JaMarcus Russell entering the draft

[Clockwork Orange]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2723407

Louisiana State quarterback JaMarcus Russell will skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft in April.

A news conference is scheduled Wednesday to announce the decision, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Sunday.

Russell, a 6-foot-6, 260-pounder from Mobile, Ala., was the nation's No. 3-ranked quarterback in passing efficiency this season. He threw for a career-high 332 yards and two touchdowns in the Tigers' 41-14 victory over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday night.

Russell will finish his LSU career with 6,525 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons -- two as a full-time starter.

Smart move, he could end up being the #1 pick in the draft.

[Bronco LB 59]

LSU fans aren't even disapointed knowing they have 2005 #1 QB recruit Ryan Perrilloux waiting in the wings.

[bpc]

Great move by Russell. Quinn is garbage and Russell will easily wrestle the #1 QB in the draft spot away from him. If Brohm was smart, he would be coming out too.

Dante Culpepper with accuracy. Could be a good move for Oakland.

I'm all for talented juniors coming out. Keep bumping those players down to us like Lynch, Landry, or Ginn/Jarrett. I think Branch and Dorsey are pretty much out though.

[Drek]

Dante Culpepper with accuracy. Could be a good move for Oakland.
And minus the infant sized hands. People wonder why Culpepper fumbles so much, he's probably can't even palm a football.

I disagree on Quinn though, I think he'll be a better NFL QB than he was in college, and he's been a very good QB the last two years. I personally think all the Quinn haters are just ND haters who don't like all the hype ND (and by relation Quinn) gets. I agree with that, they weren't an elite team either of the last two years (huge defensive weaknesses) and still found themselves in bowl games, but Quinn has excellent QB skills, has shown the "intangibles" desired in various tough wins, and is coming out of what is effectively an NFL offense.

[SpringStein]

I'm all for talented juniors coming out. Keep bumping those players down to us like Lynch, Landry, or Ginn/Jarrett.

:) I don't think Reggie Nelson can drop all the way to us. But Landry might.

[-Slap-]

Landry just seems like a guy who's going to be a solid pro for the next 10-12 years. He fills a long term need, too.

[Clockwork Orange]

I don't see us having a shot at Landry without trading up.

[-Slap-]

I don't see us having a shot at Landry without trading up.

I think we're sitting in a good spot @ 21. There is strong first round talent at S, DT, RB and WR in this draft and somebody from one of those postions will slide to us naturally. I truly believe we'll get strong value @ 21 simply by taking the BAA at one of those positions.

[Play2win]

I think Shanahan should work his magic and trade up for ALAN BRANCH.

That guy will change our whole defense.

I think our defense needs to get more physical, especially at the point of attack. I can't think of a better way to do that than getting Alan Branch.

Shanny pulled the trigger last year to get CUTLER, this year (I hope) he will pull it to get BRANCH.

[Clockwork Orange]

I think we're sitting in a good spot @ 21. There is strong first round talent at S, DT, RB and WR in this draft and somebody from one of those postions will slide to us naturally. I truly believe we'll get strong value @ 21 simply by taking the BAA at one of those positions.

Totally agree. There's going to be so much value there at positions of need, the only problem they should have will be choosing which one to go with.

[-Slap-]

I think Shanahan should work his magic and trade up for ALAN BRANCH.

That guy will change our whole defense.

I think our defense needs to get more physical, especially at the point of attack. I can't think of a better way to do that than getting Alan Branch.

Shanny pulled the trigger last year to get CUTLER, this year (I hope) he will pull it to get BRANCH.

If we were going to marshall our resources and trade up for anybody, I think Branch would be our best target. If he slid to somewhere attainable, I would be alright with going after him.

Branch is prbably the one guy who would help our DEs, our LBs and our DBs the most all by himself.

[bpc]

I think we should get several great prospects sitting where we are at with all the juniors I think will be coming out this year.

I love Landry. I think he is going to be a guy that can bring a lot of versatility to a ballclub especially with his speed on the blitz. I don't think he has the natural ball skills that Ed Reed has but I think he will play out as a safety in the Troy Polumalu mold who has the speed and tenacity to cover a lot of ground and mistakes that can be made by defenses. The guy brings the heat.

Right now I'll take whomever slides to our pick out of Ginn Jr., Jarrett, Landry, Nelson, Lynch or even Griffin from Texas. I would love to see Dorsey or Branch there but it won't happen.

