2017 NFL Draft: Is Davis Webb The No. 1 Quarterback?

Who is the No. 1 quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft? Davis Webb out of California gets the nod for me.

The 2017 NFL Draft doesn’t have a clear-cut No. 1 quarterback. Each prospect has their pros and cons, but it is tough for everyone to agree on which signal-caller is the best.

You have Mitchell Trubisky from North Carolina, who I featured on In The Pocket early this draft season. There is also the National Championship winning quarterback, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. These two quarterbacks are regarded as the No. 1 guys by many, but there are also some who feel Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer or Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes is the top guy.

In my opinion, none of those guys are the No. 1 quarterback. My No. 1 quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft is Davis Webb from the Cal Golden Bears.

You may think I am an idiot, but let me explain. I have been watching Webb play since his days at Texas Tech, and I was already very high on him. Webb went on to have a solid freshman season at Texas Tech, throwing for 2,718 yards, 20 scores, and only nine interceptions. He did so well that his head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, told FOX Sports:

"“I think he’s one of those top-five pick talents with his arm strength and his mind and his size, and how athletic he is for being 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds.”"

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Webb’s stellar freshman season was followed by a sophomore slump in 2014. He only threw for 2,539 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Ironically, one of the other 2017 NFL Draft quarterbacks, Mahomes, started to steal his starting spot. Mahomes got the nod in 2015, Webb’s junior season. That led to Webb only playing in five games, throwing for just 300 yards and two touchdowns. It also led to Webb deciding to leave Texas Tech and find a new school for his senior season.

He decided to go to Cal, and that choice looked to be a good one. Webb lit up Pac-12 defenses, throwing for 4,295 yards and 37 touchdowns. The new Cal signal-caller did throw 12 interceptions, but they came on 620 attempts.

After his senior season, Webb decided to play in the Senior Bowl—another excellent choice. Webb showcased his game in front of the NFL scouts and executives, completing 11 of his 16 passes for 165 yards, including an impressive 39-yard touchdown pass. His Senior Bowl performance did not go unnoticed, earning the MVP award for the game. It also gave a bump in his draft stock. Some feel Webb will be a solid late round guy, but Webb said (via ESPN):

"“I’ve talked to a lot of NFL people. And double-digit teams have told me I’m a first-round guy. Every meeting I’ve had, they’ve said I’m one of the best quarterbacks on the board.”"

Whichever teams told Webb he’s a first-round guy are on the right track, because he is the best quarterback in this draft class. When you dissect all of the quarterbacks, it seems that none of them will be able to be Day 1 starters in 2017. That means you are taking a quarterback to develop for the future. For that exact reason, Webb is the top guy.

In my opinion, Webb has the highest ceiling of any of the quarterbacks. He was one of the best quarterbacks at the NFL Combine, finishing as a top performer in every test he did. I have pointed out before that Webb is oddly similar to current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz:

• Wentz: 6-5, 237 pounds, 4.77s 40-yard dash, 118.0-inch broad jump, 6.86s three-cone drill, and a 30.5-inch vertical.
• Webb: 6-5, 229 pounds, 4.79s 40-yard dash, 118.0-inch broad jump, 6.92s three-cone drill, and a 33.0-inch vertical.

It isn’t just his athletic ability that excites me. At times, Webb flashes elite ability at the position. He easily has the arm strength to succeed in the NFL, but the biggest question is whether he can hone in his accuracy. He can throw the ball on the money like he did for that Senior Bowl touchdown, and he can also make a throw that has you scratching your head.

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The last player that was this up and down for me on film was current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. I predicted that Prescott could be a legitimate quarterback in the NFL and he just needed to be more consistent. Webb is the same for me, but I think he could be even better than Prescott, especially from the pocket.

Webb may never be a guy that you will run the read-option with (he ran for less than 100 yards in college), but his athletic ability lets him move around the pocket like a seasoned veteran. He has a great sense of pressure in the pocket and can make a dirty pocket clean.

I may be extremely too high on Webb, but I see legitimate NFL potential in his game. In today’s NFL, it is important to have a plan for the future if you have a quarterback that is getting older. I think Webb would be a great fit for a team that has an older quarterback who is near the end of his playing days. Teams like the Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and the Kansas City Chiefs come to mind. That would allow him to sit a year or two and then take over once it is his time.

Next: Arizona Cardinals 7-Round Mock Draft

Regardless of who drafts him, I think Webb will go in the first round. He has all the talent in the world, but it just needs to be coached up to make him consistent. The 2017 NFL Draft quarterback situation is cloudy, but what is clear to me is that Davis Webb is the No. 1 quarterback.