Buchsbaum's top 10
(as of March 9)

1. Michael Vick
2. Drew Brees
3. Mike McMahon
4. Chris Weinke
5. Jesse Palmer
6. Marques Tuiasosopo
7. Josh Booty
8. Quincy Carter
9. Sage Rosenfels
10. Josh Heupel

Positives: Nice size. Good, all-around athletic ability. Has a live arm. Makes some big-time throws and plays. Had a very nice stretch in 2000 (see Mississippi State, Alabama tapes) after getting his job back. Can throw the ball very well when he is in a groove and his footwork is good.

Negatives: Highly erratic. Very poor throwing techniques and gets into some real ruts because of them. Tailed off at the end of the 2000 season when his mechanics were off. Was just awful in the regular-season finale vs. Arkansas in very bad weather and was benched for poor play after halftime of LSU’s Peach Bowl game vs. Georgia Tech. May not have started if he returned to school in 2001 because the team seemed to respond better to Davey, who led the Tigers to a come-from-behind win over Tech after Booty struggled. Tends to force the ball into crowds. Threw 34 interceptions in two years. May get down on himself if things go wrong. Tends to be very streaky. Still looks rusty at times. Is already 25 years old.

Summary: Came out too soon, but he may have come out because he felt he would not start in 2001. However, he is still an intriguing developmental prospect although the high school comparisons between he and John Elway and Bert Jones do not appear to have much foundation. Wild-card type entry in the draft who could go on the first day or in the seventh round.

Positives: Super intangibles and work ethic. Has charisma. Natural leader. Gets instant respect. Mature beyond his years. Mentally and physically tough. Comes into every game focused and prepared. Has exceptional field awareness and vision for a young quarterback. Sees the field well and can see and sense the rush. Very poised and tough. Can’t be intimidated and will not stay flustered for long. Has very big hands for a player his size, a strong, sturdy body, a stout running back’s lower body and quick feet. Can and will run and can scramble to buy time. Also will run the option at times. Does a nice job of looking off receivers and finding his secondary target when necessary. Touch passer who throws a nice, catchable ball. Generally makes good reads and decisions with the ball. No longer forces the ball as much as he once did. Accurate short-to-medium-range passer with timing and touch. Has really improved his accuracy. Clutch player. Can throw an interception to put his team behind with two minutes left and throw a game-winning TD pass at the gun.

Negatives: Played in the type of offense that can make a quarterback look better than he really is. On the short side. Lacks a really strong arm. Very average deep thrower. Deep throws will die on him. Is not that accurate when he throws deep and underthrows too many.

Summary: A Jim McMahon-type player, but unlike McMahon, he is a coach’s dream because he doesn’t have the wild-and-crazy side. Has great intangibles and mental toughness, but he is not as big or strong-armed as you would like and that could really cost him in the draft. Off of physical skills, he is not a top pick. But off of his intangibles, he would be a first-round pick. Could be drafted in the top 10 or fall to the second round.

Positives: Nice size. Live arm. Very good athlete. Can run and throw when on the move. Had pretty good success earlier in his career. Tests well.

Negatives: Very erratic passer who will scatter the ball all over the place at times. Lacks great anticipation and accuracy. Does not seem to see the field well at times. Seems to have regressed as a player and competitor. Has not stepped up in Georgia’s key Southeastern Conference games. Shows poor judgment on the field. Was coming off a down junior year and injuries, yet instead of coming back for his senior year and playing for a new head coach, Mark Richt, who is known as a QB guru, he opted to come out.

Summary: May have made a very big mistake coming out after a very disappointing junior year, but he still could be a middle-round pick because of his arm and athletic ability if somebody is convinced they can get him back on track. Could have been a first- or second-rounder in 2002 if he got back on track playing for Richt.

