Slimm's 2015 Quarterbacks (Seniors)

[Pachyderm_Wave]

1. Bryce Petty / Baylor / 6'3", 230

2. Shane Carden / East Carolina / 6'2", 218

3. Connor Halliday / Washington St. / 6'4", 190

4. Jake Waters / Kansas St. / 6'1", 215

5. Cody Fajardo / Nevada / 6'3", 220

6. Hutson Mason / Georgia / 6'3", 209

7. Garrett Grayson / Colorado St. / 6'2", 220

8. Sean Mannion / Oregon St. / 6'5", 220

9. Taylor Heinicke / Old Dominion / 6'1", 205

10. Rakeem Cato / Marshall / 5'11", 171

11. Dylan Thompson / South Carolina / 6'3", 218

12. Blake Sims / Alabama / 6'0", 208

13. Bo Wallace / Ole Miss / 6'4", 220

14. Blake Frohnapfel / UMASS / 6'6", 229

15. Cody Sokol / Louisiana Tech / 6'2", 215

16. Michael Nebrich / Fordham / 6'1", 205

17. Taylor Kelly / Arizona St. / 6'2", 201







The following are athletes that will make the transition to another position:

1. Nick Marshall / Auburn / 6'1", 210

(Originally committed to Georgia to play defensive back. He's such a tremendous athlete, everyone believed he was the next Champ Bailey when he committed to play DB at Georgia. Speed and elusiveness makes him a threat in Gus Malzahn's zone read. Could play any number of positions, but QB won't be one at the next level. Which applies for all 3 listed here.)

2. Braxton Miller / Ohio St. / 6'2", 215

3. Brandon Bridge / South Alabama / 6'5", 235

4. Devin Gardner / Michigan / 6'4", 210

 

[ckparrothead]

Purely on film, I'm not sure there's a single one of those QBs that looks more intriguing than Rakeem Cato. His biggest negative is something you find on paper as opposed to film...the 6'0" & 188 lbs listing. Cato is a drum I've been beating all season and I expect that drum beat to get even louder next year. He lost Gator Hoskins but still has Tommy Shuler, Essray Taliaferro, Steward Butler, Kevin Grooms, Craig Wilkins and Devin Smith. And the TE that was grooming behind Gator looks decent enough for a guy like Cato to use, Eric Frohnapfel.

Cato consistently spins a great ball, yet gets really good touch on his passes. I suspect it's because he's so good with his shoulder aiming but I'm no expert in that area. People will bring up the height but the way he carries himself truly maximizes every fraction of an inch of that height and the delivery looks great from that standpoint. I don't see him missing his reads from inside the pocket the way Johnny Manziel does, for example. He has plenty of athletic ability to move around and makes unbelievable plays doing so, but he's smart about it like Russell Wilson. He does NOT take punishment. Sift through all the tape and that's something that should pop out at the viewer, he's great at making sure he doesn't take punishment despite the fact he regularly uses his feet and athleticism as a weapon.

One could argue that over-reliance on Tommy Shuler is holding him back a little, but it's hard to argue the results. Those two have been playing together since grade school. They went up against a damn good VT defense and came pretty close to beating them.

Like I said if you were just tossing aside all of the prototypes and everything, which I'm not saying anyone should do as they're important...I'm not sure any guy on the list of seniors looks as exciting and talented as Cato.

 

[futurescout]

Purely on film, I'm not sure there's a single one of those QBs that looks more intriguing than Rakeem Cato. His biggest negative is something you find on paper as opposed to film...the 6'0" & 188 lbs listing. Cato is a drum I've been beating all season and I expect that drum beat to get even louder next year. He lost Gator Hoskins but still has Tommy Shuler, Essray Taliaferro, Steward Butler, Kevin Grooms, Craig Wilkins and Devin Smith. And the TE that was grooming behind Gator looks decent enough for a guy like Cato to use, Eric Frohnapfel.

