Dynasty Draftnik

Cardinals, 6th round. San Diego St.: Good size. Very good hand size.

Positives: Pro-style QB with spread experience. Willing to run when necessary, but only as a last resort. Nice anticipation on slant and timing patterns. Good overhand delivery. Throws nice spiral that is easy to catch. Excellent play fakes. Above-average arm strength and velocity. Invited to Shrine Game, but went to Senior Bowl as Ryan Tannehill’s injury replacement.

Negatives: Below-average accuracy. Suspect decisions and often throws into coverage. Below-average speed. Below-average change-of-direction skills and burst as a runner. Mostly immobile, though it looks like he’s improved since 2010. Doesn’t so much set up in pocket as stroll back there. Doesn’t look to roll away from pressure.

Projection: Liked him more in 2010 than in 2011, but still a solid prospect. Could see him have a Kyle Orton-like career, with QB2 potential, but his lack of accuracy will probably keep him from excelling in NFL. Lands in a nice situation on Cardinals, where he should compete with Skelton for the position of backup and then potentially start if/when Kolb is hurt, benched, or traded. Worth a late draft pick and long-term hold.

Eagles, 3rd round. Ariz.: Jr. Great size. Great hand size. Former transfer from Michigan State.

Positives: Willing to run the ball, though isn’t a natural. Nice anticipation on timing routes.

Negatives: Poor speed. Below-average accuracy in pocket and on run. Stares down receivers. Average arm at best and below-average velocity. Big trouble reading coverages. Not enough arm strength to fit ball into tight windows. Loses his base when he has to set up and throw — on run or in pocket. Doesn’t move well in pocket. Missed 2 games with dislocated kneecap in 2010.

Projection: Obviously won’t start over Mike Vick, but should be their 2012 3rd QB behind Trent Edwards or Mike Kafka. Will likely be groomed as team’s QB of the future, but I don’t expect him to be very successful consistently. Draft and stash if you have the room, but he’s not a priority.

Redskins, 4th round. Mich. St.: Average size. Above-average hand size. Short arms.

Positives: From pro-style offense. Adequate speed. Average zip on throws. Moves well in pocket. Steps up well to avoid rush. Throws very catchable pass with little wobble and nice touch.

Negatives: Questionable deep accuracy. Shows little escapability. Pressure seems to get into his head easily and then starts throwing consistently off back foot. Doesn’t feel blind-side rush. Slightly inaccurate on timing patterns. Doesn’t read coverage well. Locks on receivers and misses open reads. Poor accuracy on run. Below-average change-of-direction skills and burst as a runner.

Projection: Doesn’t do anything well enough yet to be a consistent starter, but could certainly develop into a solid backup and emergency starter. With Rex Grossman ahead of him on Redskins, he probably won’t learn anything to curb his propensity for bad decisions. If he starts, he probably won’t ever be worth starting in fantasy — but may be worth a roster spot in super-deep leagues.

Seahawks, 3rd round. Wis.: Short for the position, but good build. Very good hand size. Short arms. Transferred from North Carolina St. for 2011 season after retiring from minor league baseball.

Positives: Has solid experience under center. Above-average arm strength and velocity. Also able to throw with touch. Goes through progressions. Nice timing on crossing routes and passes before WR breaks. Very agile and keeps plays alive with feet. Moves very well outside pocket. Smooth runner and knows when to slide, but doesn’t run as fast on the field as his track time. Good play fakes.

Negatives: Tends to eyeball receivers in clutch situations. Slow to find open receivers in middle of field. Is that a function of his size?

Projection: Likely a career backup, especially since the team just signed Matt Flynn as their QB of the future. Won’t be able to consistently rise above his size. The Seahawks offense won’t implode if he gets in there due to injury, but he won’t consistently — and for long — produce more than QB3 numbers. He’s probably not worth drafting in fantasy.

Texans, UDFA. Houston: Below-average size. Average hand size.

Positives: Moves fairly well in pocket. Average arm. Above-average velocity. Knows when to throw ball away. Keeps head very well under pressure. Effective on short patterns. Adequate speed and quickness. Fairly strong upper body.

Negatives: Below-average accuracy deep. Not expected to make many coverage reads — just get snap and release. Holds ball too long, appearing indecisive. Too willing to throw into coverage. Slightly inconsistent throwing mechanics.

Projection: Likely only to be a career backup, but may not be horrible if pressed into duty as a starter. Would probably be better in a West Coast offense. I like his skills more than TJ Yates on Texans, but he’s not likely to ever be higher than a QB3 in fantasy even if he starts.

Browns, 1st round. Okla. St.: Good size. Above-average hand size. Short arms.

Positives: Good play fakes. Can roll away from pressure and throws accurately on the run. Above-average velocity. Very good on timing routes. Smooth footwork on dropback. Very nice touch when needed.

Negatives: Slightly elongated delivery. Spread QB. 28 years old. Slightly inaccurate. Below-average speed. Mechanics need work — often throws while falling backwards. Suspect decisions under pressure and needs to learn when to throw ball away.

Projection: Should be the Browns starter right away ahead of Colt McCoy. At his age, though, I wonder if he’s already reached his ceiling. Likely has 5-6 years of football left in him, but he could have an Andy Dalton-like impact in first year. I expect his ceiling is limited, though, to QB2 status in fantasy. Draft as 2012 QB3 with QB2 upside in 2013 and beyond.

Updated 4/30/2012

The 2011 Class of rookie QBs had so much immediate success — with Cam Newton and Andy Dalton coming out of the gates so strong, and Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, and TJ Yates having flashes of success later in the season — that it’s natural to wonder whether the 2012 Class can do the same.