I think that Cutler could use more weapons in the passing game with Rod becoming older and although not mentioned here, Javon's mental health now being in doubt. We should prepare for the unexpected.

Lynch reminds me a lot of E James coming out of college and I think he'll have a longer, more productive professional career than A. Peterson. I have my reasons, just ask. I think if we have a chance to land a franchise QB, we should at least try to get a good-great back to take some pressure off of him. Lynch would be great in Denver. I would take AP, I just think Lynch will be better in the long term.

Defense is mandatory but I don't know if we are going to find our DT in the first round as I suspect the really good juniors are going to get snatched up quickly. That leaves some great safeties as options. I feel that the DT's who will be left will be essentially the same talent-wise as the ones left in round 2. I like Brandon Mebane the best out of the one's that I have watched. I think he has a lot of short area quickness and penetration needed to disrupt blocking schemes in the run and pass games.

[Requiem]

If these underclassmen keep declaring, I see no need to trade up. The value with the declares of Jamaal Anderson, JaMarcus Russell, Sidney Rice and Jared Gaither just boosted the talent of the first-round in the draft. Not to mention, kids like Glenn Dorsey haven't declared yet and that's not even touching the foundation of guys like Ted Ginn, Jr., Calvin Johnson and others.

[Play2win]

If we were going to marshall our resources and trade up for anybody, I think Branch would be our best target. If he slid to somewhere attainable, I would be alright with going after him.

Branch is prbably the one guy who would help our DEs, our LBs and our DBs the most all by himself.

Exactly! :thumbsup:

[bpc]

And minus the infant sized hands. People wonder why Culpepper fumbles so much, he's probably can't even palm a football.

I disagree on Quinn though, I think he'll be a better NFL QB than he was in college, and he's been a very good QB the last two years. I personally think all the Quinn haters are just ND haters who don't like all the hype ND (and by relation Quinn) gets. I agree with that, they weren't an elite team either of the last two years (huge defensive weaknesses) and still found themselves in bowl games, but Quinn has excellent QB skills, has shown the "intangibles" desired in various tough wins, and is coming out of what is effectively an NFL offense.

I think Quinn will be alright if he gets into a QB friendly system and a team with some talent. Otherwise I think he will bust. He reminds me of Joey Harrington to a "T". He floats a lot of his long balls and doesn't seem to have a ton of zip on his out's and in's. In the pro's they will feast on that. I'm not saying you have to have a heater to be a good QB in this league but it helps tremendously. Guys like Griese and Pennington have just ok arm strength.

I don't think Quinn is clutch (0 bowl wins and what is his biggest win at ND? Michigan two years ago?) and he could bust if he goes to the wrong teams. If I'm Brady, I would be hoping Carolina at #14 takes a flier. He could be a nice fit there for them. They have an established running game, solid blockers and some very good receiving threats. The defense is also good enough to pitch shutouts as he learns the ropes. Jake D is not the long term answer.

[youcandoit1687]

LSU fans aren't even disapointed knowing they have 2005 #1 QB recruit Ryan Perrilloux waiting in the wings.

eh im pretty disappointed, we had more than legitimate NC hopes wiht JR, now its up in the air much more. our ground game should be able to pick up some of the slack and of course the defense will be great.

remember, its not official yet on JR, i heard he denied it and is still deciding. press conference wednesday.

[That One Guy]

eh im pretty disappointed, we had more than legitimate NC hopes wiht JR, now its up in the air much more. our ground game should be able to pick up some of the slack and of course the defense will be great.

remember, its not official yet on JR, i heard he denied it and is still deciding. press conference wednesday.

I believe reports have even named the agent he supposedly signed with, didn't they? Also, after his bowl performance, it'd be pretty hard for him to improve his status any.

[youcandoit1687]

he has talked to agent(s), the name i have heard is eric metc, but has not made a decision yet. i am holding out hope but theres not much logic behind him staying.

[Jens1893]

I think Quinn will be alright if he gets into a QB friendly system and a team with some talent. Otherwise I think he will bust. He reminds me of Joey Harrington to a "T". He floats a lot of his long balls and doesn't seem to have a ton of zip on his out's and in's. In the pro's they will feast on that. I'm not saying you have to have a heater to be a good QB in this league but it helps tremendously. Guys like Griese and Pennington have just ok arm strength.

