Vick should be gone and I hope we bring in someone to start since Smith is not the answer. The problem is there are no good QBs available or teams like the Cardinals would have him. Smith is under contract and since it is guaranteed the money he will still be part of the team, unless we trade him. Fingers crossed! Seriously, I would trade Smith straight up for Mike Glennon. Lovie Smith would do the deal and it would be a smart move to get Smith out of here and give Glennon a fresh start. Here is my complete and long breakdown and why I would draft Sean Mannion in the 4th round. Marcus Mariota is the golden boy and this year’s top QB which some team will make their franchise guy. (Can we still dream?) He can run, throw and read defenses. Jameis Winston has the potential to be a franchise quarterback. Physically, Winston has the tools, but his off-field issues make his a huge question mark at being a pro NFL signal caller. (I hope the Jets stay away, far away from Winston.) Add in that Winston has thrown an alarming number of interceptions this season and tends to start games slow, there are clear warning signs he may have problems at the next level. After those two, most seem to think there is a steep drop-off. Michigan State’s Connor Cook has a good combination of tools and the consensus is he will be the #3 QB off the board. Brett Hundley of UCLA is another player with tools, but struggles from the pocket. Not a good sign in a pass happy NFL. Sean Mannion of Oregon State and Bryce Petty of Baylor are traditional pocket passers who won’t have their names called early in the draft, but could be the guys you would want. Dak Prescott’s name has been creeping up draft boards as of late, but he is too raw and should stay in school another year. My guy to bet the farm on is Sean Mannion of Oregon State, and there are plenty of reasons I like the kid. At 6’5” and 227 pounds he is the tallest QB in the draft this year and once he puts on some more muscle/weight he will be a typical NFL size OCs dream of. Now when I say bet the farm, its cost vs reward and as a mid to late pick he won’t cost much. The Jets have thrown way more money and picks away the last two drafts. When looking at Mannion's stats, one of the things I like is he was a four year starter who had 13,600 yards with a career completion percentage of 65%. His lowest QB rating was his freshman year and it was still 127.1. Mannion won’t impress anyone with his mobility, in fact he has none. (Very similar to Glennon.) Over his four years at QB, he only had 2 rushing TDs and totaled -804 rushing yards (counting sack.) and with a 4.95 speed he is pretty slow for a QB. Basically he either through the ball or was sacked. Last year I did a breakdown on Mannion before he committed to staying in college and he was the guy I liked the most. The only thing that has changed is I feel Mariota is more polished and would be my top pick considering his mobility. Aside from Mariota, Mannion would be my #2 who could be gotten at a steal for the price of a 4th or 5th round pick. He might still be there in the 6th round, but I wouldn't chance it. One thing I look at when breaking down my QBs are the supporting staff they have on both sides of the ball. Just as a good WR or TE helps a throwing game so does a stout running attack or a stingy defense. Last year Mannion had Cooks who was a top WR and drafted early in the 1st round to prove it. This year Mannion had no one to help his cause. Let’s face it, beside Mannion, Oregon State will be lucky to have two players drafted by its end and neither name will be heard before Mannion's. Isaac Seumalo (C) is the best support player on offense and some rate him as a top five center in the draft, but as an underclassmen he may not even come out this year. The only other Beaver who will hear his named called is Steve Nelson (CB), who is a top 15 CB in the draft. That’s it, he had no WR, TE, RB or OT to help him and a bad supporting defense that gave up 379 points. Now comparing apple to apples Mariota had a great supporting cast on both sides of the ball. From young talent who will be on the Duck's roster next year to at least 8 other players who should get drafted this year. Besides Mariota being the top pick, they will have three other players off the board by the end on the second round. They have Hroniss Grasu the best C is college, Arik Armstead the top 3-4 DE in college, and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu at CB who should also be gone in the 1st round. At least 8 kids from Oregon coming out in the draft are rated in the 15 at their position among all college players. That’s not counting the stack of talent the school has which will be returning for 1-2 years. If Mannion would have had the supporting cast Mariota had the last two years he might be a 1st or 2nd round pick. In the right offense the kids could be a good QB at a great budget of a price. My QB line-up which is realistic (possible) and I would be happy to have next year would be Glennon, Mannion, & Simms. Don't bother bashing unless you have a better idea which is realistic.