Short answer? Not likely. The 2012 Class isn’t anywhere near as good of a place for NFL teams to look for their QB of the future — unless those QBs are named Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill or MAYBE Brandon Weeden. The depth just isn’t there. And though a lot of these QBs may be able to contribute as solid backups for a while, it’s not even close to the 2011 Class.

And even I was surprised by how low a few of these guys are on my list. Guys like Nick Foles and Brock Osweiler, who most people expect to be among the first five QBs picked (and some say even knocking on the first round’s door). But the more I moved the rankings around, the further they fell. But hey, I’ll keep watching — seeing which team picks them, watching minicamp videos, watching preseason games. Maybe they’ll win me over.

So here’s the list as of now. The top hasn’t changed from my 3/7 rankings, but these rankings include only those QBs who have made it to an NFL camp — either through the draft, as an undrafted free agent, or on a tryout basis.

1. Andrew Luck, Stanford, Colts
2. Robert Griffin, Baylor, Redskins
3. Ryan Tannehill, Tex. A&M, Dolphins
4. Brandon Weeden, Okla. St., Browns
5. Ryan Lindley, San Diego St., Cardinals
6. Brock Osweiler, Ariz. St., Broncos
7. Russell Wilson, Wis., Seahawks
8. Case Keenum, Houston, Texans
9. Bryon “BJ” Coleman, Tenn.-Chattanooga, Packers
10. Nick Foles, Ariz., Eagles
11. Kirk Cousins, Mich. St., Redskins
12. Chandler Harnish, N. Ill., Colts
13. Austin Davis, S. Miss., Rams
14. Kellen Moore, Boise St., Lions
15. John Brantley, Fla., Ravens
16. GJ Kinne, Tulsa, Jets
17. Tyler Hansen, Colo., Bengals
18. Jacory Harris, Miami, Tryouts for Cardinals and others
19. Dan Persa, Northwestern, Tryout for Buccaneers
20. Nick Stephens, Tarleton St., Titans
21. Dominique Davis, E. Car., Falcons
22. Jordan Jefferson, LSU, Tryout for Buccaneers
23. Jarrett Lee, LSU, Chargers
24. Zach Collaros, Cincinnati, Buccaneers

Here are my pre-draft rankings from 3/7

1. Andrew Luck, Stanford
2. Robert Griffin, Baylor
3. Ryan Tannehill, Tex. A&M
4. Brandon Weeden, Okla. St.
5. Case Keenum, Houston
6. Russell Wilson, Wis.
7. Bryon “BJ” Coleman, Tenn.-Chattanooga
8. Kirk Cousins, Mich. St.
9. Nick Foles, Ariz.
10. Ryan Lindley, San Diego St.
11. Brock Osweiler, Ariz. St.
12. Kellen Moore, Boise St.
13. Bo Levi Mitchell, E. Wash.
14. John Brantley, Fla.
15. Austin Davis, S. Miss.
16. Chandler Harnish, N. Ill.
17. GJ Kinne, Tulsa
18. Tyler Hansen, Colo.
19. Chris Relf, Miss. St.
20. Darron Thomas, Ore.
21. Jacory Harris, Miami:
22. Dan Persa, Northwestern
23. Barrett Trotter, Auburn
24. Stephen Garcia, S. Car.
25. Nick Stephens, Tarleton St.
26. Dominique Davis, E. Car.
27. Jordan Jefferson, LSU
28. Jarrett Lee, LSU
29. Patrick Witt, Yale
30. Zach Collaros, Cincinnati
31. Josh McGregor, Jacksonville
32. Tim Jefferson, Jr., Air Force
33. Zac Dickey, Pittsburg St.
34. Sammuel Lamur, Kan. St.
35. Matthew Faulkner, San Jose St.
36. Marshall Lobbestael, Wash. St.
37. Wes Carroll, Fla. Intl.
38. Tyler Lantrip, Nev.

Buccaneers, 1st round. Boise St.: Slightly below-average size, but good build. Short arms. Average hand size.

Positives: Slashing RB with power who is very hard to arm tackle. Willing to mix it up and be physical. Very hard to bring down one on one. Above-average speed. Excellent vision. Has nice spin move. Good downfield blocker. Above-average change of direction. Reads blocks well inside. Very good balance after contact. Above-average hands and tracks well over shoulder. Good burst. Nice vision as KR. Very good upper-body strength.

Negatives: Tries to use spin move a little too often. Gets caught in the line at times and is brought down too easily in backfield. Willing pass-blocker, though he lunges too often.

Projection: Matt Forte-esque. One of the few 2012 rookie RBs I’d consider drafting in a dynasty league. Will have to compete with LeGarrette Blount for playing time, but should be the top back in that committee, with Blount stealing a few of the goal-line and short-yardage carries. Should be a solid starter right away and has RB2 potential.

Dolphins, 1st round. Tex. A&M: Great size.

Positives: Generally takes care of ball. Runs pro offense. Nice zip as well as touch on throws. Good speed as runner. Good anticipation on timing routes. Goes through progressions at times. Fairly accurate within pocket. Athletic — was once a productive WR for team before switching to QB. Also holds on FGs. Average speed and quickness. Finds single-covered WRs consistently. Throws ball before WR breaks.

Negatives: Doesn’t sense rush up middle well. Doesn’t read coverages well. Locks on receiver too often. Inaccurate and suspect decision making on run. Throws off back foot too often. Hurt foot training in January, had surgery, missed Senior Bowl and will likely miss Combine.

Projection: Tannehill knows the Dolphins new offense, since his new offensive coordinator is his former college head coach, so he should be able to step in right away. Would do better sitting behind Matt Moore for a year and starting in 2013, but that likely won’t happen. Little game experience as QB, but did enough in limited starts that his ceiling is pretty high. Should be a solid NFL starter by 2014. Draft as QB3 with QB1 potential.