I don't think Quinn is clutch (0 bowl wins and what is his biggest win at ND? Michigan two years ago?) and he could bust if he goes to the wrong teams. If I'm Brady, I would be hoping Carolina at #14 takes a flier. He could be a nice fit there for them. They have an established running game, solid blockers and some very good receiving threats. The defense is also good enough to pitch shutouts as he learns the ropes. Jake D is not the long term answer.

Quinn is supposed to be clutch because of the game winning TD v UCLA, where Samardzija caught a 5 yard pass from Quinn and took it to the house. You have to love the media and the ND apologists.

[That One Guy]

Every time I've seen Quinn in the last year, he looked horrible. The game vs USC was a prime example... I think he's getting a bit of good fortune in coming out in a weak class. Russel just jumped after his bowl game but before that... it was going to be Quinn and maybe Brohm.. Nothing like last year's in QB talent it seems

[-Slap-]

Every time I've seen Quinn in the last year, he looked horrible. The game vs USC was a prime example... I think he's getting a bit of good fortune in coming out in a weak class. Russel just jumped after his bowl game but before that... it was going to be Quinn and maybe Brohm.. Nothing like last year's in QB talent it seems

Just like Alex Smith.

[SoCalBronco]

eh im pretty disappointed, we had more than legitimate NC hopes wiht JR, now its up in the air much more. our ground game should be able to pick up some of the slack and of course the defense will be great.

remember, its not official yet on JR, i heard he denied it and is still deciding. press conference wednesday.

You guys are going to have to raise your offer if he is going to change his mind.

;D

[Drek]

I think Quinn's biggest problem is his team as a whole constantly being overmatched. ND just isn't an elite program at this point. They're good, but not bowl championship worthy by any means with how horrible their defense has been, and the offense was heavily flawed due to Fassano leaving early, McKnight never filling Stovall's shoes, and Samardzja being unprepared for football early in the season after playing baseball all summer. Quinn's arm is often overrated, its not up to Russell's, or Cutler's, its more like Tom Brady's, adequate to all parts of the field with accuracy. Brady's arm serves him because he makes the right reads, Quinn needs to be able to do that if he's successful. If he can handle that first and foremost he'll be fine because he has good height, mechanics, footwork, and takes a hit to deliver a pass. Its all about how well he can read defenses. I think he'll do well at that, as Weiss' offense is predicated on his QBs having that skill.

I agree though, he needs to be on the right team. In Detroit or Oakland, where he needs to carry a team early on, he'll flop. In Cleveland I think he could be ok. Crennel will give him time and he'll be competing with Frye, not getting a job by default. Carolina would be perfect for him though.

[Obushma]

Just like Alex Smith.

Big difference is that Alex Smith played lights out his senior year, he definetly was in a weak draft class for QB's. Smith didnt have near the weapons that Quinn had, and played much better.

[Finger Roll]

Big difference is that Alex Smith played lights out his senior year, he definetly was in a weak draft class for QB's. Smith didnt have near the weapons that Quinn had, and played much better.

If Alex Smith came out in the 2006 draft I wonder where he would of been picked? I'm guessing 16th to the dolphins.

[Finger Roll]

and if quinn came out last year? do you guy's think we would of picked him instead of Cutler or do you think he would of gone sooner or later.

[Clockwork Orange]

and if quinn came out last year? do you guy's think we would of picked him instead of Cutler or do you think he would of gone sooner or later.

He'd have been the 4th QB taken last year. Probably still a 1st rounder, but I don't think he'd have gone ahead of Young, Leinart or Cutler.

[Kaylore]

Am I the only one who likes him better than Quinn? I don't really care for Notre Dame, so maybe that's my bias leaking in, but he seems like he brings more to the table as an athlete than Quinn and he seems to have all the tools of a pro-QB prospect. I hope he really is declaring. He could go in the first round with a good combine performance.

[Clockwork Orange]

Am I the only one who likes him better than Quinn? I don't really care for Notre Dame, so maybe that's my bias leaking in, but he seems like he brings more to the table as an athlete than Quinn and he seems to have all the tools of a pro-QB prospect. I hope he really is declaring. He could go in the first round with a good combine performance.

The early word is that the Fade like him, a lot.

