shown signs of being mobile, which is a plus.

Conclusion

Out of the three quarterbacks, I would not be surprised if Belichick takes a fourth- or fifth-round pick on these guys. Yes, they are not top-tier prospects, but they do have potential and can be groomed into an NFL backup, or even a starter. 

Be prepared to see New England draft a quarterback, due to the fact that they only have two—not because Brady is aging right before our eyes. None of these prospects will be considered Brady's replacement. 

NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net.

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