It’s a tale as old as time. Tom Brady a 6th round pick. Kurt Warner, an Arena Football star who went Undrafted in the 1994 NFL draft. So who really will be next? The way Bleeping Idiots see’s it, there may be many to follow in these f

ootsteps. Below you will see the player profiles for my top 3 sleeper players at each position in the upcoming NFL draft

Top 3 Sleeper QB’s of 2011

1.) Pat Devlin QB, Delaware

Height- 6-4

Weight- 220

Pat Devlin has had a long road. The former Penn State recruit out of Downingtown East High school began the 2010 season with Delaware with a major chip on his shoulder. Devlin was highly recruited to Penn State, no doubt being hooked in with promises of starting and continuing the Lions legacy as he led them to glory. Devlin soon found out that the road to glory wasn’t as easily paved as he previously believed. Arriving at Penn State in 2006, Devlin and the coaching staff thought it wise to redshirt his 2006 season in order to better prepare for his future with the lions. Devlin began the 2007 season as 3rd on the depth chart behind Anthony Morelli, and the talented, athletic, Daryll Clark and saw very little action. But as the 2008 season approached, a glimmer of hope began to arise as Devlin was in a race for he #1 spot with the more athletic Daryll Clark. However, Devlin was never able to secure that elusive QB1 spot. So he decided to transfer to Delaware. Devlin Had great success at Delaware, and in the 2010 season, he threw for 3,000 yards, 22 td’s and only 3 interceptions, along with an impressive 68% completion percentage. He finished with his career at Delaware with 5,696 yards, 38 td’s, and 12 interceptions. An impressive ration of 3.16 td’s per every interception. Devlin has definitely created some buzz for himself in this years draft making him not as much a sleeper as he once was, still the fact that he is coming out of Delaware makes him the top of this list.

Strengths

• Great Size. The prototypical build for a QB, standing at 6-4 and weighing 220.
• Impressive Athleticism for his size
• Possesses an absolute cannon of an arm. Can make all the throws. Throws the deep out better than most Qb’s I have seen
• Great accuracy

Weaknesses

• Sometimes has to much faith in his arm, will make risky throws into coverage because he knows he can get away with it. But he won’t be able to sneak some of those throws in at the next level
• Footwork. Sometimes Devlin shows perfect footwork in the pocket, but other times, his footwork struggles, he will throw off of a straight leg from time to time, relying on his arm strength rather than planting for the throw, because of this his accuracy suffers.
• Level of competition. He lit it up at Delaware, but can he do it against the top players in the nation?

Projected Draft Status- I think Devlin will hop up teams draft boards if he has a strong showing at the combine. I project Late 2nd – Early 3rd Round (Bengals, Cardinals, 49ers, Titans, Jaguars)

2.) Mitch Mustain QB, USC,

Height- 6-2

Weight- 220

Mustain has had a long and very unproductive road, never quite living up to all of the potential he promised coming out of Springdale High School. The buzz surrounding Mustain was immense as he arrived at Arkansas in 2006, and won the starting QB job as a true freshman when he replaced Robert Johnson late in the teams first game against USC, a losing effort. Mustain led the Razorbacks to a record of 8-0, winning every game for the rest of the season. From there, it was all downhill for Mustain as he was benched for sophomore Casey Dick, who was said to have more experience.

After his benching, and the conclusion of the 2006 season, Mustain Decided to transfer. Mustain finished his Arkansas career with 894 yards, 10 td’s, and 9 ints, with a completion percentage of 56.2% A far fall from his high school glory.

Mustain transfered to USC in the 2007 season and in accordance to NCAA transfer rules, he was required to sit out the whole season, using it as a redshirt. Mustain never was able to grasp on at USC though, as in the 2008 season he battled with Aaron Corp for the job of backing up Mark Sanchez. Even after Sanchez declared for the draft, Mustain still could not secure that starting gig. In the 2009 season, Mustain Battled it out with Matt Barkley for the starting job. However, Pete Carrol decided to hand the reigns to true freshman Matt Barkley, and as a result, Mustain spent another season as a backup. 2010 saw more of the same for Mustain as he again backed up Barkley. In his career at USC, Mustain accumulated 495 yards, 2 td’s, and 3 ints, with a completion percentage of 58%

Strengths

• Mustain is a flat out winner. Since taking over the QB job in his freshman year of highschool, Mustain has led his teams to a record of 61-3 with his only collegiate loss coming in a 2010 start for USC.
• Solid Build
• Good Arm Strength
• Great football IQ
• Accurate on the run

Weaknesses

• Very little tape on Mustain
• Makes ill advised throws
• Footwork is a concern
• Not as athletic as teams would like to see
• Struggles with accuracy from time to time. One throw will look like an NFL throw, and the next a high school throw.

