I guess I'm kind of in the minority here. I think Jamarcus has a higher ceiling than Quinn, but I also think Quinn is the safer pick. I think Quinn will have a decent-to very good career.
Well, I'm right there with ya.
I also think that Russell has a higher bust factor than Quinn. It's not that I think Quinn is a better prospect per se, it's just that Quinn appears to be...
more driven...is I guess how I would put it.
Russell just seems to be in it for the Benjamins. People make the comparison between Mirer and Quinn, but I think a more apt analogy is Russell with Akili Smith. Sick athlete; all the physical tools; cannon for an arm, but his technique and work ethic leave a lot to be desired. He just strikes me as a guy that isn't willing (isn't going) to do what it takes to take his game to the next level. He's gotten by on freakish athletic ability to this point and once he signs a deal that guarantees him 8 digits, he's just going to cruise.
From everything I've read, he just seems to have that personality. As soon as he sees that his athleticism will only get him so far and he actually has to work at the game, he'll eventually fade away.
As down as I was on Vince Young last year, I at least thought that he would have a so-so, Kordell-like career. IMO, Russell won't even get to that point.
Quinn, OTOH, doesn't have the physical abilities that Russell possesses, but he's no slouch either. Prototypical size for an NFL QB, but what he does have is crazy good football smarts; he's a hard worker and he's shown the willingness to learn. In and of itself, that all usually adds up to a decent NFL career. I think his biggest problem will be learning to deal with the speed of the pro game and handling pressure. If he can do that, he'll be OK.
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Stanton, Beck or even Edwards end up being better than either of these two. To put it another way, I don't think that the talent gap between Russell/Quinn and Beck/Stanton/Edwards is big enough to justify taking one of the first two in R1 instead of a R2 or R3 pick on one of the latter guys.