TCU QB Andy Dalton has seen his draft stock increasing as the 2011 NFL Draft nears but recent reports and opinions have Dalton going anywhere from No. 8 overall to possibly in the middle-rounds of the draft.
NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora is reporting that Dalton is “generating the most late buzz” in recent days and could end up being taken at No. 8 by the Tennessee Titans. La Canfora actually has the Titans taking him at No. 8 in his recent mock draft.
While I could see a team reaching for Dalton in the later part of the first-round, taking him in the top would be a huge surprise.
Greg Cosell of NFL Films offers a contrasting view on Dalton after watching the tape on the TCU quarterback. In fact Cosell sees him as a fourth-rounder.
“He won’t go there. He’ll go higher,” said Cosell during in an interview with the Sacramento Bee. “But he doesn’t throw it very well. He doesn’t spin it very well. He’s a guy you’ll have to camouflage. He needs a strong running game to be successful.”
I can understand where both men are coming from but it really seems that both idea are overblown to say the least. Taking Dalton in the top ten is far from a value pick and when you consider that the Titans are not a quarterback away from from winning the division handedly, it seems like an even worse idea.
Dalton is worthy of second-round in estimation of several other draft experts, so pegging him as a fourth-round talent seems like a stretch. You’re not drafting a quarterback in the middle-rounds to come in start from day one. Instead, your looking for a player that you develop into the leader of your teams offense. Dalton positive attributes outweigh his concerns so it would make sense for one of the teams that have a need at the quarterback position to spend a second-round pick on quarterback prospect like Dalton.
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