Brady hunch: Quinn won't be No. 1 pick if Brohm goes pro

The top player on the board is Louisville's Brian Brohm. If he jumps to the NFL, he would be ahead of Notre Dame senior Brady Quinn in the race to be the top quarterback -- and probably the top pick.

 

 

 

We're in the thick of bowl season, college all-star games are right around the corner and some NFL teams will end their seasons this weekend.

You know what that means?

It's time for our first look ahead to the 2007 NFL Draft.

Here's the skinny: If the high-profile juniors forgo their senior seasons, it will be a heck of a draft.

What follows here is the first of my top-32 lists, and it is junior heavy. Of the top 10, six aren't seniors, including the top three.

The top player on the board is Louisville's Brian Brohm. If he jumps to the NFL, he would be ahead of Notre Dame senior Brady Quinn in the race to be the top quarterback -- and probably the top pick.

LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell is another passer who should go high if he decides to enter the draft.

Some of the juniors on my board have already said they're going back to school. But until that's official -- a lot of players change their minds after the bowl games -- I will include them here. Rose Bowl tackles Jake Long of Michigan and Sam Baker of USC are two such players.

This list will be updated before the combine in late February and again before the draft in April. Use it as you watch the bowl games in the coming weeks to get a better idea of what some of these players can do.

1. Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville (Jr.): Most scouts and personnel people have Quinn here. I like Brohm better. I think he has a better command of the pass offense and he throws a better deep ball.

2. Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech (Jr.): Scouts have told me he's the best player they've seen in a long time. He hasn't said he's coming out, but if he does he will be a top-five pick. He's special.

3. Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma (Jr.): One scout said he's another Eric Dickerson. That's high praise. There's no reason for him to stay in school. He will be a great NFL runner.

4. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame: He understands the NFL passing game, having played for Charlie Weis, which means he can step in and play right away.

5. Joe Thomas, T, Wisconsin: He would have been a high pick last year if he didn't get hurt in the Badgers' bowl game. Now he's the top lineman in the country.

 

22. Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville: He played at Louisville as a 15-year old. He's now a 19-year-old senior. At 6-1, 310 pounds, he has Warren Sapp-like quickness.

Strange that "most scouts & personnel people have Quinn here", yet he puts Quinn at #4?

As strange as it sounds, I don't believe a QB goes #1 in this years draft...The league is full of talented QBs and theres alot of proven commodities already in the league and in a tradeable position...I think the WR from Ga Tech goes #1 and Oklahomas Peterson at #2 with Quinn at #3..If Brohm comes out, he'll go somewhere in the 10-20 range, depending on a teams need....

I wouldn't wish that #1 pick on either. Detroit is not the place you want to be, and if it were Oakland it won't matter because Oakland is not going to take a QB. IMO not being selected by Detroit would be the best thing that could happen to either one of them.

As strange as it sounds, I don't believe a QB goes #1 in this years draft...The league is full of talented QBs and theres alot of proven commodities already in the league and in a tradeable position...I think the WR from Ga Tech goes #1 and Oklahomas Peterson at #2 with Quinn at #3..If Brohm comes out, he'll go somewhere in the 10-20 range, depending on a teams need....

 

A QB is going in the top two, all but guaranteed. Detroit has to recognize by now that Jon Kitna is not the QB of the future for them, and they'll have one of the top two picks. Everyone seems to see Calvin Johnson going to Oakland, so I think it'll be Johnson to Oakland and Quinn to Detroit. The order just matters on which team is worse.

 

As for Peterson, that also depends. Neither one of those two teams is going to draft a running back, so Peterson is not going to be top 2. Currently the #3 team is either Cleveland or Tampa Bay. The Bucs have Williams, so I don't think they're going to take Peterson. Cleveland might take him to compliment or replace Droughns. Cleveland is the only team that high that is in need of a running back, as the other teams at 5-10 or worse are: Washington (Portis & Betts), Houston (Domanick Davis), and Arizona (Edge). Extentending to the 6-9 teams you've got: Minnesota (Chester Taylor), San Francisco (Frank Gore), and Miami (Ronnie Brown). Each team has other needs to fill so unless they consider A.P. such a talent that they can't pass, I don't think he goes there. If Cleveland doesn't draft him, I don't see Peterson in the top 10.

