2017 NFL Combine roster: Quarterbacks
By John Buhler
While they may lack star power at the top-end, there will be a ton of interesting quarterbacks to watch at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine.
When people begin talking about the upcoming NFL Draft, one of the first questions that comes to mind is “Who are the best quarterbacks in this draft class?” While the 2017 NFL Draft class doesn’t have a great deal of top-end quarterback talent, there are potentially a handful of starters in this bunch and several serviceable backups.
There will be 15 quarterbacks in attendance at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The 15 signal callers will arrive in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Mar. 1 and will complete their four days of work for NFL scouts by Saturday, Mar. 4.
Here is the list of all the quarterbacks that will be at this year’s scouting combine:
- C.J. Beathard, Iowa Hawkeyes
- Josh Dobbs, Tennessee Volunteers
- Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech Hokies
- Brad Kaaya, Miami Hurricanes
- DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Trevor Knight, Texas A&M Aggies
- Mitch Leidner, Minnesota Golden Gophers
- Sefo Liufau, Colorado Buffaloes
- Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh Panthers
- Cooper Rush, Central Michigan Chippewas
- Seth Russell, Baylor Bears
- Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina Tar Heels
- Deshaun Watson, Clemson Tigers
- Davis Webb, California Golden Bears
Of the 15 quarterbacks getting invites to the combine, three are likely to be picked in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft: Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.
Scouts have varying opinions of these three, but the consensus is that all three will be off the board by the middle of the first-round of this spring’s draft.
It is important to note two other quarterbacks that seem to be fast-risers up some teams’ draft boards: Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes and Cal’s Davis Webb. Mahomes would in theory be the fourth quarterback to go in the first-round. His arm talent is undeniable, but his footwork is sloppy and he played in an Air Raid in Lubbock.
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Webb played his senior season at Cal after losing the starting job to Mahomes at Texas Tech. He is comparable to last years’ No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, who also played at Cal. Add in that Webb was the MVP of the 2017 Reese’s Senior Bowl and he could be the fifth quarterback off the board, possibly in the late first round.