The reality of this year so far for Herm Edwards and his Kansas City Chiefs’ squad is an ugly one.  The team is dead last in the AFC in passing, mostly due to the musical chairs at quarterback.  Forget the childhood game, it’s been more like Russian Roulette, but every turn finds a bullet piercing deeper into the bare fact that KC doesn’t have a quarterback.  Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard, and Tyler Thigpen are combining to give the Chiefs 897 yards passing, just ranking them above the Seahawks paltry 761 yards passing.  On top of that, the Chiefs only have 4 passing TDs compared to 8 interceptions. 

 

It’s safe to say the front office in KC can start looking ahead to the 2009 Draft.  This team is more needy than a naked man in a snowstorm at almost every position, but perhaps none more so than at QB.  So who are the top prospects that can lead the Chiefs back into the glory of throwing the ball downfield (something the Chiefs have done a total of only 9 times this year past 20 yards)?  Let’s take a look.

 

The OBVIOUS

Tim Tebow, Florida, 6′3, 240

Tebow showed last year what all the hype was about before he stepped onto campus in Gainesville.  Throwing for over 3,200 yards and 32 touchdowns and a meager 6 inteceptions, Tebow became the first sophomore in NCAA history to win the Heisman.  His stock may have dropped a bit this year.  He’s certainly not putting up the gaudy numbers he did last year.  However, that’s because he’s become more reliant on the talent around him.  He’s still efficient, rarely making mistakes.  Through 6 games this year, Tebow’s thrown only one pick.  He’s tossed 10 TDs while running for 3 more.  Not on track to match last year’s numbers, but he’s proven his toughness with tremendous running ability not often seen by QBs of his size and stature.  Tebow is only a junior, but would seemingly have little need to come back for his senior year.  He’s got a national title, he’s got a SEC title, and he’s got a Heisman.  He could do wonders in KC if they also give him an O-line to protect him.

Tim Tebow already looks happy in a red jersey.

 

Chase Daniel, Missouri, 6′0, 225

Missouri’s rise in the football world comes from the arm of Chase Daniel.  Already throwing for over 2,300 yards and 18 TDs, Daniel is guiding the TIgers to a potential Big 12 championship.  His completion percentage and passer rating having both risen each of the past three years.  This year he’s also upped his yards-per-attempt average to 9.5 yards, due in part to talented big guys to throw to.  Jeremy Maclin and tight end Chase Coffman (Tony Gonzalez-esque, anyone?) have provided big targets for Daniel to throw to.  If there were any drawbacks to Daniel, his performance seems to drop a bit on the big stage.  In a huge game a few weeks ago against Oklahoma State, Daniel threw for 390 yards and a touchdown.  However, he also threw 3 costly picks, and Mizzou ended up losing 28-23.  Regardless, Daniel seems to excel when you give him someone to throw to, and KC has at least a few good targets.

Matthew Stafford, Georgia, 6′3, 237

Matthew Stafford has an absolute cannon for an arm.  Already with nearly 1,700 yards in a run-oriented offense, Stafford has proven his skills with his ability to find any receiver downfield.  He’s thrown 10 TDs this year, and only 5 picks. 

Colt McCoy, Texas, 6′3, 210

The third junior on the list, McCoy has played this year more like a man with a mission to go out on top.  He has simply staggering statistics (say that three times fast) for a junior QB.  1,894 yards, 19 TDs, only 3 interceptions, and a passer rating over 190.  And as if his arm wasn’t enough, his legs are doing a lot of work too.  He’s got nearly 400 rushing yards on the year for 6 TDs, and averages over 5 yards a carry.  In only one game this year has McCoy had a completion percentage under 70%.  The kid is simply amazing.  Question is, can he do this at the next level?

It's no joke: Colt McCoy is for real.

The NOT-SO-OBVIOUS

John Parker Wilson, Alabama, 6′2, 213….the only senior SEC QB on this list, WIlson has, if anything, proven to be a good game manager.  Has only thrown 3 picks and has Bama undefeated and ranked #2 nationally.

Brian Johnson, Utah, 6′1, 205….Johnson has already thrown for over 1,600 yards and 13 TDs.  Utah is ranked nationally and could sneak into a BCS.  Johnson must cut down on interceptions.

Dan LeFevour, C. Michigan, 6′3, 226….last year LeFevour became the only QB in Div. 1 history to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000.  Would be better known if he played in a BCS conference.

Tom Brandstater, Fresno St., 6′5, 220….Brandstater is a big QB who reads coverage well, much better than 2 years ago when he threw 14 picks.  So far this year he’s earned a 142 passer rating and has already throwns for over 1,200 yards despite not having more than 30 passes in a game this year.

Curtis Painter, Purdue, 6′4, 230….if it were not for being on such a bad team, Painter would have even more impressive stats.  He’s thrown for 1,700 yards despite a poor TD-INT ratio (6/9).  Painter has good mechanics that have been overlooked, much like some of his Boilermaker predecessors now in the NFL (Drew Brees and Kyle Orton).