Cato consistently spins a great ball, yet gets really good touch on his passes. I suspect it's because he's so good with his shoulder aiming but I'm no expert in that area. People will bring up the height but the way he carries himself truly maximizes every fraction of an inch of that height and the delivery looks great from that standpoint. I don't see him missing his reads from inside the pocket the way Johnny Manziel does, for example. He has plenty of athletic ability to move around and makes unbelievable plays doing so, but he's smart about it like Russell Wilson. He does NOT take punishment. Sift through all the tape and that's something that should pop out at the viewer, he's great at making sure he doesn't take punishment despite the fact he regularly uses his feet and athleticism as a weapon.

One could argue that over-reliance on Tommy Shuler is holding him back a little, but it's hard to argue the results. Those two have been playing together since grade school. They went up against a damn good VT defense and came pretty close to beating them.

Like I said if you were just tossing aside all of the prototypes and everything, which I'm not saying anyone should do as they're important...I'm not sure any guy on the list of seniors looks as exciting and talented as Cato.

I'm doing a brief look at the 2015 class now. I'm saving QB's for last, but I will definitely be giving Cato a look.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

I'm not a big fan of Cato. I look at him a little bit like I did Tyler Russell this time last year, except Cato obviously doesn't have that type of size. Difference beig Cato is draftable where I didn't necessarily feel like Russell was.

Chuckie Keeton is the interesting one for me in terms of a kid that I believe has beren sneaking around under everyone's radar. Probably going all the way back to his freshman year.

 

[ckparrothead]

I think the only common factor between Tyler Russell and Rakeem Cato is the fact that I liked both guys at the same stage of the process (prior to their final year). On the field I'm not sure how they're similar.

What I fell for in Russell was the big NFL throws especially at intermediate depths (measured from the LOS). The accuracy for him on those throws was pro caliber. I was hoping he would make better decisions his final year as that was a clear area for potential improvement for him. I tend to be forgiving of some weaknesses in a guy before he gets to his final year because the reality is a lot of these guys keep getting better and better. He never did that.

I still think velocity, accuracy and spin on those 25 to 35 yard (straight line) distances are important in translating to the NFL but nowadays it's not enough. The NFL is phasing that out. Some quarterbacks that pose no danger against a successful rush have been grandfathered in so to speak because they'd already been in the league long enough to where their depth of understanding outweighs the lack of athletic ability. But it's getting harder for pocket passers to come into the NFL, survive and thrive based on pocket sense, discipline and coaching alone...as opposed to innate ability to make people miss and be dangerous in extended time situations. The college game has been phasing a lot of those guys out for a long time and Tyler Russell certainly got caught up in that as his skill set didn't fit that offense at all.

Rakeem Cato is different. He's just a different quarterback. He doesn't have the same arm on those NFL throws as Tyler Russell to be honest, although I think he's got a pretty good arm and spins a good ball. The quality that Cato has that Russell never touched is the genuine ability to handle pass rushers and throw strikes after extending the play. But unlike Manziel, he's very smart about taking contact. He'll steal base and run for first downs but he doesn't push it. He goes out of bounds, slides, gets the ball out. I would normally be pretty worried about a guy with his skinny frame if not for that awareness and wherewithal to consistently avoid contact.

The way they operate that offense I wouldn't be surprised if Rakeem Cato sticks his nose in Heisman discussions. I noticed Vegas put him on the list of a couple dozen hopefuls that you can bet futures on for the Heisman.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Well there's a lot of quarterbacks that are going to be in the Heisman field discussion at this point. You'll even find Navy's quarterback in there somewhere. Cato is a great fit for Marshall's offense and he's going to put up big numbers, although I suppose he doesn't spark my interest as an NFL quarterback. But that's just me. I think him and Carden are easily the top two QB's in C-USA. I like Carden better and have him graded as a 3rd rounder. Probably find him somewhere in that Heisman field also.

The reality is none of these QB's we're talking about here have a shot at winning the Heisman Trophy. All you have to do is look at their schedules.

I know people love to look for the next Russell Wilson type qualities in an underrated quarterback, I just believe a kid like Chuck Keeton is closer to resembling that than Rakeem Cato.

