NFL Draft 2011: Top 5 Quarterback Prospects Compared to Pros

Even though NFL players are currently locked out, there is still one event NFL fans can look forward to: the NFL draft.

The NFL draft, in my opinion, could be considered a national holiday—its that important to NFL teams. A team could hit or miss on any pick and so much research is put into a pick that it's almost like making a new best friend in three months. 

Maybe the most important position in football is quarterback, which can turn around a franchise. This year there are some great quarterbacks in the draft who could become franchise quarterbacks for their new teams.

Here are my top five quarterbacks compared to pros in the NFL.

5. Ryan Mallett

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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

Ryan Mallett from Arkansas has all of the intangibles needed from a franchise quarterback. Mallett is 6'7", 250 pounds with a rocket arm. He doesn't have great mobility in the pocket and has trouble with accuracy occasionally but in college he got it done.

Mallett has been said to have personal issues off the field. There are rumors of drug use, such as cocaine and other types of drugs. He has also been arrested for public intoxication and has been labeled as an issue off the field.

Comparing Mallett is kind of tough, but a quarterback I would compare him to is Byron Leftwich. Leftwich is also a humongous quarterback who weighs 250 and is 6'5". Leftwich has a very strong arm and is not the most mobile quarterback ever. He does get it done though, just like Mallett. 

Leftwich has had a pretty good career and if Mallett can compare to him in the NFL he could be very good in the NFL.

4. Andy Dalton

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Andy Dalton #14 of the TCU Horned Frogs throws a 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 had a magnificent career at TCU piling up a record of 36-3. He has a very accurate arm but it is not very strong. Dalton is a winner though and has led mid-major TCU to three bowl victories including a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin. 

Dalton is not the biggest quarterback in the draft but can still get it done with his very accurate arm. He is also slightly mobile and knows how to win. 

My comparison to Dalton is former New York Jets quarterback and now Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington. Pennington has a weak arm kind of like Dalton but has great accuracy and can win at any level. If Dalton can become like Pennington in the NFL he can have a good NFL career with some playoff appearances. 

3. Jake Locker

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 27: Quarterback Jake Locker of Washington runs a passing drill during the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Jake Locker could have come out during his junior year and could have been the first pick overall, but he decided to stay and try to lead Washington back to prominence. 

Things did not go as planned and Locker showed some signs of not being the quarterback scouts saw during his junior year. He had accuracy issues and against the Nebraska Cornhuskers he only completed four passes, making his draft stock fall fast.

Locker still has a lot of potential to become a great quarterback in the NFL though. He runs a 4.5 40-yard dash that makes him dangerous running the ball. Locker also has a very strong arm and can throw the ball anywhere on the field. He is also a very smart player but just needs to work on his accuracy.

A good comparison to an NFL quarterback would be Tim Tebow. Both quarterbacks run the ball very well, have accuracy issues but at the same time have big arms that can throw the ball anywhere on the field.

2. Blaine Gabbert

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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

Blaine Gabbert is only a junior coming out of Missouri but has a lot of potential to become a big-time quarterback in the NFL. Gabbert has a pretty strong arm with great accuracy. He also has above-average pocket mobility.

He did not put up huge numbers at Missouri like some other quarterbacks have but he has good size at 6'4", 235 pounds, which scouts love. A knock on his game is that he does come from a spread system in college and could have trouble adjusting to a pro-style offense, but he can easily get used to it in my opinion.

A good comparison to an NFL quarterback for Gabbert is Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers. Both quarterbacks have pretty good arm strength but have phenomenal accuracy. Both also have some kind of pocket mobility. 

1. Cam Newton

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

Cam Newton in my opinion is the No. 1 quarterback of this draft. Yes, he has accuracy issues throwing the ball, but his athleticism and arm strength can help cure his accuracy issues in the NFL.

Newton stands at 6'6", 250 pounds and runs an amazing 4.56 40-yard dash, which, at his size, makes him a freak and somewhat of a gem to scouts. He has above-average arm strength but he does have accuracy issues that could be a burden in the NFL.

A big knock on Newton is his personal issues off the field. Newton is a very vocal person with a big personality that many people say is cockiness. He has also been arrested for stealing a laptop and accused of being paid to go to Auburn after attending a junior college.

A great comparison to Newton is Josh Freeman. Freeman does have a better arm than Newton but both quarterbacks have magnificent size and Newton is faster. They both have good mobility in the pocket and out of the pocket. If Newton can fix his accuracy issues he could be even better than Freeman.