The NFL draft is almost upon us.
The months of buildup, smokescreens, anonymous scouting reports and learning everything there is to know about different 22-year-olds all come to a head starting on Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Commissioner Roger Goodell will walk to the stage and announce that the Tennessee Titans are officially on the clock, before shortly turning back around and, by all accounts, announcing quarterback Cam Ward as the number one overall selection.
What happens next at the quarterback position is anyone’s guess.
Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe are all in the next tier that could hear their names called throughout the first round.
While most assume Sanders will be the second quarterback taken off the board, there has been recent momentum of Dart overtaking Sanders as QB2 in the draft.
There are varying opinions and reports all over on Sanders and Dart, but ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky is giving the nod to the Ole Miss QB.
“Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders are like the perfect examples of where they go is going to be so paramount because their skill sets, their traits are very different,” Orlovsky said on First Take.
“Jaxson Dart is more athletic. He’s a little bit more of the ‘We can design quarterback run around him.’ He can push the ball downfield as part of their offense at Ole Miss.
“Everything about the first round of the NFL Draft is physical talent.
“If you just took these guys side by side and said, ‘Who physically is more talented?’ You would say Jaxson Dart. He’s bigger. He’s stronger. I think he’s faster.”
“He’s got more ability to make some of the ‘wow’ throws than Shedeur has.”
However, others aren’t as sold on Dart as Orlovsky is.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero revealed what an anonymous AFC scout had to say about the Mississippi quarterback.
“There’s still probably some lack of maturity to his game,” the scout said.
“Some of the flash and swagger with the face paint, the chest beating. He’s a guy you probably are still gonna have some bumpers around him and he’s going to need some coaching.
“You look at that last game against Duke, his own head coach is like, ‘Hey, he’s kind of a knucklehead,’ and he checks to a pass and throws another touchdown.
“He can probably get a little off script. You’re gonna have to rein him in.”
Anonymous scouting reports are usually taken with a grain of salt, but nonetheless, should be noted.
Whether or not an NFL team believes Dart is the better quarterback than Sanders remains to be seen.
Anything can happen on draft night.
Where the quarterbacks fall naturally grabs the biggest headlines and attracts the most attention.
And in this case, all eyes will be on Sanders and Dart as the first round unfolds in front of the millions watching.
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