 

[ckparrothead]

List I'm talking about consists of Jameis Winston, Braxton Miller, Marcus Mariota, Bryce Petty, Todd Gurley, Brett Hundley, Everett Golson, T.J. Yeldon, Melvin Gordon, Mike Davis, Derrick Henry, Nick Marshall, Connor Cook, Trevor Knight, Ameer Abduallah, Sean Mannion, Taylor Kelly, Dak Prescott, Duke Johnson, Karlos Williams, Myles Jack, Matt Johnson and Rakeem Cato...listed in order of odds.

Pretty good company. No Navy quarterbacks.

Matt Johnson is a nice add-on to the list strictly because of Dino Babers. You're right that schedule makes it hard to bet on any player not on a championship caliber team.

It's not that I'm trying to figure out the next Russell Wilson with Rakeem Cato. It's that I watched a lot of 2013 football and I'll be damned if that Marshall quarterback wasn't making a sh-t ton of pretty throws and plays making defenses look foolish including some pretty good ones like Virginia Tech. I wanted to dismiss him because of the size, not the other way around. The throws won't let me.

I mean this is just a fun video to watch:

[video=youtube;lJ0NJV175es]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ0NJV175es[/video]

 

[FearTheBeard]

Purely on film, I'm not sure there's a single one of those QBs that looks more intriguing than Rakeem Cato. His biggest negative is something you find on paper as opposed to film...the 6'0" & 188 lbs listing. Cato is a drum I've been beating all season and I expect that drum beat to get even louder next year. He lost Gator Hoskins but still has Tommy Shuler, Essray Taliaferro, Steward Butler, Kevin Grooms, Craig Wilkins and Devin Smith. And the TE that was grooming behind Gator looks decent enough for a guy like Cato to use, Eric Frohnapfel.

Cato consistently spins a great ball, yet gets really good touch on his passes. I suspect it's because he's so good with his shoulder aiming but I'm no expert in that area. People will bring up the height but the way he carries himself truly maximizes every fraction of an inch of that height and the delivery looks great from that standpoint. I don't see him missing his reads from inside the pocket the way Johnny Manziel does, for example. He has plenty of athletic ability to move around and makes unbelievable plays doing so, but he's smart about it like Russell Wilson. He does NOT take punishment. Sift through all the tape and that's something that should pop out at the viewer, he's great at making sure he doesn't take punishment despite the fact he regularly uses his feet and athleticism as a weapon.

One could argue that over-reliance on Tommy Shuler is holding him back a little, but it's hard to argue the results. Those two have been playing together since grade school. They went up against a damn good VT defense and came pretty close to beating them.

Like I said if you were just tossing aside all of the prototypes and everything, which I'm not saying anyone should do as they're important...I'm not sure any guy on the list of seniors looks as exciting and talented as Cato.

I like this call...he popped the first time I watched him...it was a bowl game, feel like they were playing Maryland or something. He's a guy I'm gonna look forward to watching in depth because I think he's overlooked and I think he has some of those qualities that don't show up on tape. Chuckie Keeton is another guy who's worth watching.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

List I'm talking about consists of Jameis Winston, Braxton Miller, Marcus Mariota, Bryce Petty, Todd Gurley, Brett Hundley, Everett Golson, T.J. Yeldon, Melvin Gordon, Mike Davis, Derrick Henry, Nick Marshall, Connor Cook, Trevor Knight, Ameer Abduallah, Sean Mannion, Taylor Kelly, Dak Prescott, Duke Johnson, Karlos Williams, Myles Jack, Matt Johnson and Rakeem Cato...listed in order of odds.

Pretty good company. No Navy quarterbacks.

Matt Johnson is a nice add-on to the list strictly because of Dino Babers. You're right that schedule makes it hard to bet on any player not on a championship caliber team.

It's not that I'm trying to figure out the next Russell Wilson with Rakeem Cato. It's that I watched a lot of 2013 football and I'll be damned if that Marshall quarterback wasn't making a sh-t ton of pretty throws and plays making defenses look foolish including some pretty good ones like Virginia Tech. I wanted to dismiss him because of the size, not the other way around. The throws won't let me.

