Did Titans find the franchise QB they need in Jake Locker?

Four teams caught quarterback fever within the first 12 picks of the NFL draft.

Of the core four quarterbacks —Cam Newton, who went first overall to the Carolina Panthers; Jake Locker, No. 8, Tennessee Titans; Blaine Gabbert, No. 10, Jacksonville Jaguars; and Christian Ponder, No. 12, Minnesota Vikings— former NFL quarterback Jim Miller said Locker could emerge as the cream of the 2011 crop.

"Teams were a little antsy about free agency and grooming quarterbacks. The league is thirsty for new talent at that position," said Miller, an analyst for Sirius NFL Radio and Comcast SportsNet Chicago. "At the end of the day, Jake Locker could have the best career of all these guys. His skills are tremendous.

"A lot of people have compared him to Steve Young. That's how I see him down the line."

Miller said the presence of Titans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer will be a huge factor in Locker's development as the face of rookie head coach Mike Munchak's program and the end of the Vince Young era.

"Chris Palmer will look at Locker as his Mark Brunell with how Chris brought along Mark in Jacksonville," Miller said.

"Hopefully he's not thrown into the fire too early. But he will play. And he's farther ahead than what everybody thinks he is. If anybody watched tape at the University of Washington, there was no one to throw the ball to. Everybody was covered.

"He's extremely tough. He played half the year this season with broken ribs."

Locker had 40 career starts at the University of Washington and has been working with former New York Jets quarterback Ken O'Brien on tweaking his footwork, throwing balance and follow-through in a bid to improve his 53.9% completion rate.

The Titans were worried that the Vikings would have pounced on Locker with the 12th pick if they had passed, so they grabbed Locker when they had their chance.

Miller thinks Vikings coach Leslie Frazier is right that Ponder will have a chance to start right away because of all of the weapons Minnesota has to support him.

Frazier said the Vikings got their Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez in Ponder, who completed 61.8% of his passes at Florida State.

"I know the Buffalo Bills were definitely going to trade up into the first round to get Ponder," Miller said.

"There were some other teams that liked him (because) he's probably the most pro-ready of this group.

"I'll take Leslie Frazier at his word that they expect Ponder to start Week 1.

"They have a good running back in Adrian Peterson and Pro Bowl wide receivers. It tells me they plan on re-signing (free agent) Sidney Rice.

"It's not like this guy is going to be asked to do everything. I don't think it's ideal for any of these rookies to play right away.

"But he is a guy who is capable of doing it given the guys around him."

Miller likes Carolina's selection of Newton. His success is dependent on how well offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski tailors his offense to Newton's strengths as a dynamic playmaker with the big arm to strike for vertical passes off play-action.

Former Titans tailback-turned-analyst Eddie George said Newton has Magic Johnson's type of smile and rare athleticism. But can he work magic and transform the lowly Panthers into Super Bowl contenders?

"Cam Newton has tremendous upside," Miller said. "He's even more athletic than (Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback) Josh Freeman.

"I don't think Cam's a player who's going to go in the tank when he faces adversity.

"He's a good fit in Rob Chudzinski's offense. They'll tweak things for him, and I like (quarterbacks coach) Mike Shula a lot."

A head-scratcher for Miller was Jacksonville trading up from 16th with the Washington Redskins to select Gabbert.

"Gabbert has bigger accuracy issues than Locker," Miller said. "Cincinnati, Arizona, San Francisco and Tennessee passed on Gabbert. And Washington traded out of 10.

"Gabbert has great athleticism; he certainly has the arm. But it's the down-the-field throws that are a concern. Even San Francisco, they reached for (Missouri pass rusher) Aldon Smith over Gabbert. And they needed a quarterback bad."

The 49ers took Nevada's Colin Kaepernick with the 36th pick. Miller isn't as high as some on the Cincinnati Bengals' second-round pick, Andy Dalton, the presumed successor to disgruntled Carson Palmer. But ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer says Dalton is this draft's best quarterback.

"I had Andy Dalton in the third round," Miller said. "I don't look at him any different than (Cleveland Browns quarterback) Colt McCoy. He's average in athleticism.

"He's a bright kid. But I saw this kid crow-hop to complete an 18-yard comeback. His arm strength is not the greatest. By getting Georgia receiver A.J. Green, maybe that was a little signal to Carson, 'We got the best offensive weapon in this draft.'

"Hopefully Carson will re-evaluate."