Positives: Rare competitor with tremendous football savvy and intelligence. Loves the game with a passion. Has been studying the game with his father for over a decade now. Highly productive and supertough. Fearless and will risk injury to run for positive yardage. Touch-type passer with excellent timing, vision and anticipation of receiver. Sees the field well and can unload quickly. Can run a little and is a tough runner. Durable and rugged. Has and will play hurt. Played the latter part of last season with a ruptured bursa sack in his left arm and did not use it as an excuse for his subpar performances at the end of the year. A winner. Does whatever it takes to win games. Unselfish team player. Has played in all types of weather.

Negatives: Lacks size and overall natural athletic ability. Very average arm strength. Deeper passes will hang at times. Performance and numbers are enhanced by the scheme in which he played. Passed on playing in the Senior Bowl to let his injuries heal but also passed on opportunity to give scouts a chance to see him in a pure pro setting playing against future NFL players.

Summary: Marginal tools but superior intangibles. Will need to be in the right type of offense to make it on the next level. Best fit is a West Coast-type offense for a good-weather or dome team. Probably lost any chance he had of being a first-day draft pick when he skipped the Senior Bowl.

Positives:   Nice size. Good running speed. Athletic. Very tough and competitive. Took an unbelievable pounding in college and kept coming back for more. Showed great perseverance. Stuck with a horrible program and a team that was clearly outclassed for four years. Has NFL arm strength. Can really zip the ball. Can unload quickly. Was well-trained in a pro-type scheme by former Rutgers head coach Terry Shea. Had a very strong Blue-Gray All-Star game.

Negatives: Has never been a high-percentage passer. Lacks a soft touch and often throws a hot — as in hard to hold on to — ball. Took an incredible beating in college and had major surgery on his throwing shoulder. Tends to get sloppy with footwork. Granted, he played on a poor team and did not get much help, but in four years he completed under 50 percent of his passes and had a 41-52 TD-interception ratio. Seems to get too hyper at times. At times seems to have tunnel vision. Forces the ball into coverage way too often. Turns off some of his teammates with his cockiness. Some similarities to Cade McNown in that respect.

Summary: Has the tools and toughness to play in the NFL if he can stay healthy and improve his passing touch. Could be the third or fourth quarterback drafted this year if his physical exam does not indicate he has any aftereffects from the beating he took in college.

Positives: Good size. Mentally tough after playing for Florida head coach Steve Spurrier. Adequate size and arm strength. Poised and tough. Well-schooled and has good passing technique. Had a good week at the Senior Bowl.

Negatives: Tends to be streaky. May lack top instincts. Does not see and sense the rush that well. Lacks some accuracy on his deep throws.

Summary: A Steve Spurrier-trained quarterback, which can be good and bad — good in the sense that you know he has to be mentally tough, but bad in that Spurrier’s offense does not always translate into success in the NFL (think Anthony Dilweg, Danny Wuerffel). However, Palmer really helped himself at the Senior Bowl, where he was put in a pro offense.

Positives: Above-average athlete. Good intangibles. Hard worker. Improves every year. Excellent size and good timed speed. Very smart. Tough. Sees the field pretty well and can throw on the run.

Negatives: Poor throwing mechanics. Loses velocity on most of his throws because he does not step into his throws and use his body correctly. Tends to throw too many balls falling away from the target, which also hurts his accuracy. Does not throw many tight spirals. Is not a pinpoint passer who can be counted on to hit his receivers in stride.

Summary: Must improve passing mechanics if he is to make it on the next level. Does not have a cannon arm, but it is really hard to say how strong his arm is because he throws so many balls falling away or by just using his arm and not stepping into throws.

Positives: Great intangibles and character. Is all about winning and not stats. Has rare Brett Favre-type toughness and competitiveness. Top leader. A real warrior. Can improvise and beat you with his feet or arm. Can run the option or throw from the pocket.

Negatives: On the short side. Lacks a powerful and accurate arm. Does not throw a good deep ball, and his ball will flutter on him at times. Too competitive for his own good. Makes some really poor decisions, which lead to turnovers because he will never give up on a play. Has to learn to be smart with the ball. Has had turnovers when all his team had to do to win was protect the ball. With his team leading and just needing to use up the clock, he will run for a first down on an option play and then make a high-risk lateral to a teammate on the same play to try to get more yardage.