Mariota will be a good player and in the right system he could be great. I want him BUT we wont get him as you said. So that is a pipe dream as of now... The Glennon for Smith is interesting because Geno with Lovie in Florida could be good for him. Glennon for us is not the savior but is a decent option with a draft pick that we can develop and not throw in the fire day 1. Sean Mannion is an interesting draft choice to pair With Glennon and Simms. I think he might go in the 2nd-3rd round though. Another kid to consider is Garrett Grayson in this scenario. Grayson intrigues me because of his big arm and mobility and passing on the run.
Out of the mid-to-late round QB prospects, I prefer Grayson. His vision, pocket mobility, and accuracy are intriguing.
Garrett Grayson is an interesting QB but a late round pick. He did come on this year, but is essentially a two year starter with significant play time in his freshmen and sophomore seasons. He is about as slow as Mannion and also rushed for negative yards this season with no rushing TDs. So his mobility is not any threat at the NFL level. His lack of prototype height and speed make him a 10-15 ranked QB in this draft. He didn't have any better team as for as support than Mannion did and they both played comparable against Colorado and Hawaii. But over the past two season's Mannion had tougher competition and more high profile games. As a late round prospect Garrett Grayson wouldn't be a back pick, but for a team who needs someone to come in and try to start in 1-2 seasons Mannion is the pick I'll stick with. I think Mannion could beat out Geno his first season if they had a true completion at QB.
I don't mind Mannion in round 5 and have him as an understudy but it really depends on who the HC and OC will be. It is tough predicting which QB to place with the Jets for this very reason. He's suffered from a lack of a supporting cast and because he/Reilly relied so much on Cooks, there was going to be a tough transition period. I would not take him before Day 3 though, especially with the needs we have elsewhere and with no real QB separating from one another at this point. WR(If Harvin's gone)/ILB(If Harris is gone)/OL/CB would be a nice haul in the 1st 4 rounds and then you take Mannion in round 5, that's fine. Mannion having only one strong year in 13 may come back to bite him when it comes to draft day, teams will be looking for consistency out of college QBs. Bring Matt Moore(Another ex Beaver QB) and take Mannion and along with Geno Smith have a legit open competition for the job. Moore and Mannion of course know each other so it would be an easy mentor/student relationship. What have been your thoughts on what Mannion has accomplished so far at OSU? "It's been awesome, man. I've gotten to know him a little bit. I've gone up there, and I've been able to say 'hello.' He's a great kid, and just to be able to see him progress year-to-year, just as most Oregon State quarterbacks do, it's been tremendous. Obviously he got off to a hot start last year, and it doesn't shock me with the coaching they have up there. Coach Riley runs a great system. For a quarterback, you love it because you're reading the full field the whole time. You're shooting it downfield. The way he has kind of transformed that program has been fun to watch." What advice would you give Mannion on the NFL? "First and foremost, they have great coaches and obviously that's headed by Coach Riley. As a head coach, he spends a lot of time with the quarterback. Obviously I know Sean and Coach Riley have a great relationship. I would stay close to him. Really, I know when I was there we worked a lot in the summer and winter with the receivers on timing and routes. A guy like Sean who has achieved a lot already, he just needs to keep doing what he's doing. He needs to work as hard as he can his senior year. He just needs to have that mindset that you don't have all the answers. You need to keep learning, keep grinding. If he keeps putting those throws on tape, it'll work out for him." http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2014/08/former_beavers_standout_matt_m.html
Wait... Mariota... was who we were going to take? Idzik is that you? Would we have run the read option as well? While Tom Brady sits in his pocket and destroys us?
Well since I doubt we will get Mariota, I would draft Sean Mannion in the 4th round. He did the most with little support and with four years of college play in a more pro style, he is the best NFL ready QB.
