Sam Bradford, Ndamukung Suh, Gerald McCoy The Top Three Players Since 1989?

After spending three days around the brightest minds in the NFL during last week’s owners meeting in Orlando, John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com kept hearing that the three players at the top of this year’s draft are the best trio of sure-fire NFL players since the 1989 draft that produced Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders. Czarnecki omitted Tony Mandarich from that draft’s top selections, but the significant point being made was that quarterback Sam Bradford of Oklahoma and defensive tackles Ndamukung Suh of Nebraska and Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma have can’t-miss greatness stamped on their foreheads.

FOXSports.com

 

LMAO bradford doesnt crack my top 20 and mccoy is barely in the top 10. Not having berry in this discussion is CRIMINAL. berry and suh are this years best players hands down

 

I want to slap that man square in the face

 

Werent they saying that in 2006 too with Bush, Hawk, Fergeson, Williams, Leinart and Young

yaaaaaanotquite

 

Sam Bradford is the real deal folks.

 

The real deal for what?

 

The Shotgun-Spread Offense that everyone in the NFL runs.

Oh, wait....

 

lolz....bradford is terrible, he was half the prospect as stafford when he was a heisman winner, hes even less being out of football for a year now

 

But Todd McShay thinks different!!!!!

 

Haha, McShay is clueless. I will say that the Bradford hate here is a little strong though. I don't have any idea whether he'll be a bust or not, but plenty of people that get paid to figure that out in the NFL seem convinced he's the most talented QB.

 

Sam Bradford is the best QB prospect in the last two draft classes. He's more familiar with the pro style offense than some of the haters are giving him credit for... This isn't a Tim Tebow issue either, Sam Bradford is fine under center, so that's not a concern at all. Good arm, great accuracy, smart, and a leader. If given the opportunity to compete for the starting job, he'll be under center from day one. He'll pick up what he doesn't know, very very quickly.

Of course, with experts like ''K Train'' up there, telling us how ''terrible'' he is, I'm not so sure the Rams will be drafting him at the #1 spot. Keep up the good work, Train, and keep posting, eventually you'll hit on something.

 

huh? are you high?

Most of the passes in the Sooner playbook are out of the shotgun formation. That brings us to perhaps the biggest concern that GMs have about not only Bradford but almost all of the college spread formation quarterbacks-what about his footwork? The QB is under center for nearly all plays in the NFL.

Traditionally, shotgun or spread offense rookie QBs struggle with the 3, 5 and 7 step drops fundamental to the NFL passing game. Many high pick shotgun/spread formation QBs have failed. Nearly always their downfall has been due to footwork/accuracy problems. It is nearly impossible to have NFL level accuracy by a quarterback that lacks consistent footwork. The passing windows are microscopic compared to those in college even in good conferences. Timing of the throw is critical and timing is determined by footwork.

A second and nearly equally significant concern is the ability of Bradford to make pre-snap reads. An NFL quarterback must be able to read the defense before the snap to determine if the play needs to be changed or not. The Oklahoma system involves the team looking to the sideline to get the play. The reading of the D is done by the coaching staff in the booth, relayed to the sideline and given to the QB.

In the NFL, the QB must make the reads. Is the opponent going to blitz? Are they in zone, man or a combination coverage? Each of these possibilities requires different patterns and play calls. Many of the Big 12 QBs have never been responsible for making those reads. The problem is made more significant by the multiple defenses the NFL uses. While he had NFL quality receivers, they were not facing NFL quality defensive backs. These guys are bigger, faster, smarter, and hit a lot harder than any college conference defenses.

Yet another major question the NFL will have is Bradford's ability to anticipate the player coming open and hitting the spot where he will be when the ball gets there. Often that ability is what separates the very good quarterback from the Hall of Fame one. The Sooner offense is not built to require that. Almost all the patterns require a WR to stop in the open area because the Big 12 plays so much zone. In cases where he has faced man coverage, he has at least convinced me that he can anticipate the open receiver

Toughness really hasn't been tested at this point in his career; never seen pass rush
Arm strength is good, but he will struggle to fit ball in tight windows if he doesn't make very quick decisions
We really do not know if he can make throws on the run yet
Doesn't make any jaw-dropping throws
Doesn't have Stafford/Sanchez level of upside
Is never really forced out of pocket

 

Nice analysis.

 

Listen Todd McShay, Bradford will take time transitioning to an NFL offense, no matter what you say. He may pick it up playing under center fast, but what about everything else?

 

Bradford being a better prospect than Stafford is just jokes.

Bradford is made of glass and isn't even close to Staffords arm strength.

 

who the heck are you?

everyone thought alex smith was a super stud too....go ahead jump on the bandwagon and watch the wheels fall off. bad shoulder, questionable arm strength, not THAT great of accuracy to be calling it great, spread system. all im saying is hes set up to fail like alex smith and those failures before him and he will end up looking like the last few oklahoma QBs. sorry to bust your crap but you can question my opinions all you want but i hit more than i miss.

if bradford declared last year, stafford would be a lion today hands down its not even close, literally half the prospect and that was as a heisman winner and record setter, now hes been out of football hes even less