39 SPRUTGERS LUICCI PERLMAN.JPG

Our three personnel men give former Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater high marks, the best signal caller in the draft.

(William Perlman/Star-Ledger)

Every Sunday up until the start of the NFL Draft on May 8, a different position of the draft will be analyzed with the help of three of the NFL's top talent evaluators: a scout for a NFC team, an executive in personnel from an AFC team and a scouting director from a NFC team who have all been a part of Super Bowl winners. These aren't guys in their basement with a laptop. These are the men who actually make the picks.

“Look it up, just look it up,” the NFC director said his voice becoming incredulous. “How many franchise quarterbacks are there? You have a handful in the league right now, and they expect 4 of 5 to come out of the draft. It’s not going to happen; it never does.”

He went on to point out how last year’s draft, which saw EJ Manuel going to Buffalo in the first round and Geno Smith to the Jets in the second, featured no franchise quarterbacks.

The year before wasn’t bad.

“You had (Andrew) Luck, a true franchise guy,” he said. “(Robert Griffin III), the jury is out. (Russell) Wilson, in the third round, looks like the real deal. (Nick) Foles had a good year; let’s see if he can do it again.”

He then points out the quarterback disaster that was the 2011 draft.

“Cam (Newton) was good No. 1,” he said. “Then three other guys went who all stink (Jake Locker, eighth to Tennessee; Blaine Gabbert, 10th to Jacksonville and Christian Ponder, 12th to Minnesota), and then San Francisco got Kap (Colin Kaepernick) in the second.

“Go all the way back to 1999 when the Eagles took Donovan (McNabb). You had five quarterbacks in the first 12 picks, and Donovan was the best; (Daunte) Culpepper had a few good years, and the rest (Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Cade McNown) stunk.

Maturity may be an issue with former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. Can he be trusted with the keys to the franchise?

“So people ask about this year’s draft. It’s a typical quarterback draft. You might have one or two good ones, and the rest will be busts.”

Here are a look at the possibilities ranked in order of how are three wise men see them.

• Teddy Bridgewater, 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, University of Louisville

“He’s not elite, but he’s good. He’s got a good arm, and he’s a good leader,” the AFC executive said.

“I have him at the top,” the NFC personnel man said. “He’s dependable; he’s consistent; he’s proven he can make plays. He’s pretty much a safe pick.

“He’s the most ready to come in and play right now,” the NFC scout said.

• Johnny Manziel, 5-11½, 210, Texas A&M

“I love him; I really do,” the NFC personnel man said. “But can you hand him the keys to the franchise? Can you put the franchise in his hands? I’d be a little scared of that.”

“Hit or miss? What are they talking about? He’s a better passer and has a better arm than the guy who just won the Super Bowl,” the AFC executive said. “Does he have a gun? No. But his arm is good enough,”

“I don’t know,” the NFC scout said. “He has all the glitz and glamour. But if you take him, you better take Mike Evans, because all he did was throw the ball up there, and Evans went up and got it. He’s very risky.”

• Jimmy Garoppolo, 6-2, 226, Eastern Illinois

“Same school as Tony Romo,” the AFC executive said. “He’s got great feet and a quick release. He doesn’t have a great arm, but he’s very accurate.”

“He’ll go later than some of the others,” the NFC personnel man said. “But he’s going to be better than the others.”

“Somebody is going to take him, probably in the second round,” the NFC scout said, “and they could be getting the next Kaepernick.”

Former Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles got mixed reviews from our three personnel men.

• Blake Bortles, 6-3, 232, Central Florida

“Good athlete, with good size and an above-average arm,” the AFC executive said. “I like him, but I don’t love him.”

“He’s not a franchise guy,” the NFC personnel man said. “He’s not real accurate. I’m not sold on him.”

“Physically, he looks the best,” the NFC scout said, “if that’s what you’re looking for.”

• Derek Carr, 6-2, 215, Fresno State

“He’s a system guy; that’s it,” the NFC personnel man said. “No, he’s not as good as is brother (David, a No. 1 pick of Houston in 2002).”

“He’s tougher than his brother,” the AFC executive said. “He can be a starter in the league.”

“Not bad,” the NFC scout said. “But not as good as his brother.”

• A.J. McCarron, 6-3, 214, Alabama

“He’s OK,” the NFC scout said. “He’s not what (Nick) Saban is saying about him. And there are some questions about him, too.”

“He’ll look good holding the clipboard for you,” the NFC personnel man said. “But when he has to play, he can’t.”

“He won a lot of games; I’ll say that,” the AFC executive said. “But I don’t see him as a starter.”

• David Fales, 6-1, 220, San Jose State

“Dink-and-dunk kind of a guy,” the NFC personnel man said. “Not my kind of quarterback.”

Is former Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr going to be better than his brother, David?

“He’s an OK back-up type, if you could get him later,” the NFC scout said.

“Played great in that last game (beating Carr and Fresno), then hurt himself with a poor showing in the Senior Bowl,” the AFC executive said.

• Zach Mettenberger, 6-5, 235, LSU

“That knee (he suffered a torn ACL on Nov. 29) is going to be a problem,” the AFC executive said. “I’m not sure where he is going to go.”

“He’s got a really strong arm,” the NFC personnel man said. “You just don’t know where the ball is going.”

WHAT THE LOCAL TEAMS MIGHT DO

Eagles: If Mike Vick leaves as a free agent, the Eagles could dip into the QB pool again on Day Three.

Giants: If the right guy is there, the Giants could spend a second-day pick on a QB.

Jets: They have their young guy in Smith. What they need is a veteran. Sign Vick already.

Contact Mark Eckel at meckel@njtimes.com

2 trchristie HINDASH.JPG

CONNECT WITH US: On mobile or desktop:

• Like Times of Trenton Sports on Facebook

• Follow @TimesofTrenton on Twitter