Mark Sanchez has a very difficult situation ahead of him. Should he enter the NFL draft, and risk being taken in the late first round or early second round, or stay another year at USC?

One has to firmly believe he’s leaning towards staying at USC since he talked to Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer, and they both decided to stay for their senior season. One would be shocked if Sanchez left for the NFL.

Lets pretend we’re in Mark Sanchez’s shoes, and face his difficult situation.

First off, we have to first consider the other college quarterback’s competition in the NFL draft.

So far, the two quarterbacks getting a lot of attention are Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Georgia’s Matthew Stafford.

Comparing their 2008 stats together:

Sam Bradford- 304/442 for 4464 yards, 68.3% CMP, 48 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a 186.29 quarterback rating.
Matt Stafford- 235/383 for 3,459 yards, 61.4% CMP, 25 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 153.4  quarterback rating.
Mark Sanchez-241/366 for 3,207 yards, 65.8% CMP, 34 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 164.4  quarterback rating.

Based on stats alone, Sam Bradford had the better year.

Size, Weight, and 40 time

Sam Bradford-6-4, 218 lbs, 40 time: 4.72
Matt Stafford- 6-3, 238 lbs, 40 time: 4.75
Mark Sanchez-6-3, 225 lbs, 40 time: 4.71

Now, lets look at what the scouts have said:

Sam Bradford

Positive: a great arm, a cerebral approach to the position and an ideal quarterback’s build at 6 feet 4. (Football Analysts)Brady-like: Quick arm, extremely accurate, and quick release (NFL front-man)
Negative : not vocal, doesn’t have elite arm-strength, and adjusting from a shotgun-heavy offense at Oklahoma to playing primarily under center in the NFL. (Todd McShay-Director of Scout)

Matt Stafford

Positive: NFL Pocket-Passer (ESPN Matt Kiper). Strong Arm, Naturally gifted and strong in the pocket (Former NFL scout-Russ Lande)
Negative: Occasionally throws balls up for grabs when pressured up the middle. Some question his inability to lead Georgia to wins in games over elite team (Former NFL scout-Russ Lande).

Mark Sanchez

Positive: Great mechanics and footwork (NFL front-man),
Negative: Not enough experience, durability, and needs more exposure to demonstrate his stats were not due to his offensive line and playmakers (NFL front-man)

Interesting Note:

Todd McShay, Director for Scout. Inc released his NFL Draft quarterback ranking:

1. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
2. Mark Sanchez, USC
3. Matthew Stafford, Georgia
4. Nate Davis, Ball State
5. Josh Freeman, Kansas State
6. Tim Tebow, Florida
7. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
8. Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston State
9. Mike Reilly, Central Washington
10. Drew Willy, Buffalo
11. Nate Brown, Central Arkansas
12. John Parker Wilson, Alabama
13. Chase Daniel, Missouri
14. Cullen Harper, Clemson
15. Curtis Painter, Purdue

Is their something Todd knows about Sanchez that we don’t?

NFL teams that need a quarterback in their drafting order, and the contract signed by last year player at their respected number.

1. Detroit Lions ( 5 years for $57.5 million- $30 million guaranteed)
3.Kansas City Chiefs (5 years for $51 million-$23 million guaranteed)
10. San Francisco 49ers (5 years for $18.9 million-$13.8 million guaranteed)
17. New York Jets (5 years for $15 million-$ 8.9 guaranteed)
18. Chicago Bears (5 years for  $30 million-$ 8.75 guaranteed)
19.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5 years for $14.4 million-$8.965 guaranteed)
21.Detroit Lions (again) (5 years for $13.5 million-$7.8 guaranteed)

A player selected in the top 10 guaranteed money is the same as an individual who falls middle round for his whole contract including guaranteed money. If one’s career is not a complete success such as Tim Crouch, or Ryan Leaf; guaranteed money is golden.  If Matt Leinart would have forgo his senior year he could have signed to a 6 year contract for $49.5 million- $24 million guaranteed. By waiting an extra year, Matt was selected 10th and signed a 6 year contract for 50 million-$14 million guaranteed. A difference of 10 million dollars guaranteed, however, he led the Trojans to the National Championship title game in his senior year. It all boils down to the values of the individual. Does Mark want his college degree, or is his primary goal to be in the NFL now?

Fight On, USC Trojans!

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