The class is … miserable, awful, horrendous, useless. Jameis Winston has talent, but he also comes with big, giant, screaming red flags. Marcus Mariota is a guess, but there’s a world of potential. Beyond those two … good luck. The rest of the quarterback class if loaded with prospects who project to be career backups – at best – and too many projects to deal with. 
The most overrated prospect: Jameis Winston, Florida State
The top underrated prospect: Brandon Bridge, South Alabama 
The deep, deep sleeper: Jerry Lovelocke, Prairie View A&M 
The best value prospect: Bryce Petty, Baylor 

1. Jameis Winston, Florida State 6-4, 231
– The tools are there to be an NFL quarterback. He has the size, the strength, the resume and the arm. He can make all the throws and should be NFL ready – at the very least, he can step in and fire. However, he’s not accurate enough as more of a power pitcher than one with a lot of touch. 
– Tough in the pocket, almost to a fault. He’s going to take a beating, but he sheds pass rushers like they’re a soft breeze. He’ll hang in there to let plays develop. 
– While he’s a smart guy, he made way, way, way too many mistakes off-the-field at Florida State. He had to say, “I have to do better” far too often. Do you trust him? The detractors think he’s a phony, while several teammates followed his leadership.
– Despite all the issues, the guy lost one college football game in two years of starting. While he put his team behind the 8-ball too often, he also bailed it out of jams. The proof is in the production. 
Yes or No?: Yeah, but he’s the best option in a horrific lot of quarterback prospects. Take away the off-the-field knucklehead moments, along with the controversies, and there’s still a question mark about his consistency, interceptions, and lack of athleticism. Even so, he’s a pro-style quarterback who can start in the league for a long time if he’s not a turnover machine. 
Round Value: Top Five Overall

2. Marcus Mariota, Oregon 6-4, 222
– The athleticism is astounding. Everything you thought you saw at Oregon holds up in workouts with tremendous speed, leaping ability and quickness. Basically, this offseason he had a workout that most NFL-caliber wide receivers would be happy with. 
– Character, character, character. In today’s day and age of the NFL, he shoots up the charts because he’s not a dillweed. Very smart, very likeable, very hard worker. He’s exactly what you want the face of your franchise to be off the field. 
– He doesn’t have the arm. It’s okay, and it’s not a liability, but if you’re looking for him to throw a pea through a 2×4, that’s not happening. The bigger problem is that he’ll have to prove he’s a pocket passer after making all his best throws on the move. There are some throws that elite NFL quarterbacks can make that he can’t.
– Does he have the fire? It takes a certain sort of demeanor to be a superstar NFL quarterback, and it take a guy who’ll get in everyone’s face from time to time and be a jerk – in a good way. He has the fire in the way he plays, but not as a leader of a team. He’s missing that alpha male element.
Yes or No?: It’s all a guess. Name the spread/system quarterback who has made the conversion and really, really rocked? He’s going to be a good starter, but he’s not going to be the type of quarterback who’ll win a Super Bowl because he’s Marcus Mariota. 
Round Value: First Round

3. Brett Hundley, UCLA 6-3, 226
– Very athletic, he can get out of bad situations with his feet and can make big things happen with a nice arm and the ability to make things happen on the move. He has all the raw tools and all the abilities, but there’s a lot more to being an NFL quarterback, and he’s just not consistent enough to make anyone comfortable starting him – he could’ve really, really used another year in school. 
– Looks the part, acts the part, talks the part, but is he the type of quarterback who can lead a team to a championship? Decision-making ability is a disaster at times in pure passing situations. He might be the type who needs a few years before there’s a boom, but it’s going to be ugly at times before he gets there.
Yes or No?: Not really, but he’s worth a chance to develop if you already have a good starter in place. He’d be perfect in a spot where he could sit, work, and throw a bazillion balls a day as a backup for a few years before taking over. He’s not the next Aaron Rodgers, but the Rodgers-behind-Favre situation could reap big rewards. 
Round Value: Third Round

4. Bryce Petty, Baylor 6-3, 230 
– Is he a system guy or can he function in an NFL offense? He looks like a pro-style passer in workouts, and he’s a natural at spinning the ball, but there’s a big difference – obviously – between throwing in shorts and operating from an NFL pocket. However, he looks like he can be a drop-back quarterback with a little time. 
– A terrific athlete, he’s quick, can move, and he has the right tools for the next level. However, he has to learn how to hit the second and third reads and get through his progressions without a problem. 
Yes or No?: Don’t be floored if he turns out to be the best quarterback in this draft if given two years to work on his craft. He’s a good leader, he has the ability, and he’s a good enough worker to be one of the few guys who can make the transformation from system quarterback to an NFL playmaker. 
Round Value: Third Round