All in all, Mustain remains a toss up, but here at bleeping idiots, we advise to keep an eye on Mitch Mustain. He very well may be one of those players who is far more productive in the NFL than he was in College

Projected Draft Status- 6th Round (Raiders, Cardinals, Titans, Seahawks, Saints)

3.) Tyrod Taylor, QB, Va Tech

Height- 6-1

Weight- 212

This is my personal favorite in the list of draft gems as I have extremely high hopes for Tyrod Taylors NFL career. Taylor was an absolute star at Hampton High School throwing for 5,144 yards and 44 td’s and rushing for an additional 2,545 yards and 56 td’s. Coming out of high school, Tyrod attended the Elite 11 qb camp and was awarded the “Best Feet on a QB” award. He was the #1 rated dual threat qb, and the #3 Ranked overall QB in the nation.

The expectations were extremely high for Taylor as he arrived at Va Tech. In freshman training, he ran a 4.5 in the 40 yard dash.

Taylor never disappointed. He spent his freshman and Sophomore years at Va Tech sharing time with Quarterback Sean Glennon. During those years, Taylor flashed that incredible athleticism that made him the #1 ranked dual threat QB. He accumulated 1,158 yards rushing and 13 td’s. Taylor struggled in the pass game however, completing only 55% of his passes with 7 td’s and 10 int’s.

Taylor entered his Junior season as the unquestioned starter. After spending the whole off season working on his footwork, and accuracy, Taylor showed off a much improved arm. He completed 57% of his passes, for 2,311 yards with 13 td’s and 5 int’s. Taylor also engineered one of the greatest wins in team history vs. Nebraska.

In his junior season, Taylor was asked to hold off on running the ball because if he were injured, Tech would be left without a capable backup. In his senior season however, the reigns were removed and Taylor was let loose. After 2 heartbreaking losses in a row against Boise St. and James Madison. Taylor showed his leadership skills by calling a captains meeting and rallying the troops. The players rallied around Taylor and he led them to an 11 win streak to finish out the season. Taylor was sharp in the pass game, showing accuracy he had not yet shown. He also looked much faster and more agile than ever before. Taylor finished his senior campaign with a 60% completion percentage, 2,743 yards, 24 td’s, and 5 int’s. He also added 659 yards rushing and an additional 5 td’s.

Taylor in the next in a line of QB’s to come out of Hampton Roads VA. Following the likes of Michael Vick, Aaron Brooks, and Marcus Vick. Both Brooks and Michael Vick were able to produce at the next level and I believe Taylor will as well. Many scouts have him listed as a WR for the upcoming NFL Draft, but a closer look at Taylors strengths and weaknesses show otherwise.

Strengths

• Unparalleled athletic ability in comparison to the other QB’s in this draft.
• Extremely quick. Much quicker than he is fast, has agility and burst that is eerily similar to that of Michael Vick
• Great acceleration
• Incredible Arm strength
• Solid intangibles as proved in his Senior season when he rallied his team to come back from an 0-2 start to finish the season 11-2
• Phenomenal Footwork, moves in the pocket extremely well, and almost always gets his feet in the right position to deliver an accurate throw
• Always looks down field when scrambling. This is a player that warrants all of the comparisons he gets to Michael Vick, but this is the major thing that separates them. Where Vick would look to take off and run, Taylor is already more polished than Vick was. Taylor scrambles with his eyes down field, waiting as long as possible for a Receiver to break open before he decides to tuck it in and run. Don’t believe me? Check out his plays against Standford in the Orange bowl, or his comeback against Nebraska in the 09 season.

Weaknesses

• Decision making can be called into question
• Not ideal size for a QB, and will have balls batted down by the D linemen
• Struggles with accuracy from time to time, especially down field
• Durability? Has been known to get banged up from time to time
• Tends to trust his legs to much sometimes and as a result will bail out of the pocket before a play develops. He has much improved on this over the years, but will need a little more improvement

Overall, Taylor is going to be one to watch. He has made enormous strides over his 4 seasons at Va Tech and shows great promise if an NFL team is willing to give him a shot at QB. He will give you everything he has on every play. Even though he has struggled with accuracy from time to time, I have also seen him make throws that no one else in College football could make. Keep an Eye out for Tyrod Taylor

Projected Draft Status- 5th round pick (Eagles, 49ers, Saints, Bengals)