Eagles Wake-Up Call: Cosell On QBs

If the Eagles don’t come away with one of the top quarterbacks in the first round they’ll go searching later in the draft for developmental prospects that, as Doug Pederson says, “would be good fits at the No. 3” behind Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel.

We called on Greg Cosell of NFL Films to get his take on some of the mid-to-late round QBs. Here’s what he had to say about Ohio State’s Cardale Jones, Stanford’s Kevin Hogan, Dak Prescott of Mississippi State, Jeff Driskel of  Louisiana Tech and NC State’s Jacoby Brissett. (You can check out his thoughts on Christian Hackenberg here.)

(Projected round is courtesy of CBS Sports)

Cardale Jones, Ohio State
Height/weight: 6-5, 223
Projected Round: 4-5
2015 stats: 62.3 completion rate, 8 TDs, 5 INTs

Cosell’s take: “He’s a repair project. Now there’s a lot of people who believe that you might as well draft a guy with a lot of physical talent as opposed to a guy without that level of talent…but you have to start from scratch with Jones. To me, he is a late round pick and you hope that he gets it somewhere down the line. He is a real tough watch right now.

“He’s not a very good watch on film. He doesn’t know where to throw it, he doesn’t have any sense of the defense. He’s just a big, physical kid who can throw it hard and can run. That’s what he is.”

Kevin Hogan, Stanford
Height/weight: 6-3, 218
Projected Round: 6
2015 stats: 67.8 completion rate, 27 TDs, 8 INTs

Cosell’s take: “Kevin Hogan will be a 10-year backup, and he’ll be a great backup. Now because he’s a smart kid and all that, three or four years down the road someone will think he can be a starter and I’m not saying he couldn’t be, but he’d never be a high-level starter…He doesn’t throw it well enough.

“He needs a lot of work mechanically. His feet are really not very good. He’s very jumpy in the pocket. He doesn’t have a very good feel for pocket movement — when he moves he’s off-balance. A lot of the subtleties of the position, the nuances, he needs a lot of work. Now I’ve heard great things about the kid — everyone likes him as a player and all that — but he needs a lot of work…

“Kevin Hogan is a very interesting guy because you could make the argument that Alex Smith is also not a very talented thrower, which he’s not, and he’s on a team with a good defense, they’ve been able to run the ball, he doesn’t throw it a whole lot, he’s got running ability — as does Kevin Hogan — so does Doug Pederson look at Kevin Hogan and see Alex Smith?”

Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
Height/weight: 6-2, 226
Projected Round: 3-4
2015 stats: 66.2 completion rate, 29 TDs, 5 INTs

Cosell’s take: “Prescott has two issues. He has a tendency to drift when he throws the ball. His feet aren’t under him and I’m talking about even when there’s no pressure at all. And secondly, he doesn’t have a great sense of timing and anticipation.

“The ball comes out. If you just closed your eyes and opened them without knowing who he was, he kind of looks like Donovan McNabb, kind of the way he throws it. He’s got a good arm, but he’s a drifter and he falls away from throws.”

TWO LATER-ROUND QBS THAT INTRIGUE COSELL

Jeff Driskel,  Louisiana Tech
Height/weight: 6-4, 234
Projected Round: 7-FA
2015 stats: 62.3 completion rate, 27 TDs, 8 INTs

Cosell’s take: “Initially at Florida, built himself up at Louisiana Tech by being a thrower and not a runner. I think he’s a really fascinating Day Three pick.”

Jacoby Brissett, NC State
Height/weight: 6-4, 231
Projected Round: 5
2015 stats: 60.0 completion rate, 20 TDs, 6 INTs

Cosell’s take:I think Brissett is a really fascinating pick, too. There are times he looks like Ben Roethlisberger…I know scouts in that area and they say he is an unbelievable kid.”

WHAT YOU MISSED

Our updated Eagles pre-draft visit tracker.

Catch up with the latest opinions from around the national media, including reactions to the Eagles’ perceived interest in a first-round quarterback, in What They’re Saying About the Eagles.

Josh examines Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves in yesterday’s Draft Daily Wake-Up Call.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING 

Tommy Lawlor sheds some light on why Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is traveling with Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman on scouting trips.

Lurie is actually going on some of the trips to work out QBs. He did this in 2013 when the Eagles checked out Geno Smith. Some people think that means his presence is no big deal. The Eagles didn’t like Smith, passing on him in the 1st and even 2nd round.

Understand that going to check out a prospect doesn’t mean you love the player. It means you have interest and want to do more research. The Eagles checked out Smith in 2013 and came away with more questions than answers. I doubt he was on the draft board at all after that.

These scouting trips are not just cosmetic. These aren’t smokescreens. The Eagles are doing their homework to make sure they make the right decision in April.

Roseman learned a lot from Tom Heckert and does understand the value of mis-information. The Eagles will talk to a couple of players (at their school or the NovaCare) that they don’t like at all. Just like playing poker, you don’t want the other guys to know what you’re thinking.

Jimmy Kempski has Carson Wentz as the number one prospect for the Eagles in this year’s draft.

There’s isn’t much to dislike about Wentz’s game. He’s big and sturdy, he has a great arm, a quick release, he’s surprisingly athletic, and very smart. Even if you dock him for playing at a lower level in college, Wentz operated in an offense that had pro-style concepts, prompting some to believe he’s more pro-ready than other quarterbacks who played in more remedial offenses at a more competitive college level.

The presence of Bradford and Daniel would allow Wentz to make the jump to the NFL without immediately being thrown to the wolves. He would also be tutored by a quarterback-focused coaching staff that includes Doug Pederson, Frank Reich and John DeFilippo, as well as Daniel, who has previously played a helpful sidekick role to Drew Brees and Alex Smith.

COMING UP

Rueben Randle will address the Philly media for the first time around 3.

Asher Dark contributed to this post.