2007 QB Draft Preview: Who's Got the Goods Under Center?
With the draft still a couple weeks away and none of these arms having stepped foot in a private workout yet, the quarterback board is very much a work in progress. Combine numbers and college tape only tell part of the story — pro days and private workouts have a way of scrambling boards like this one. Still, based on what we know right now, here's how the top of the class shakes out, plus a look at some of the names further down who could still hear their names called.
1. Tyler Palko — The Best of the Bunch (For Now) Palko heads into the process with the best combination of arm strength (94 THP) and accuracy (85 THA) in the entire class, and that pairing alone is enough to put him at the top of this board. His awareness (62) is also solid for a rookie, suggesting he already sees the field better than most of his peers. The concerns are obvious once you look past the arm: at 6'1", 215 pounds, he's undersized for the position, and at 24 years old he doesn't have a ton of runway to develop before a team needs to know what it has. If he can hold up physically, though, the tools are there for a legitimate starter.
2. Trent Edwards — High Floor, Limited Ceiling Edwards is probably the second best QB in this class, based on the current attributes. His arm strength (89 THP) is a tick below what you’d want for top pick, but he pairs it with excellent awareness (69, tops among the group) and ideal size at 6'4", 230. That's the profile of a quarterback who won't beat himself — he'll make the right read and the safe throw more often than not. Like Palko, he's already 24, which nudges his outlook toward "solid game-manager" rather than "franchise cornerstone." Teams looking for a low-risk potential starter who can be plugged in early should have him on their boards. He edges out Palmer here by a nose.
3. Jordan Palmer — Looks Good on Paper On paper, Palmer looks like exactly what teams want out of the position: 6'5", 230 pounds, with above-average arm strength (92 THP) and accuracy (83 THA) that's not bad for a first year player. His awareness (63) is respectable for a rookie as well. The number that stands out on his profile, though, is the massive gap between his 99 injury rating and his 49 toughness. That's about as extreme a split as you'll find — a quarterback who may avoid injuries in the first place but could struggle to play through the bumps and bruises when they happen. A team that believes in the frame and the arm could easily talk itself into taking a flyer here, but it's a risk worth flagging.
4. John Beck — The Long-Term Project With Little Time Beck brings a good, if not ideal, frame at 6'2", 217 — teams will always wish for another inch or two at the position. His arm (92 THP) is solid, though not the best in class, and his accuracy (81 THA) needs polish. The bigger red flag is his awareness, which sits lower than you'd typically like to see in a starting-caliber prospect, firmly putting him in "developmental" territory rather than "ready now." Age works against him too — at 26, he doesn't have the luxury of a multi-year runway to sit and develop the way a younger prospect would. On the plus side, his 80 strength rating is downright freakish for a quarterback and gives him some intriguing physical upside if a team wants to bet on projection over polish.
5. Brady Quinn — All Arm, Questionable Accuracy Nobody in this class can throw it like Quinn. His 97 THP is the best of any quarterback available, and at 6'4", 235 he's got prototypical size to match. The problem is what happens after he lets it go — his accuracy (76 THA) lags well behind the top names on this list, and his awareness (51) is among the lowest of any of the "name" prospects in the class. That's a tough combination: elite arm talent without the consistency to reliably put the ball where it needs to be. He does carry a strong 96 injury rating, so durability shouldn't be the concern — decision-making and accuracy will be the swing factors that determine whether he becomes a starter or a symbol of what happens when tools don't translate.
Other Names to Watch
Drew Stanton is an intriguing developmental name — good size at 6'3", 226, and an impressive 99 injury rating suggests he'll be available every week. The concern is his arm strength (84 THP), which is not where you’d want a starter to be. A team looking for a durable, moldable arm late could find value here.
Troy Smith is a fascinating athlete more than a traditional pocket prospect. His awareness (67) is genuinely above average for this class, and he's freakishly strong and fast for the position. But at 6'0", he's undersized even next to Palko, and the overall profile raises the question of whether his future is really at quarterback or somewhere else on the field where his athleticism can shine.
JaMarcus Russell is going to generate buzz purely off his frame — 6'6", 265 is almost unheard of at the position. But his attribute spread is scattered across the board with no clear standout number, which makes him one of the harder players in this class to project. Teams will need private workouts and interviews to figure out if the tools match the measurables.
Tyler Thigpen is undersized and his 37 awareness is the worst of any quarterback on this list by a wide margin, which is a serious concern for a position that lives and dies by processing speed. But his 92 speed rating is a rare trait at quarterback, and a team in the right offense could look at him as a change-of-pace or gadget option even if he never becomes a full-time starter.
Bottom Line
This is a class defined by trade-offs — big arms without accuracy, good frames without toughness, high awareness without ideal measurables. Nobody stands out as a true blue-chip, can't-miss prospect the way some draft classes produce. Palko, Edwards, and Palmer look like the most well-rounded options today, but with private workouts still to come, don't be surprised if this board looks completely different by draft day.
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