Despite the fact that Notre Dame posted a less-than-mediocre record during Jimmy Clausen's tenure as quarterback of the Fighting Irish, he is considered to be one of the top signal-callers in this year's NFL Draft class. Most draftniks currently rank him second behind only Oklahoma's Sam Bradford. But there is a small contingent that actually thinks he is the best available this year.
I'm not among that minority, however.
One thing that makes Clausen attractive to NFL scouts is that he has played in a pro-style offense throughout his collegiate career, and he's a relatively accurate passer. Of concern to me, though, is the lack of velocity he has downfield, which sometimes causes him to either float his passes or to lengthen his delivery, both of which give defenders more time to react.
In the right system I believe he can be successful at the NFL level, but I don't see him as the top-ten, can't-miss prospect that he is touted by some to be. Read more...
Comments
If you think Clausen floats balls then you definitely won’t like Bradford. Watch both the tapes on youtube again. The simple facts are that you don’t throw 4 picks on a 6-6 team without being incredibly accurate. If Clausen is this accurate now then the Rams will love the upside potential once he gets the “elite” arm that he apparently doesn’t have yet. Sarcasm aside, it seems all of these “concerns” about him are really “excuses” from people that dislike Clausen and/or ND. You are right, he played in a pro-style offense for three years under the guidance of Tom Brady’s QB coach. Bradford played in front of the best line in college for 2 years… until he didn’t and we all saw what happened then. If I were the Rams I would stick with someone that has actually seen and played through adversity, has experience winning games late in the fourth, and yes will have zero learning curve adapting to an NFL system. Other than the fact that Bradford is 6′4″ and everybody likes him as a person (the “intangibles”), I’m failing to see any actual “tangibles” that would lead someone to believe he is the better skill player. The tape doesn’t lie.
Even as a loyal Notre Dame fan, and after watching Clausen in person at ND stadium for a few years, I don’t think he’s that amazing. He’s pretty good and has a top notch pedigree, but that’s about it. I very easily see him turning into a Ryan Leaf type quarterback in the pros.
Definitely wouldn’t waste a top pick on him.