Most college football teams have reported to fall camp and the first week of the season is less than a month away. With that in mind, I wanted to reach out to NFL personnel executives and ask them about the current crop of college quarterbacks. I believe this is one of the most talented groups we've seen in the last few years. Guys like USC's Sam Darnold, UCLA's Josh Rosen and Wyoming's Josh Allen have prototype size and arm strength. Which one of them is the best pro prospect? That's the question I posed to five NFL executives. Here's what they had to say.
Executive 1: Sam Darnold
"I'd go with Darnold at the moment but I think Josh Allen has a chance to change my mind if he shows some improvement. He's got more upside."
Executive 2: Josh Allen
"I love the Wyoming kid. He has a rare skill set. I'll be very surprised if he's not the first overall pick."
Executive 3: Darnold
"Darnold. He's a leader of men. He elevates his teammates and makes his coaches look brilliant. Even the equipment guy and the trainer improve with a guy like this around."
Executive 4: Darnold
"I love Darnold's poise, presence and playmaking ability. His makeup puts him over the top for me."
Executive 5: Darnold
"Sam Darnold. He has size, mobility, playmaking ability, accuracy and leadership."
Summary: That's four votes for Darnold and one for Allen.
Conclusion: I thought these answers were fascinating. There is a lot of support for Darnold but also plenty of reasons to keep an eye on Allen. I was a little surprised Josh Rosen wasn't mentioned, but I think a lot that has to do with him missing most of the 2016 season due to injury. After studying the top QBs over the summer, I'd rank them like this: 1) Darnold 2) Allen 3) Rosen. Keep in mind -- this is where we are heading into the season. Things can change quickly. We see players emerge or fall off every single year. Maybe there's a surprise out there for all of us. That's what makes college football so much fun to follow.
Follow Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter *@MoveTheSticks.*