If he comes out, I can't see the Raiders passing on Brohm. We already know Al wanted Petrino, and I bet he would think Brohm would help get him...

If Houston passes on Peterson, after passing on Bush last year, their fan base (chirp chirp) might implode.

Teams that I could legitimately see drafting a QB first round:

-Detroit (Kitna on the outs)

-Buffalo (Dark horse, they seem to believe in Losman)

-Minnesota (Johnson just not getting it done, they do have Jackson maybe)

-Jacksonville (Leftwich and Garrard not exactly killing this year)

 

And that's it. Every other team that has had QB troubles this year has a QB they've invested in (like Tampa resigning Simms, Miami with Culpepper, Chicago still believes in Grossman, etc.). I don't think you'll see more than three QBs going in the first round this year, and a lot of ratings currently have it: Quinn, Jamarcus Russell, then Brohm. Troy Smith will be in the mix as well.

If Houston passes on Peterson, after passing on Bush last year, their fan base (chirp chirp) might implode.

 

I'd have to agree, but IMO Peterson isn't considered to be the multi-faceted "once in a lifetime" style of player that can't be missed. Bush brings a lot more to the table. He runs, catches passes, etc. Peterson caught 8 passes last year for the Sooners. The guy is a running back, plain and simple. With Davis returning and the Texans having three other capable running backs on the roster, I just don't think they're going to take him.

I'd have to agree, but IMO Peterson isn't considered to be the multi-faceted "once in a lifetime" style of player that can't be missed. Bush brings a lot more to the table. He runs, catches passes, etc. Peterson caught 8 passes last year for the Sooners. The guy is a running back, plain and simple. With Davis returning and the Texans having three other capable running backs on the roster, I just don't think they're going to take him.

AP is an "every down" back, Bush isn't. While Bush is more multi-faceted, AP may well become the better "running back." I don't think Houston considers Domanick Davis a stud back, and they certainly aren't counting on Dayne & Co. in the future. Just my opinion, but I think he ends up there.

 

On the Troy Smith front, do you think he'll be in the mix as a first rounder as a QB?

Y'all may think I'm crazy, but Houston needs to draft an Offensive line. They aren't going to get anywhere until they do that.

 

Just my opinion...which may not be worth the cyberspace I used to post it! :lol:

Y'all may think I'm crazy, but Houston needs to draft an Offensive line. They aren't going to get anywhere until they do that.

 

Just my opinion...which may not be worth the cyberspace I used to post it! :lol:

You are dead on. If they draft anyone on O, it needs to be on the line...

AP is an "every down" back, Bush isn't. While Bush is more multi-faceted, AP may well become the better "running back." I don't think Houston considers Domanick Davis a stud back, and they certainly aren't counting on Dayne & Co. in the future. Just my opinion, but I think he ends up there.

 

On the Troy Smith front, do you think he'll be in the mix as a first rounder as a QB?

 

Most projections I've seen have him as the #4 prospect at QB should Brohm come out early. Only three QBs were drafted last year in the first round (Young, Leinart, Cutler), and like I said, I think those four teams above are the only four that might potentially draft a QB in the first round. I think Brohm would be lucky if he fell to Jacksonville (which in one mock is where they had him). Brohm fans should not want to see him thrown to the wolves in Detroit, Oakland, etc.

Y'all may think I'm crazy, but Houston needs to draft an Offensive line. They aren't going to get anywhere until they do that.

 

Just my opinion...which may not be worth the cyberspace I used to post it! :lol:

Should do this or will do this? You're right with what they SHOULD do in theory -- I just think they want to get the fans excited after last year's debacle, and a LT or RT won't do that. Just a guess...

But nothing gets a fanbase madder than a team that's not improving. A.P. is not what they need and they'll regret it if they draft him.

 

Plus, I think last year's debacle was made worse by not only not taking Bush, but also not taking Young who then turned into a stud for the Titans. Are there any hometown heroes coming out this time?