5. Sean Mannion, Oregon State 6-5, 229
– The size and skill and potential are there, but can he actually translate the tools to the field? Turned the ball over way, way too often and doesn’t have anything truly special about his game. When he was on, he was among the most effective and productive quarterbacks in college football, but he regressed a bit last year without Brandin Cooks to throw to.
– He throws lots and lots of picks, and he’s not an athlete in any way. He’s a big, strong passer who knows how to operate in a pro style system. He’s more NFL ready than most of the quarterbacks in the draft, and there’s upside to his game if he can get a little more comfortable in the pocket. 
Yes or No?: He can make a very, very good living as a backup quarterback for the next ten years. He’ll see an occasional start, 
Round Value: Fifth Round

6. Brandon Bridge, South Alabama 6-4, 229
– Can he become a downfield passer? Does he have enough experience – how long is he going to need before he has any prayer of being an NFL starter? It’s all there, but will he need a year or three before he’s ready for primetime?
– While he was a bit erratic at times this offseason in workouts, he has the arm, he has the mobility, and he looks the part. Now he needs time to throw and throw and throw and throw – he has to try to improve his accuracy. He has to be able to harness all of his tools and grow into the job. Few NFL quarterback have his arm.
Yes or No?: Purely a developmental prospect, there’s a lot to work with but a lot of work to do. If he can get with a true quarterback guru, and if he’s given a few years, there’s a world of upside that most quarterbacks in this draft don’t have. 
Round Value: Sixth Round

7. Garrett Grayson, Colorado State 6-2, 213
– He’s just too small. He looks like an NFL quarterback throwing-wise, and he has the pro-style tools needed to go along with surprising athleticism, but he plays a bit down to his 6-2 size. Worse yet, it takes too long to get the ball out of his hands. However, when he does let it rip, he can put the ball anywhere he wants to.
– Few quarterbacks in this draft have his unteachable accuracy. Outside of his windup, he doesn’t need a whole bunch of work on his mechanics or his touch. He doesn’t have a huge arm, but he can hit the deep ball, but he’s able to gear it down a bit when he has to – he’s a terrific pure thrower. 
Yes or No?: Scouts are going to love him because he doesn’t come from some namby-pamby spread thing, but he has too much missing to his game. He looks the part, only a half-tick slower and too smallish considering his style of play.
Round Value: Fifth Round

8. Shane Carden, East Carolina 6-2, 218 
– He has everything you’d want in an NFL quarterback but talent. He doesn’t look the right size, he doesn’t have the arm, he doesn’t have the athleticism, and he doesn’t have the ability to crank out the deep throws. However, he’s smart, tough, and knows how to play. His intangibles go beyond the tools. 
– He could have a nice, long career holding a clipboard. He’s not an NFL starter, but you could do a lot worse for a No. 2 or emergency quarterback. He’ll always be ready to step in and stop the bleeding for a game or two – at least that’s the hope. 
Yes or No?: He isn’t worth a draft pick. Let someone else draft him and take him, see what he is, and then snap him up off a practice squad. 
Round Value: Sixth Round

9. Connor Halliday, Washington State 6-3, 196
– Can he play outside of the Mike Leach system? Can he play from under center? He has to get past a bad leg injury – he wasn’t able to workout – and he’s going to need a ton of time and work before he looks the part. Until he heals up and is 100%, he’s just a pure project who knows how to throw the ball.
– He’s way too thin – he needs to add about 15 pounds of good weight – and he doesn’t have a huge arm. Throw in the lack of athleticism and there’s a lot not to like. However, he’s a good rhythm passer who could grow into a very sound, very reliable backup option. 
Yes or No?: He can’t be a regular starter. There’s no need to draft him, but he’s a good enough thrower to keep around to see if he can shine in the right system. 
Round Value: Free Agent 

10. Taylor Kelly, Arizona State 6-2, 198 
– He’s a guy who makes things happen as both a runner and a passer. He has a good enough midrange arm to move an offense, and he’s the right type of self-starting leader who an come in off the bench and pull a game out of the fire if the starter gets hurt.
– He doesn’t even remotely look the part of an NFL quarterback and is purely a baller, but at some point, he’ll have to make up for his lack of a deep arm. He’s all about intangibiles, and he’s all about being a different look, if he ends up playing.
Yes or No?: There’s no need to draft him, but he might be a strong No. 3 option who can do a lot of things for a practice squad. He’s smart enough to make a roster as a key backup. 
Round Value: Free Agent