Every year, the quarterback class is the most talked about position in the NFL Draft.  Why?  Because quarterback is the most important position in football and also many teams picking in the top ten picks have questions about their current quarterback and could be the reason why they are picking that high.  Although, teams should be careful when picking a quarterback in the draft as many of them have not panned out, even when selected in the first round.  There are many quarterbacks taken early that have been a disappointment such as Mark Sanchez, LaMarcus Russell, and even Tim Couch for a few names.  Here are some quarterbacks in this year’s draft class to whom I believe are overrated:

5. Aj McCarron, Alabama

McCarron may be one of the most consistent quarterback in this year’s draft class, and all he does is win.  McCarron was never hyped up to be a top quarterback taken in the draft, and is to why he is number five on my list.  In three years as a starter at Alabama, McCarron has only thrown 13 interceptions and has a completion percent of 67.

McCarron does not have too many flaws, as to why he is the least overrated on my list, but he also does not do anything exceptionally well.  Some of his strengths are reading defenses and leading the offense to many victories in the SEC and two BCS titles.  He is also surrounded by arguably the best team in college football with a great offensive line and a deep crop of wide receivers to throw to.  Although, McCarron does not have an elite arm and has questionable footwork.  In my opinion, I feel that McCarron needs to be surrounded by a good team to succeed and has the potential of Andy Dalton.

4. Tahj Boyd, Clemson

Coming into the 2013 season, Boyd was regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in college football.  As the 2013 season tailed off, his name has faded as a high draft pick and a top quarterback in this year’s draft class.  So much that I thought that putting him as overrated was overrating himself as put?  Or I may say that lately he is not getting much recognition as a quarterback in the NFL and deservingly so.  I am not a fan of him at the next level due to many concerns.

Boyd has questions marks at decision making and accuracy while not having an elite arm will hurt him.  Boyd had a completion percent of 67.6 and had a total of nine interceptions on 373 pass attempts.  While not terrible numbers, he had his worst games against the good defenses of Florida State and South Carolina.  While in game action, Boyd does not make many reads and has concerns with deep ball throws.

3. Zack Mettenberger, LSU

Coming into the 2013 season, Mettenberger was not thought of as a top quarterback in college football.  Like Boyd, Mettenberger is not getting much recognition as a quarterback at the next level, but I am also not a huge fan of him in the NFL.  Mettenberger actually had a weak 2012 season at LSU posting only a 58.8 completion percent with only 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his first season as a starter.  In his 2013 campaign, he showed much more potential as Mettenberger threw 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions on a 64.9 completion percent.

Questions marks stand on Mettenberger’s ability to handle pressure as he does not try to escape the pocket too often due to his lack of speed and he also has slow and sloppy footwork.  Mettenberger has had two very good wide receivers in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr that have helped his numbers.  He also had a very good offensive line this year that gave him much time in the pocket.  As to other flaws, Mettenberger has a tendency to stare down his wide receivers and make bad decisions at time.

2. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M

One of the most talked about players in the draft.  In my opinion, he is one of the most talented players in the draft with South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney.  He is also possibly the best playmaker and most exciting player to watch in college football.  Manziel had one of the best seasons by a freshman ever in his 2012 season.  He put up huge numbers in the air and on the ground which helped him win the Heisman.  In 2013, Manziel did not put up as impressive numbers as a sophomore but still recorded huge numbers in the SEC.  Manziel also did improve his mechanics as a quarterback.  Although as a NFL quarterback, I see some question marks.

While studying film, there is one big concern for me with Manziel’s ability to succeed at the next level.  That concern is that Manziel has a tendency to be a one read quarterback.  If Manziel’s first read is not open, he runs.  In the NFL the cornerbacks are a lot better and will give Manziel less time to throw to an opening.  Also, if Manziel ends up running all the time, the linebackers in the NFL will injure him.  I do not care about Manziel’s size with getting hurt, it is the way a quarterback plays that will get him hurt, look at Robert Griffin III as an example.  Also Manziel has poor pocket presence as he seems to get nervous as the pocket collapses due to not knowing if he wants to run or throw.  Manziel also has question marks when throwing downfield.

1. Derek Carr, Fresno State

Wait, David Carr?! Oh wait, that is just his brother, so he will just be like David, right? No.  Even though I have Derek Carr as the most overrated quarterback in the draft, it is not because of his older brother David.

Derek Carr was a nobody to most people before they learned who he was this year.  Carr posted huge numbers in the likes of 50 touchdowns and eight interceptions, 5082 pass yards, and a 68.7 completion percent.  Although, these numbers were against a very weak schedule and when playing his top opponent, USC, he struggled.  However, I do not like to grade a prospect due to one game.  Carr also had a very good receiver core in the likes of Davante Adams, Isaiah Burse, Josh Harper, Marcel Jensen, and Josh Quezada.

Although while looking at mechanics, Carr has very sloppy footwork, however this can fixed.  He also has a tendency to throw off of his back foot which can mess with the velocity and accuracy of his throws.  Carr also does not handle pressure well at all.  He has a tendency to rush throws while the pocket is collapsing which does not happen very often due to the weak defenses he faced.

Carr could really struggle if he does not fix these aspects of his game in the NFL due to high amount of blitzes.  Although when having time, Carr does have a very good arm and can escape the pocket as he is a very good athlete.