NFL Draft Preview: Quarterbacks

(This is the first of an 8-part series leading up to the 2007 NFL Draft. For the next eight days we'll examine each position in the draft and rank our Top 10 at each position. The final installment will feature the Fanatics 2007 Mock Draft).

The debate rages on as to who will be the first pick in the 2007 NFL Draft - LSU QB JaMarcus Russell or Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson?

While that issue is up in the air, the best quarterback in the draft, according to NFL scouts and other experts in the media, isn't. All point to Russell and his amazing physical gifts.

He has the size (6-6, 265 pounds), decent speed (4.8) and arm strength to make all the throws in the NFL. He is a specimen - of that there is no arguement, but there are some question marks in his game that can't be ignored.

Russell is prone to make dumb decisions and throw off his back foot. He came out early and has less than 30 starts in his college career. In addition, he didn't play in a pro-style offense at LSU and spent most of his time in the shotgun. So there's definitely a learning curve involved.

He will be drafted first or second overall because of his physical abilities, but Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn has the best upside of any of the quarterbacks in this draft.

Quinn was a four-year starter, in a pro-style offense that was run by Charlies Weis, a two-time Super Bowl winning coach who groomed Tom Brady while he was offensive coordinator of the Patriots.

Quinn put up decent numbers at the combine, including a surprising 24 reps in the bench press and has all the throws. The knock against him was his 2-8 record in big games with the likes of USC and Michigan. That is minor to say the least. He has been over-analysed to the point of nausea.

While Quinn doesn't have the physical makeup of Russell, he is the more NFL-ready quarterback and the one with the better future in the league. So based on what we've already discussed - the Football Fanatics Blog goes against the grain and rates Brady Quinn the number one signal caller in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Top 10 Quarterbacks:
1. Brady Quinn - Notre Dame
2. JaMarcus Russell - LSU
3. Drew Stanton - Michigan State
4. John Beck - BYU
5. Trent Edwards - Stanford
6. Troy Smith - Ohio State
7. Tyler Palko - Pittsburgh
8. Kevin Kolb - Houston
9. Jared Zabransky - Boise State
10. Jordan Palmer - UTEP

Best Pro Prospect: Quinn
Sleeper: Toby Korrodi, Central Missouri State
Falling: Smith