Three New Names to Consider when Thinking about Seattle’s Next Quarterback

With only four regular-season games left in college football, we’re starting to see the crème de la crème of the nation’s quarterback talent.

In parts one (http://www.seahawksgab.com/2009/09/06/labor-day-weekend-key-time-for-seattle-as-team-looks-to-future/) and two (http://www.seahawksgab.com/2009/09/30/which-star-college-quarterback-should-land-with-seattle-part-two-of-series/) of the five-part series in which I break down and decide which of four of the country’s top collegiate passers the Seahawks should draft this April, I stuck to Colt McCoy, Jevan Sneed, Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow.

Maybe it’s time to be a little less narrow minded and, instead, open up our horizon a bit.

While not tossing out those four from the mix, part three will be spent looking at three others that Seattle could be mulling over as Draft Day approaches.

Jake Locker (Jr. at Washington)

According to Scout’s Inc.’s Top 32, Locker comes in as the fourth best player overall and the nation’s top quarterback prospect.  He’s also one of the semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award, an award that is given to the country’s top college quarterback. 

Despite playing on a subpar team at Washington, Locker’s been able to prove that his hype hasn’t been overdone.

In each of his three years at the U-Dub, Locker improved his season completion percentage from 47.3 percent in 2007 to 53.8 percent in an injury shortened 2008 campaign to a current percentage of 56.2.

What should be noted is that Washington hasn’t played a schedule of merely creampuff teams.  USC, BYU, LSU, Boise State and Notre Dame have been some of his opponents and against these teams Locker has held his own.

*Courtesy of ESPN.com

Jimmy Clausen (Jr. at Notre Dame)

Like the Huskies, the Fighting Irish have not had the kind of success as they are accustomed to.  That hasn’t stopped Clausen though, as he ranks second in Heisman Watch ESPN Experts’ Poll and is eighth overall and the second quarterback listed on the Scout Inc.’s Top 32.

Like Washington’s Locker, Clausen is one of 15 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award.

Clausen could easily be the first quarterback taken in this year’s NFL Draft, should he decide to turn pro.  His ability to not only complete high percentages of his passes but also his propensity of making the big play and his leadership skills are everything that a head coach and general manager would kill to have.

*Courtesy of ESPN.com

 Case Keenum (Jr. at Houston)

Although not ranked in Scout Inc.’s Top 32, Keenum comes in at sixth overall in the Heisman Watch ESPN Experts’ Poll.

A couple of things immediately stick out about Keenum that make him an intriguing second- or third-round selection in this year’s NFL Draft, should Keenum decide to declare.

The first is his completion percentage and his touchdown totals.  By now you all should know I love statistics, but not because I’m a junkie or anything like that.  If you look close enough, stats can really tell a lot about how a player thinks and reacts, among other things in various situations, environments and against various levels of competition.  Despite playing in Conference USA, Keenum has played some quality out-of-conference teams and has done well, especially this year.

*Courtesy of ESPN.com

Just like the previous two quarterbacks I’ve discussed, Keenum is one of the remaining 15 vying for the coveted Davey O’Brien Award.  That’s because he is a poor man’s Jimmy Clausen/Colt McCoy.  He has the ability to air it out, his completion percentage is outstanding, he excels in hostile road environments and, in an especially similar characteristic to McCoy, he has the arm strength to toss 40+ balls on a regular basis because his arm is the focal point of his team’s offensive attack.  The reason why I call him the “poor man’s” version of these two big-time quarterbacks is that he’s flown relatively under the radar because of the conference he plays in, something that could prove to be beneficial for the Seahawks if they wanted to draft him later in the first round or even in the second. 

*Courtesy of ESPN.com

Rankings

Just looking at these three quarterbacks, this is how I would rank them in terms of who I want wearing a Seahawks logo on his helmet next year. 

1. Jimmy Clausen
2. Case Keenum
3. Jake Locker

Clausen is a stud and I think he could be the next Peyton Manning.  If he lands on a team with a good-to-above-average pass catcher or two and even an alright running back, Clausen should be able to take the team into the playoffs sooner rather than later.

Keenum really intrigues me because of what he’s done at Houston, but, more importantly, because he could possibly come later in the first round or even in the second round.  If Seattle could snag him in the second round, the Seahawks could spend one of their first round selections on an offensive lineman.  The offensive line is getting older and is constantly riddled with injuries.  Bringing in one of the country’s top collegiate linemen to help improve the unit both immediately and down the road is something that should be seriously considered.  With Seattle’s second first-round selection, the team could fill its other glaring need, a top-line running back.  The thought of improving both the offensive line and at running back while still being able to get an elite quarterback is amazing.

In terms of Locker, I’m just not sold on the guy.  Yes, he’s very skilled, but I just don’t see him performing well at the next level.  Ever since he came out of high school people were comparing him to Tim Tebow and I never have thought that Tebow, although an amazingly athletic football player, is the kind of quarterback that I would want running my pro team’s offense.  Look at how well Alex Smith, a similar quarterback to Tebow in abilities, has done at the professional level.  Option and spread-style quarterbacks just have not cut it at the NFL level. 

Check out my next round of analysis of college quarterbacks to keep an eye on after Week Twelve of the college football season.