QB CLASS: 2013 vs 2012 - Your Verdict?

[Iamcanadian]

You can throw out the assessment of previous drafts when comparing college QB's today. The change in the college game from an era when the top teams relied almost solely on the run has passed and many college QB's throw the ball 10X more than previous era QB's.
Pro teams used to have to guess how good a college QB could be based on very little actual footage of a QB throwing the ball because they only did it occasionally. In today's game, college QB's pass the ball almost as often as a pro QB and come into the pro game far more advanced than their predecessors. This makes the transition from college ball to pro ball just that much easier. It is far easier today to get a full read on every aspect of a college QB's game because in the end, college QB's now find themselves facing many of the challenges of a pro QB.

I think the trend to 5 or 6 QB's being pro ready every year is here to stay and the success rate will be very high year after year.
The 2012 draft crop was 1st class and I have no doubt that the 2013 class will produce many NFL starters although I see no Luck or RG111 in the group, however there is great depth and as many as 3 or 4 QB's may well succeed and be 1st rounders before all is said and done.

Draftniks are just going to have to change their thinking on the potential of college QB's. The top 3 this year are Smith, Barkley and Glennon but the second tier is also bound to produce a starter or 2, so overall it will be a solid just not a spectacular draft year for QB's.

[Saints-Tigers]

I don't like anyone this year as much as I liked Tannehill last year, and I didn't think he was a 5 star prospect at all.

[SRK85]

2012 without a doubt. I doubt Barkley will make a good impact on any team especially when you look at the other USC QBs that were drafted top 10. Geno Smith maybe decent. But 2013 QB draft class is looking pretty weak.

[PossibleCabbage]

The top of the 2012 QB class was one of the best in memory. The top of the 2013 QB class looks pretty bad.

As for later round guys, who can tell?

[SAGA45]

Hindsight is 20/20. Its hard, if not impossible, to simply forget about the performance of the '12 QB Class in the pros and give an opinion completely based the class as it was before these guy's names were even called on draft day. Not say this invalidates anybody's opinion but it can't be ignored. That said I agree about '12 bein the better class. For me, it's about depth rather than the top guys. '12 just had more depth.

However, I disagree about their not being any Franchise quality QB's in '13. There's some obvious guys like Geno and Barkely. But watch out for Klein. I know the majority sentiment here is that he's a mid-late rounder. But don't underestimate how much scouts will value Leadership and Elite intangibles. Klein gets the 'poor man's Tebow' comparison a lot but I think Klein is further along as a passer than Tebow is RIGHT NOW, let alone when he came out of FLA. To me Klein has that 'it aint over til it's over' aura about him....that rare Swagger that makes you feel like no matter what he's gonna find some way to win the game or 'will' his team to a victory. That can't be coached and is something that, by the time the draft rolls around, will likely propel Klein into the earlier rounds. There will be some teams that fall in love with the guy's film.

[Saints-Tigers]

I don't think this is a hindsight is 20/20 thing. Even if you strip down the actual play on the field, Luck/Griffin are so enormously physically superior to Barkley and Smith.

Nothing seems special about these guys at all to me. I've never been a fan of Barkley, and Geno Smith is sort of like Robert Griffin if you strip away all the physical tools that make him special.

Not feeling it. I'd love to have been a team needing a QB last year. This is one of those years where I'm bolstering up other parts of my team and worrying about my QB next year, unless I fall in love with a guy in the later rounds(but if you fall in love with a QB in the late rounds, he probably won't go in the late rounds!).

[descendency]

It's not hindsight. This QB class has just wilted under the scrutiny of being the people that are actually being scouted.

[SolidGold]

Watching Luck has been amazing. His transition to the pro game has been stellar. It makes me laugh when people were trying to hype up Griffin as the number 1 pick. Luck is such an amazing player - so smooth and natural out there.

Like every year players will rise and fall during the pre-draft process. I think a team is going to fall in love with Barkley at the senior bowl (if he decides to attend) and combine. He has all the tools needed- he should be the first QB taken. The exposure for guys like Glennon/Jones/Dysert/Smith will also be key and as it is every year some team will fall in love with a player.

Klein is a wildcard and in the mold of big strong mobile QBs that teams love. I think his stock is rising. Too much is being made of his throwing motion and he has displayed arm strength and accuracy. He does what is asked of him in the offense but he has really shown development in his passing game.

[PossibleCabbage]

Originally Posted by descendency

It's not hindsight. This QB class has just wilted under the scrutiny of being the people that are actually being scouted.

Yeah, one of the major stories of this year's QB class is that through the majority of the college football season absolutely none of the QBs have stepped up and made a strong case for themselves.

I mean, last year you had the presumptive #1 meeting expectations and the eventual #2 producing at a torrid pace showing NFL skills on the way to to the Heisman trophy. Even Tannehill looked good last year (even if his team didn't.)

This year we have the presumptive #1 underwhelming in game after game and guy who started hot falling on his face midway through the season. Absolutely nobody else (who is draft eligible) has really impressed in a "I will hand this guy the keys to my NFL team" sense.