Originally posted by DraftaQB:Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:
I was assuming that would be part of the answer...to which I would reply, "even though he's played in a pro-style system, he has proven he's incapable of running it effectively and passing effeciently in it, whether it be this season (where health might have been a factor) or last (when he was completely healthy)."
I mean, he's not horrendous...but he's also not very good, especially for someone considered an early 1st rounder.
You're right, both Harbaugh and Gruden know more about NFL quarterbacking than all the wisdom on this forum put together. However, there is a thing called hubris, and sometimes it gets in the way of player evaluation (especially when it comes to the QB position).
IMO, more so than Newton, Locker will struggle in the NFL. From my non-professional observation, he doesn't seem to trust his eyes/throws quite often, and that's the kiss of death at the next level.
From what I saw of Jake Locker in 2009 he ran the offense pretty well and had a pretty decent 21-11 TD int ratio.
This year, due to the lack of talent around him and his injuries he seems to have lost a little confidence - but I'm pretty sure he still would be a decent prospect and a worthy 1st rounder.
As far as Newton goes, history really hasn't been kind to that kind of running QB in the NFL - besides Vick (and IMO the jury is still out on him) who else has been a consistent success?
Locker had the same talent around him in 2010 (Kearse, Aguilar, Goodwin, JJohnson and CPolk) that he did in 2009 (where you say he had a decent year)...how can you then claim "a lack of talent around him?" It's the same group, with a year of experience under their belt. I also noticed that you never touched on probably the most important stat of a college QB...his completion %. Locker has never been above the 58.2 mark for his entire career. His inability to show accuracy at the college level, in a pro-style system will be problematic...this you can count on.
Btw, Vick has arrived (though it took him awhile) as a pro QB, but it took a life-changing event to get him to focus on football and not the other trappings. My point is, the skill level and talent where there, but Vick didn't have the dedication needed (prior to his arrest) to become the QB that he is today.
VY had definitely started to turn the corner this year (10 TDs, 3 Ints and a 98.6 passer rating) and Tim Tebow had a damn good showing in his first start against a top 5 passing defense and overall, top 10 defense at the time (Raiders). If you do research, you'll find that many of the draft talking heads believe Newton is a better natural passer at this stage of his career than Tebow.
And I was a huge Locker fan up until this past season (from a potential standpoint). I saw a shell-shocked player who struggled to look like an NFL prospect in general, much less a 1st rounder.