Rhett, Rhett, Rhett!
— Scarlett
Frankly, my dear, the Broncos should ghett Rhett and forget Mark.
Rhett Bomar says John Elway “was my idol.” He wears No. 7. He was the top-rated high school quarterback in the country. He has a strong arm and a cocky attitude. He became a starter as a redshirt freshman at Oklahoma and was named the offensive player of the game in the Holiday Bowl. He was a primary reason the Sooners were predicted to win the national championship the following season.
Then, his college career crumbled.
He was kicked out of Oklahoma after receiving illegal payments from a local car dealership, Big Red Sports & Imports.
Checks totaling $7,466.08 may have cost him a chance at the BCS championship and checks totaling millions of dollars as a first-round NFL draft choice.
Rhett Bomar was gone with the wind.
But he’s again trying to make a famous name for himself.
If Josh McDaniels indeed is a Quarterback Maker, the Broncos should select Bomar as a value pick in the third round instead of doing a deal to move up in the first round and take Mark Sanchez. Both are risk-reward QBs.
The Broncos must keep their vital 10 draft slots, especially the two in the opening round, and concentrate on defensive players next weekend.
Sanchez might be Matt Leinart, Matt Cassel or Tommy Maddox (the last underclass quarterback the Broncos selected from a California school in the first round), or he might be a product of the system. Bomar definitely is the best quarterback to come out of Sam Houston State, and he is not a product of the system.
In the draft, the Broncos need two defensive ends (one in the first round), a nose tackle (possibly in the first round), a linebacker, two cornerbacks, two safeties, an offensive guard and . . . a quarterback in a pear tree.
If the Broncos were to trade up to get Sanchez, they would lose two significant picks that should be applied to the atrocious defense. And Sanchez wouldn’t play next season, anyway, and is no sure thing for the future.
Bomar, 23, is the best senior quarterback in the draft despite playing the last two years at a Division Championship Sub- division (whatever) college. He did throw for 340 yards against Kansas last season.
Sanchez and Bomar have similar size (slightly over 6-feet-2 and 225 pounds). Bomar had better results than Sanchez at the NFL combine in the 40- yard dash (4.85 to 4.88) and two other competitions (Bomar was first in the 20-yard shuttle), and he has the more powerful arm. Bomar is more mobile and did play in a shotgun formation at Oklahoma and Sam Houston State, throwing for 7,500 yards and 47 touchdowns in three seasons. He’s a field leader and a competitor and carried a bad team, much like a couple of former Broncos quarterbacks (initials J.E. and J.C.).
If the Broncos don’t grab Bomar, the Cowboys will. And if Bomar is a bust or a backup, the Broncos didn’t waste a No. 1, and 2010 is a serious year for college QBs. No telling where Bomar would be if he hadn’t messed up at Oklahoma.
There were issues about Bomar’s judgment at OU — the stupid fake job and two arrests for underage drinking — but he has been humbled and changed at Sam. NFL evaluators still wonder, although Bomar was impressive at the Senior Bowl practices and made all the throws. He will be a starting quarterback in the NFL someday, scouting reports agree.
McDaniels helped a couple of other quarterbacks who weren’t drafted high. Imagine if he could pull off this challenge. People (like me) would get over the other guy.
Among the other 30 quarterbacks: Sanchez is overrated. Josh Freeman has NFL size but not NFL starting ability. Graham Harrell’s arm and offensive schemes at Texas Tech have been questioned, and Pat White will be a receiver, not a quarterback, in the pros. There are doubts about the height (and heights) of Nate Davis, John Parker Wilson and Chase Daniel.
Todd Boeckman lost his starting job at Ohio State, and Nate Longshore his at Cal. Some guys have the correct height but incorrect promise.
The other intriguing prospect is Texas A&M’s Stephen McGee, who is 6-3, quick, smart and a solid athlete. McGee played only six games as a senior after being injured and failing to regain his starting job, but got good reviews at the combine (4.66 40).
The Broncos’ first-round selections (12 and 18) won’t be as sexy as Sanchez, but they should come from a group of defensive players including B.J. Raji, Tyson Jackson, Brian Orakpo, Rey Maualuga, Robert Ayers and Aaron Maybin.
And, in the third, Rhett. Miss Scarlett would faint.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
