Perhaps in a few years the great quarterback debate of the 2006 NFL draft will seem silly, if it’s remembered at all.
For now, Matt Leinart, Vince Young and Jay Cutler have formed a Holy Trinity of quarterback prospects.
All are large, between 6-feet-3 and 6-5. All will turn 23 within three weeks of next weekend’s draft. All proved, while playing in powerhouse college conferences, they are highly accurate passers. All will go in the first round, perhaps within the first 10 picks. All figure to be foolproof as future NFL starting quarterbacks.
Then again, that’s what so many NFL coaches, scouts and executives said in 1999 when Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith went 1-2-3 in the draft. Remember? If not, don’t feel bad. A mere seven years later, two out of three are forgettable.
“With all these guys you have no clue until two or three years down the road,” Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist said. “That’s what makes the draft so interesting for fans to watch and so nerve-wracking for NFL types. I mean, there are no slam dunks, I’m sorry. It’s easy for people to play Monday morning quarterback with the draft.”
With the 15th pick in the draft, the Broncos may not have enough trading power to move up and make Leinart, Young or Cutler their future Sunday morning quarterback.
There is but one quarterback who could tempt the Broncos to push all their chips to the middle of the table. One player who has a chance to become the Michael Jordan of the draft. One player who has the potential to single-handedly dominate a game and carry a franchise to dynastic proportions.
Ringing endorsement
That one player is Vince Young.
Reggie Bush? A running back cannot carry a franchise. See the combined win-loss records (119-136-3) and playoff victories (one) of Barry Sanders and Gale Sayers.
For those who don’t believe Young can make such a difference, listen to running back LenDale White, Leinart’s teammate at Southern California. White probably would have been the MVP of the college championship game in January had Young not taken the honor away for Texas.
“I would never trade away the three years I had with Matt as my quarterback,” White said. “But if I was an NFL team, I don’t know how you could not take Vince Young. A quarterback’s job is to control the game. When a guy throws for 260 and runs for 200 in the biggest game of the year, he doesn’t just control a game, he shows he can completely take it over.
“Nothing against Matt, but Vince has to be the No. 1 guy.”
Imagine the gifted Young receiving instruction from Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. The possibility might even tingle the brain waves of a mastermind.
What are the chances of the Broncos pulling off a draft shocker and nabbing Young?
A week ago, when they had two first-round picks, they were less than minuscule. Now that they have dealt their 22nd pick to the San Francisco 49ers for second- and third-round picks, the Broncos seem to be betting on a quantity of good players rather than one future chance for greatness.
Considering the Broncos are coming off a season in which they were one win from reaching the Super Bowl, their position is understandable. They need players who can contribute in 2006. Quarterback isn’t considered a priority with Jake Plummer coming off his career-best season and recently collecting a $2 million signing bonus.
Not so fast
Besides, while some are ready to bronze Young’s bust for Canton the minute he signs his first professional contract, another group of astute NFL thinkers believes he is also the most likely among the Big Three to flop. Cutler, the most obscure of the three after playing at Vanderbilt, has a far stronger arm and Leinart appears considerably more polished.
Concerns about Young’s low throwing motion and Wonderlic scores make some wonder if he is capable of transferring his dominance from Saturday to Sunday.
“I like the kid, but because of the salary cap and the guaranteed dollars for a top-five pick, if you miss, particularly with a quarterback, you can put your franchise behind for the next five years,” said Mike Mayock, draft expert for the NFL Network. “So if I start with that premise as a general manager, the way I look at Vince Young is, am I going to bet my franchise that this guy can become the type of throwing quarterback he needs to become in order to succeed at the next level? Therein lies the rub for me.”
But among the Throwing Trio, Young may be the only fit for a Broncos system that puts a premium on agile – and therefore smaller – offensive linemen. While undersized linemen perform wonders in a zone-blocking run scheme, it’s imperative their quarterback has quick feet for those third-and-longs.
Even if Leinart and Cutler are more athletic than scouts are surmising, they are not exactly Plummer, or Bradlee Van Pelt for that matter, when it comes to producing out of the pocket.
There are no scrambling issues with Young, who casts John Elway and Steve Young into drop-back quarterbacks by comparison.
“Young is the type of guy who is a generational prospect when you talk about his athleticism and size,” Sundquist said. “We may not see another guy him like from the standpoint of height, weight and speed for quite a while to come.”
NFL-ready
It’s all but unanimous among scouts that if the priority is immediate return on a high-draft investment, the quarterback order would begin with Leinart, who may have been NFL-ready two years ago.
The debate begins when the subject is pointed to the quarterback who will have the best career. At this point, Leinart’s stock flutters along with his questionable arm strength.
“I think Jay Cutler is going to be the best NFL quarterback,” Mayock said. “He easily has the most arm. He has the quickest release. This is a guy who has played behind a poor offensive line with no NFL-caliber receivers who is used to being under pressure, throwing into small windows. And that’s what the NFL is all about – throwing under pressure to small windows.”
Others believe anything contrary to the notion Young is a once-in-a-lifetime talent is an example of paralysis by analysis.
“When you look at Vince Young and what he can do, I think the best way to put it is, ask Mike Shanahan if he wants to play against him,” said Gil Brandt, the former longtime general manager of the Dallas Cowboys. “You could ask 32 coaches, ‘Do want to play against Vince Young?’ and I think 32 guys would say, ‘No.’
“I don’t think there’s any question Vince Young can be great.”
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
