2011 NFL Draft’s weak QB class worries me

This year's class of NFL draft prospects features a very weak crop of quarterbacks, yet four players could be picked on Day 1. I have a hard time with first-round grades based almost exclusively on potential because of positional importance.

Auburn's Cam Newton has tremendous athleticism and is a two-way threat at the position, expect he actually has a pretty good arm, unlike some of the recent failures in this category of passers. Questionable intangibles have me running the other direction of Newton, and he'll take too long to learn how to play as an NFL quarterback (reading defenses, working through his progressions). Most coaching staffs don't get the luxury of waiting for a semi-project prospect to mature into the player's potential.

Arkansas junior Ryan Mallett has an exceptional arm but doesn't move well in the pocket, has major questions about his attitude and control of the team. He has the mentality of a gunslinger without the accuracy to be effective as one. Issues about his conditioning and ability to perform at a high level in big games are also present. What might bother me the most is that Mallett comes from an offense that has inflated the perceived value of several quarterbacks (Brian Brohm, Stefan LaFors, Dave Ragone). Mallett has bust written all over him if he doesn't take to coaching, and that's just not a risk I'd like to take in the first round. For the record, I don't think any NFL teams will bite on him until the second stanza of the draft.

Jake Locker, Washington's senior draft prospect, regressed as a senior and experiences terrible bouts of inconsistency. His mechanics are suspect, at best, and they usually lead to wild inaccuracy. Locker is quite mobile and can keep plays alive, but he needs to go through his progressions more often before taking off. He forces too many passes for my liking. It almost seems as though Locker has lost a lot of confidence behind an offensive line that has failed to protect him (David Carr, anyone?). Locker is likely a first-round selection, but I wouldn't consider him until the late 20s.

Missouri junior Blaine Gabbert is widely viewed as the No. 1 quarterback of this harvest, but he, too, comes with plenty of downside and question marks. A tuck-and-run signal caller, Gabbert comes from an offense that inflated his completion percentage (which wasn't even that good at 63.4 percent in 2010). He rarely goes through his progressions before getting happy feet and taking off. Gabbert, who tends to display a fairly elongated throwing motion, tossed only 16 touchdown passes last year, despite playing in a pass-friendly system with a fair amount of talent around him. Once again, I don't care for spending a first-round pick on a quarterback that doesn't come from a pro-style offense and will need to adjust to taking snaps from under center.

I understand every year won't produce a healthy yield of quarterbacks, but the 2010 group has me severely questioning why teams regularly feel compelled to reach for the position. After all, there is always a lot of risk involved in drafting even the "can't miss" prospects in the first....