5: Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville

Despite being considered as one of the top quarterbacks in the class, Bridgewater is low-key being underrated. Coming into the season, he was the consensus No.1 quarterback, deservingly so. As this season has unfolded, Bridgewater has been gradually dropped in rankings and doubted by NFL scouts. Why? Because, after time, it gets boring to have the same player atop of his class, even if he deserves to be.

Bridgewater has actually been playing better this year than he did last year. His decision making has improved, which was one of his few flaws to begin with. Bridgewater has an understanding of defenses and how to throw wide receivers open that is beyond anyone else’s knowledge in this class. Couple that with his impressive overall arm talent, pocket presence, and mobility and one would have themselves an ideal franchise quarterback. His gradual loss of “stock” has been unwarranted and should not continue.

4: David Fales, San Jose State

This year, Fales lost his No.1 wide receiver Noel Grigsby due to injury and has been running SJSU’s offense under a new offensive coordinator than the year prior. The struggles with such issues have been evident, but nonetheless, he has improved as a prospect. He has improved his deep passing velocity and placement, both of which were concerns coming into the year. Fales drives the ball down field and attacks the seam much better than given credit for. In fact, he is more effective doing so than any other quarterback in this draft class, yet is rarely credited for it.

3: Brett Smith, Wyoming

The entire nation is mesmerized by Johnny Manziel, but Brett Smith, who is quite similar, flies under the radar in Wyoming. Despite playing for a lower quality team, Smith is superior to Manziel as a prospect. He is just as athletic and dynamic as Manziel, but is a more mentally sound quarterback. Smith is smarter with the ball and has a more developed and comfortable pocket presence. Even with a pitiful offensive line and middling receiving corps, Smith lights up his opponents and overwhelms teams because they do not account for just how talented he is.

2: Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech

Following Thomas’ 2011 season, he was expected to shred the collegiate circuit apart in 2012. Unfortunately, he did not. Thomas’ 2012 season was a train wreck and he became the laughing stock of college quarterbacking. This year, he is back on track. While inconsistency is still an issue, he flashes everything one would want from a quarterback prospect.

Thomas has an astonishingly strong arm, large body frame, comfortable when the pocket collapses, and does not fixate on one receiver. He is generally an accurate passer and has an innate ability to drop passes just over defenders. The majority of fans and draft evaluators will fail to look past his abysmal 2012 season and miss out on a talented quarterback prospect.

1: Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois

Oddly enough, Garoppolo is not the first talented quarterback to come out of this FCS program. Tony Romo was an undrafted free agent out of EIU, but Garoppolo will get drafted. The question is, how high? The common prediction is somewhere in the third day of the draft almost solely because he plays for a small school, but he deserves to go higher.

As seen through the success of Nick Foles, high tempo spread offenses do not need an athletic quarterback to function. A quarterback with a strong arm, quick release, and confidence in his ability is another type of quarterback that can run such offense, like Nick Foles has done in Philadelphia. Garoppolo certainly fits that role. After the Shrine Game, Garoppolo’s name will be heard more often among the more well known quarterback prospects.