1. Curtis Painter, Purdue - Painter has a lot of experience. He has
been a three and a half year starter for Purdue and has broken school records along the way. Painter has ideal size (6'4, 230), good arm strength and accuracy. Along with that, Painter has a very quick release and this is what separates him from the other quarterbacks. The knock on Painter is his decision-making, he has thrown 35 interceptions before his senior year. But, similar to the case with Matt Ryan, Painter may have had to force throws due to a lack of talent surrounding him. I think Painter will develop into a solid NFL quarterback and a fringe pro-bowler.2. Hunter Cantwell, Louisville - Although Cantwell made my list of most disappointing players, he still has the talent to become a very good quarterback in the NFL. After sitting behind Brian Brohm, Cantwell finally got the opportunity to be the starting quarterback for the Lousiville Cardinals. He hasn't quite lived up to his hype but he is still having a decent year. Cantwell has great size (6'5) and a very strong arm although he doesn't have the best accuracy on his throws. Cantwell also needs to improve his footwork in the pocket. NFL teams are unsure of what they will get from Cantwell because he is very unproven. Cantwell is a very high-risk, high-reward pick. Sometime a very strong arm does you no good in the NFL...
3. Tom Brandstater, Fresno State - Brandstater gets overlooked playing in a non-BCS conference but he is a solid quarterback playing in a pro-style system. Like the quarterbacks ahead of him, Brandstater has good size (6'5) and a big arm although he is not the most accurate. He is a streaky performer who does not play against top notch competition. Brandstater, in my opinion, will be a fringe starter in his NFL career.
4. Chase Daniel, Missouri - Unlike the other quarterbacks in this list, Daniel operates almost exclusively out of the shotgun and is listed about 4 inches shorter than the other quarterbacks. Having said that, Daniel has tons of skill and has been compared numerous times to Drew Brees and Doug Flutie. The comparisons to Drew Brees are legitimate because of Daniel's high release. Daniel's high release makes up for his lack of height. The other big concern is that Daniel rarely takes the snap from under center. Only time will tell if Daniel's skills will translate to the NFL.
5. John-Parker Wilson, Alabama - I had to include Wilson on this list after he has lead Alabama to a 10-0 record this season. Wilson has decent size for a quarterback (6'2) but he doesn't posses any outstanding qualities like the quarterbacks listed ahead of him. Wilson will most likely be a second day pick. I wouldn't take too much from NFL scouts because there are many quarterbacks that go by unnoticed and end up having solid careers.
Honorable mention - David Johnson, Tulsa. Mike Reilly, Central Washington. Todd Boeckman, Ohio State. Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston State.
This years senior quarterback class is a very weak one. In my opinion, the senior class would be lucky to have 1 pro bowler.
My top 5 Juniors will be coming next followed by Sophomores and Freshman.
