Early on, it seemed that Blaine Gabbert’s prototype size and high ceiling at the key position of quarterback cemented him as a possible No. 1 overall choice in the NFL Draft. Now, some draft writers are wondering just how far the Missouri quarterback might end up falling.
Several mock drafts still have Blaine Gabbert listed in the top five selections with so many quarterback needy teams sitting atop the draft board. And in the end, that should be enough to put Gabbert over the top, even if some still have questions about his abilities as a franchise quarterback. Yet that isn’t stopping some writers from projecting a slip down the draft order for Gabbert.
It’s important to note that this happens every year. Just last year, Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen was supposed to be a high draft choice after playing in Charlie Weis pro system in college, yet he fell deep into the second round before the Panthers called his name. Aaron Rodgers waited in the famed Green Room at the draft before the Green Bay Packers turned in his card at No. 24.
While smokescreens are common around any draft information, it’s dominant concerning the quarterback’s standing with each team. Thus it’s hard to trust anything — positive or negative — surrounding Gabbert’s draft status. Pat Kirwan at NFL.com has Gabbert falling to No. 15 to the Miami Dolphins. His peers have him at No. 5 and No. 7 to the Cardinals and 49ers respectively.
Still others have him rated to the Buffalo Bills at No. 3 or the Bengals at No. 4 to replace Carson Palmer. Thus the only safe thing to say concerning Blaine Gabbert just two days before the draft begins is that no one really knows where he will go. That might come as bad news for Gabbert’s camp, but it’s part of the intrigue of the NFL Draft for the rest of us.