[bpc]

I will be toasting like the 72' dolphins if the Fade take Quinn. I would absolutely love that.

Do it...

DO IT!

[Drek]

Am I the only one who likes him better than Quinn? I don't really care for Notre Dame, so maybe that's my bias leaking in, but he seems like he brings more to the table as an athlete than Quinn and he seems to have all the tools of a pro-QB prospect. I hope he really is declaring. He could go in the first round with a good combine performance.

I'm a huge ND fan and to be honest, I like Russell better than Quinn from a talent perspective. My big question is if Russell has the head for the pro game, but then I'd say he's further along than Culpepper was at the same point, probably on par with McNabb, who I think is his best comp. Quinn is a quality QB in his own right, kind of like a more physically gifted Tom Brady with his arm strength already developed (Brady made huge strides in arm strength after entering the league). Both throw passes that catch a lot of air, but they're accurate and both stand in the pocket, taking hits to get the throw off. I'm not saying we'll look back in a few years and see Quinn with 3 SB titles and Russell spewing his lunch on the field though. A big part of what has made Brady the player he's become is adversity, he's got the intangibles few other QBs have ever had. Brady is going to be handed an NFL career on a silver platter and so you have to wonder if the single minded commitment will still be there.

On the whole I could see Russell having a McNabb-esque career. A very talented playmaker who single handedly does a lot for his team's offense. I don't want to see him in Oakland because they've already got a pretty good D. In a few years they could be a pre-2005 TO fiasco Philly West. A QB going to detroit will have all sorts of weapons for sure, but they still have no defense to speak of, until that changes Millen's offensive centric drafts are the equivalent of pissing on a gas fire.

Russell is worthy of a #1 overall pick. He's got rough edges but could be a dynamo if developed properly. Boom/Bust potential with a lot more of the former. Quinn is just about the safest draftable QB we've seen in a long time, so his bust potential is pretty low, but I also don't see huge upside. I think he'll be a better pro thanks to an all around higher talent level on his offense, which he'll maximize (his best trait), but he is ultimately a guy who should be picked between 12-18 in my opinion. He isn't a franchise cornerstone unless he gets in the right system and shows exceptional dedication to football. Cleveland is the only top 10 team that I think he'd work well on, because Crennel wants to run the same offense Weiss had in New England. Quinn would know the system as well as anyone on the team within a week of getting his playbook.

[Kaylore]

I'm a huge ND fan and to be honest, I like Russell better than Quinn from a talent perspective. My big question is if Russell has the head for the pro game, but then I'd say he's further along than Culpepper was at the same point, probably on par with McNabb, who I think is his best comp. Quinn is a quality QB in his own right, kind of like a more physically gifted Tom Brady with his arm strength already developed (Brady made huge strides in arm strength after entering the league). Both throw passes that catch a lot of air, but they're accurate and both stand in the pocket, taking hits to get the throw off. I'm not saying we'll look back in a few years and see Quinn with 3 SB titles and Russell spewing his lunch on the field though. A big part of what has made Brady the player he's become is adversity, he's got the intangibles few other QBs have ever had. Brady is going to be handed an NFL career on a silver platter and so you have to wonder if the single minded commitment will still be there.

On the whole I could see Russell having a McNabb-esque career. A very talented playmaker who single handedly does a lot for his team's offense. I don't want to see him in Oakland because they've already got a pretty good D. In a few years they could be a pre-2005 TO fiasco Philly West. A QB going to detroit will have all sorts of weapons for sure, but they still have no defense to speak of, until that changes Millen's offensive centric drafts are the equivalent of pissing on a gas fire.

Russell is worthy of a #1 overall pick. He's got rough edges but could be a dynamo if developed properly. Boom/Bust potential with a lot more of the former. Quinn is just about the safest draftable QB we've seen in a long time, so his bust potential is pretty low, but I also don't see huge upside. I think he'll be a better pro thanks to an all around higher talent level on his offense, which he'll maximize (his best trait), but he is ultimately a guy who should be picked between 12-18 in my opinion. He isn't a franchise cornerstone unless he gets in the right system and shows exceptional dedication to football. Cleveland is the only top 10 team that I think he'd work well on, because Crennel wants to run the same offense Weiss had in New England. Quinn would know the system as well as anyone on the team within a week of getting his playbook.

Good post!

[Requiem]

I like Russell over Quinn too.