This year's Cutler?
I spent part of my afternoon having a professional photographer take "head shot"-type pics to use for the website. That was a first. As penance, it was necessary to dive into Senior Bowl coverage Tuesday when I got back.
The Senior Bowl has been a springboard for a quarterback to soar up draft boards the last two seasons. Philip Rivers rose from a borderline first round draft pick to the fourth pick in the draft. Jay Cutler emerged from a relative unknown second round pick to being selected eleventh, one place behind Matt Leinart.
The best candidate to be this year's Cutler is University of Houston's Kevin Kolb. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, admittedly a homer, thinks Kolb is a franchise quarterback.
The NFL Network crew is intrigued by Kolb's athleticism and accuracy. He played almost exclusively in a shotgun in college. If he shows he can adapt to a pro-style offense, he should be the third quarterback off the board in April and may be a solid first-round pick. 49ers coach Mike Nolan made a surprising admission that Kolb looked to be ahead of the other quarterbacks on his squad (Jordan Palmer and Chris Leak).
I admittedly don't have time to watch college ball much during the NFL season. So I was surprised to learn that Carson Palmer's brother is an NFL prospect. Jordan Palmer from UTEP is a dead ringer to his older brother. His arm looks strong.
Unfortunately his decision-making may not be a strength. Palmer had 64 interceptions in 42 career starts. Like his older brother, Jordan sounded like he "gets it" when interviewed.
Here are NFL Network's Mike Mayock's top six quarterbacks in the draft.
1. JaMarcus Russell - Jr - LSU
2. Brady Quinn - Sr. - Notre Dame
3. Kevin Kolb - Sr. - Houston
4. Troy Smith - Sr. - Ohio St.
5. Drew Stanton - Sr. - Michigan St.
6. Trent Edwards - Sr. - NC State





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