West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith heads into the 2013 NFL Draft as the premiere signal caller in what can be described as an "above average" quarterback class. Smith's stock began to rise after his 656 yard, eight touchdown performance against Baylor this past season. Along with down seasons by USC's Matt Barkley, and Arkansas' Tyler Wilson, Smith has emerged as the best available quarterback. While Smith is not what you would consider a 'franchise' quarterback, he certainly possesses the tools to be a very good quarterback in the NFL.

Strengths:

Mobility: Smith will not tear you apart at the seams with his running ability, but he will be able to scramble out of the pocket and create plays with his feet. He is not a run-first quarterback, but he is capable of driving an offense down the field and into the end zone by making plays outside the box.

Arm Strength: Geno Smith possesses elite-caliber arm strength. He can throw a ball 60 yards down the field with the flick of a wrist, his fast action throwing motion reminds me a lot of Michael Vick. He can heave the ball without much hang to it, right into the chest of his receivers.

Size: Geno Smith has protoypical NFL size for a quarterback, if that means anything in today's league, as Russell Wilson showed everyone that size really doesn't matter in the NFL. However, Smith's 6'3'' 215 lb frame works into his favor. He could look to add five to ten pounds, as he may be utilized more outside of the pocker in the NFL than he was in college.

Weaknesses:

Accurary: Geno Smith can thread the ball through three defenders, right into his receiver's arms at times. It's when he's under pressure that he loses confidence in his throw placement. When being faced with more than a base four defender pass rush, Smith panics and chuck the ball to the first teammate he can find, often causing near chaos by havin it bounce off or out of a defender's hands.

Decision Making: As previously mentoined, Geno Smith becomes oblivious to the pass rush. Instead of stepping up into the pocket to avoid the edge rush, Smith instead back pedals, often times causing a horrific throwing decision or even worse, a turnover. In order for Smith to succeed consistently in the NFL, he's going to need to remain patient under pressure, and progress through his reads before deciding to chuck and pray.

Character: Smith is not on record as being a trouble maker, but has shown at times to blow a fuse with not much regard to those around him. Most recently in West Virginia's Bowl game vs. Syracuse, Smith absolutely exploded on the sidelines. Smith will most likely be asked to start from day one, and will need to garner the respect of the huddle in order to be effective. No fan base or franchise is going to tolerate a whiner, ask the Chicago Bears.

Bottom Line:

Geno Smith has been mocked in so many different places, by so many different people. I have never mocked Geno Smith to the Chiefs at first overall, simply because I don't feel he is worth that. I do think Smith could go in the top 10, but if teams around the league who are quarterback needy decide to use a band aid free agent quarterback to hold them over until the 2014 NFL Draft, Smith could see himself fall well into the late first round. When you think of Geno Smith at the next level, and who he compares to, think Jay Cutler. He will look great at times, but he will also look absolutely clueless. He's not a 'Franchise' quarteraback, but he'll quarterback a franchise.