Summary: Could be similar to Billy Kilmer (former UCLA, 49ers, Saints and Redskins quarterback who lacked arm strength and threw more ducks than spirals) or Joe Kapp (Cal, CFL and Vikings starter in 1970 Super Bowl season), if he learns when and how to protect the ball. Does not look pretty, but he is all about competing and winning.

Positives: Natural leader who other players seem to gravitate to. Great competitor. Wants to be the best and wants to win. May have been the best pure athlete in the country the past two years. Has superior speed and quickness. Outstanding runner and scrambler with a great blend of speed, quickness, power and niftiness. Very difficult to sack. Must be kept inside the pocket because if he gets outside, he can run or throw for big yardage. Has a superquick, no-windup throwing motion and terrific arm strength. Arm is so strong he can throw with great velocity and great distance despite the fact he does not step into his throws. Has exceptional football instincts and vision. Can make the amazing pass or throw at any time. Will literally flick the ball with his wrist and throw a BB 15 yards or throw a perfect arched pass 59 yards down the field. Great improvisor. Can turn any broken play into a big play. A defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare. Could develop into a true franchise player.

Negatives:  On the short side. Is just barely six-feet tall. May have some trouble seeing from the pocket. Only played two years of college football and is not prepared for the NFL. May have a hard time going from everyone’s hero in college to a multimillionaire player whom everyone seems to want a piece of. More of an option-running-type quarterback in college. Has undeveloped throwing mechanics and some bad habits. Does not always hold the ball up like he should. A lot of times, he throws without stepping into the throw, relying solely on pure arm strength. Never has had to do much in the way of reading coverages. Will make some bad decisions with the ball at times. Has small (eight-inch) hands, which could lead to problems holding on to the ball and gripping it in rainy or very cold weather. (Remember Dave Krieg?) Lacks patience. Generally does not go through his progressions and just bolts the pocket if his primary receiver is covered. At times holds on to the ball too long and seems confused. May not know how to really watch game films. Within two weeks of entering his name into the NFL draft pool, he changed agents and supporting cast, which may show instability and immaturity on his part.

Summary: Is not ready for the NFL but may still be the first player picked because he is such a great and magical athlete and has such a remarkable combination of speed, running skills, football instincts, toughness and arm strength. By coming out this early, he has a far greater chance of never fully realizing his potential in the NFL. May be in a position where he has to play right away because of the type of money the top pick in the draft gets. Then the team that drafts him will probably have to just turn him loose and let him continue his schoolyard, spontaneous style of play without learning the correct way to maximize his throwing ability and read coverages.

Positives: Outstanding size. Smart, mature and tough. Will pay the price. Lost weight, gained quickness and became a much more technically sound and accurate passer in 2000 after scouts told him those were the areas he had to improve on. Has a strong arm and can throw a nice deep ball. Is not a scrambler but will show some pocket awareness.

Negatives: Still is not very mobile or a gifted runner. While he has really improved his accuracy, he is not a pinpoint marksman who consistently puts the ball right on his receiver. Seems to be breaking a bad habit that has really hurt him of overstriding and then having the ball sail on him, but he still reverts back at times. Also has a tendency to throw some passes into the ground when he presses and his mechanics go south. Will turn 29 in July 2001 before he plays his first NFL game. Had a disappointing Orange Bowl vs. Oklahoma without WR Marvin Minnis to throw to. Could not play in the Senior Bowl because his left foot was still hurting. If rest does not heal his foot, it may require surgery. Did not throw well at the Combine and seemed to be pressing.

Summary: Would have been a second-day pick or a top free agent if he had come out in 2000, but he moved up by going back to school despite his advanced age. However, he was hurt by not playing in the Senior Bowl and then throwing poorly at the Combine.