I mean this is just a fun video to watch:

[video=youtube;lJ0NJV175es]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ0NJV175es[/video]

It's a fun video to watch.... Pat White's touchdowns at WV were a lot of fun to watch too. I just think Marshall's offense is fun to watch.

On one hand the list is pretty good company. On the other hand there's kids like Trevor Knight who's played exactly one good game in his life.... and that was the game of his life that he played against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. But just to be fair and not hypocritical, the same applies to Derrick Henry.

I like the Matt Johnson kid from Bowling Green. I believe he's #6 at the moment on my list of underclassman quarterbacks. Although I'd be extremely surprised if he declared early for the 2015 draft.

 

[ckparrothead]

I like Chuckie Keaton's playing speed. Really above-board in that area.

There are some details that exacerbate the funkiness with his release. One of them is his height which I wouldn't be shocked to come out at 6'1". Low release plus deficient height, can be a bad combination.

Keep wanting to see real NFL throws. Would love to see him open his hips and hit the sideline from far hash but with that release he's got like the funky buttlovin kid from Rookie of the Year, not sure that's happening. When he gets the ball 20+ yards up the field it's usually straight up the field so it's actually only a 22 yard throw or some such. When he throws bigger throws to the sideline they're all vertical touch passes. When he's on the run you feel like he's really limited in what targets he can choose because of the way he throws the ball.

Love that playing speed, heck of a performer, but not sure he can throw from different platforms.

 

[CO-Gator]

What's the matter Slimm? You don't like Jeff Driskel?

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

What's the matter Slimm? You don't like Jeff Driskel?

All jokes aside, I can't understand how I can look at a team like Duke and see better skill position talent on offense than I do at the U of Florida. It's absurd and not supposed to happen. Gators need to get this remedied quick fast and in a hurry. There's no excuse for it.

 

[CO-Gator]

All jokes aside, I can't understand how I can look at a team like Duke and see better skill position talent on offense than I do at the U of Florida. It's absurd and not supposed to happen. Gators need to get this remedied quick fast and in a hurry. There's no excuse for it.

If we go 7-5 this season like I'm expecting, I think that remedy will come quite soon.

One other thing, the NCAA seriously needs to consider changing that medical redshirt rule. They just granted Driskel another year of eligibility because he went down in the third game of last season. It's not fair that we get stuck with him for a whole extra season just because he didn't get hurt later.

 

[Tannenbombs]

I like Chuckie Keaton's playing speed. Really above-board in that area.

There are some details that exacerbate the funkiness with his release. One of them is his height which I wouldn't be shocked to come out at 6'1". Low release plus deficient height, can be a bad combination.

Keep wanting to see real NFL throws. Would love to see him open his hips and hit the sideline from far hash but with that release he's got like the funky buttlovin kid from Rookie of the Year, not sure that's happening. When he gets the ball 20+ yards up the field it's usually straight up the field so it's actually only a 22 yard throw or some such. When he throws bigger throws to the sideline they're all vertical touch passes. When he's on the run you feel like he's really limited in what targets he can choose because of the way he throws the ball.

Love that playing speed, heck of a performer, but not sure he can throw from different platforms.

Looked pretty bad against Tennessee

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

To be fair it was his first game back from an ACL tear. He didn't play that bad, they were just that overmatched from a speed, talent, and physicality standpoint.

Keeton threw some really good passes into tight coverage that receivers just flat out dropped due to intimidation. Tennessee hasn't flown around the field like that on defense in several years.

Special teams put him in a 14-0 hole fumbling kickoffs.

When he would get the ball out to his skill position players in space, they couldn't make a single tackler miss. The first defender there would always make the tackle. Utah St. was simply that outmatched on the perimeter.

He'll get better as he knocks the rust off and gets in a better frame of mind psychologically with the knee. But he still won't have much help. His receivers and backs really let him down against the Vols. They just can't matchup against all those athletes Tennessee had on defense.

They knew it early in the game and were intimidated by it. Go look at the slant that the receiver dropped with Ladarrell McNeil bearing down him. They got popped anyway...but they weren't going to catch the ball.