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The 2009 NFL Draft features a few Quarterbacks who look like they have the potential to be very good NFL starters for a long time. There were 3 chosen in the first round of the draft, with multiple others taken in the following rounds.

Obviously, the first choice in the Draft was QB Matthew Stafford from Georgia. He is a guy that displays all of the athletic tools necessary to be a top flight QB. He has an extremely strong arm, and he can definitely make any throw that an NFL QB is asked to make. He also has above average athleticism for the position, and should be able to make some plays with his legs. However, there are definite concerns about him. He was not always the most consistent performer in college, despite playing in a solid offense under Mark Richt. He is also not the most accurate QB, so he will have to work on that in the pros. Overall though, the Lions felt the positives outweighed the negatives in making him the first overall pick in the draft.

The next quarterback taken was Mark Sanchez from USC. Even though he did not have a ton of game experience (less than Stafford), he was very highly regarded for his physcial tools and his moxie. He showed that he can make all of the throws he needs, and he played his best in USC's biggest games over the past couple years. He showed definite leadership ability, as all of his teammates seem to rally around him. Quaterback play is about attitude, and Sanchez has the right attitude to be a successful quarterback. He has a commanding presence on the field, and he has supreme confidence that he is going to get the job done at all times. He could be forced into playing time quickly for the New York Jets, so it will be intereting to see how he responds to that.

The other QB taken in round 1 was Josh Freeman. He is another guy that seems to have all of the physical tools to be a very good quarterback. He has a very strong arm and definitely has the athleticism to play the QB position at the NFL level. He doesn't look like he will be ready to contribute very much right out of the gate, but given time and proper coaching, he has the tools to be a solid starter. But it will definitely take time, and if Tampa Bay tries to rush him onto the field it could come with some poor results right out of the gate.

After that, there is a lot of cluster among the QBs. Guys like Rhett Bomar of Sam Houston St., Nate Davis of Ball St., Pat White of West Virginia, and Cullen Harper of Clemson look like they may have the ability and makeup to someday contribute at the NFL level, but all are very far from a sure thing. It will be up to the teams to develop their strengths and weaknesses and attempt to get them to a level where they can contribute.

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