Sportsrageous

With Stanford Universities standout Quarterback Andrew Luck returning to school for his senior season. Missouri signal caller Blaine Gabbert steps to the forefront as the top Quarterback coming out of this years draft. The Junior declared early for the draft and for good reason throwing for 3,186 yards 16 touchdowns with a 127.03 passer rating. His stats are slightly down from last season but his size, arm strength, and accuracy prove to be enough to make him the top ranked Quarterback for the 2011 draft. Lucks decision to return to school caused this years selection of Quarterbacks to be watered down.  Luck would have been the no. 1 overall pick if he had come out. Now this years best Quarterback, Gabbert is projected at best in the middle of the first round.The new favorite at the no. 1 selection looks to be defensive end Dequan Bowers from Clemson.  You have to wonder if Luck’s decision will hurt him in the future. Last year  University of Washington Quarterback Jake Locker was favored as the no. 1 Quarterback by many but this year has slipped behind Gabbert in most projections. Gabbert led his no. 12 ranked tigers to the 2010 insight bowl where they were defeated by the Iowa Hawkeyes. They finished the season with a 10-3 record. After Gabbert and Locker the draft prospects for the remaining top five Quarterbacks goes as follows:Ryan Mallet (Arkansas), Cam Newton (Auburn *has yet to declare), and Christian Ponder (Fla State). The 2011 NFL draft begins on April 28th 2011 and can be viewed on ESPN.