2016 NFL Draft: Ranking the Top Ten Quarterbacks

6. Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

Sep 19, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) during the first quarter against the Western Carolina Catamounts at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

With obvious athleticism and easy quarterbacking skills, Joshua Dobbs is one of the most intriguing prospects in this entire draft class. Dobbs has easy game-breaking speed that he has repeatedly used as a weapon in college. While many dual-threat quarterbacks have had issues translating to the NFL in recent past, Dobbs appears to have a strong throwing skill-set as well.

First off, he has a strong arm with his balls giving off easy velocity with the flick of a wrist. He has also shown nice consistent accuracy, which is rare for a young quarterback prospect. Even more rare is Dobbs’ obvious ability to read defenses. He is impressive while moving through his reads in the offense.

Tennessee runs a fast-paced spread attack, but Dobbs is not pushed into one option. He has the ability to make decisions while the play is going on, and he usually does so very effectively.

Great speed, athleticism, arm strength, accuracy and the ability to read defenses is a fantastic combination of skills for a quarterback to have. My only hesitations on Dobbs in the NFL are his slight frame and dependence on the run too often.

At 6-foot-3, 212 pounds Dobbs looks to be extremely fragile. While it has not shown up in college, I guarantee if he continues to run like he does in the NFL, he will have injury concerns. That brings me to Dobbs’ dependence on his legs.

He does a nice job of looking through his progressions in the passing game, but once the pocket starts to collapse, Dobbs just takes off running, and he does not typically keep his eyes downfield for the pass. It’s like he decides to run, and that is that, passing is not even an option. Usually it works fine for him in the college game, but that will become a problem in the NFL if he does not work on it.

Dobbs is a player who is dripping with obvious upside. While he is not from a traditional mold, he has an extremely well-rounded skill-set that just exploded off the screen. Somebody will undoubtedly take a chance on Dobbs, and it may be early, but he is going to have to learn to protect himself to succeed at the next level.

Next: Number Five