It Took More Than a Decade to Validate His "Franchise Quarterback" Stamp.
Editor's note: Rick Gosselin spent 20 years as an NFL columnist for the Dallas Morning News, including 20 off-seasons studying and researching prospects for the NFL Draft. He didn't watch any tapes—he was a writer, not a scout—but he did talk to the men who had seen the tapes. He built a network of NFL general managers, head coaches, personnel directors, scouts and assistant coaches from all 32 teams who would share their analysis of the players with him. Gosselin used his insights to create his own draft boards, top 100 boards and mock drafts. According to the Huddle Report, he had the best top 100 boards in the country (2001–10) for 10 consecutive years, and three times he prepared the best mock drafts. Gosselin is reviving his College Scouting Report to provide a look at how NFL talent assessors view draft prospects. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is finally going to the Super Bowl in his 13th NFL season. Here are the comments of 24 talent evaluators on Stafford, leading up to his 2005 NFL draft:
Scout: I'm glad I'm not looking for a quarterback this year.
Scout II: Good throwing speed, accuracy and hand strength. But I felt that his feet were happy when the pressure was on.
Scout III: Top 5. Mechanical in your progress. There are 3-4 "oh no" moments in every game. Didn't handle pressure well against Alabama and Florida. I had never seen a hand like this before in a warmup at an LSU game. His hand is strong in every way with a very quick release in the form of Jamarcus Russell (the first overall pick of the 2007 draft). Better hand and quicker release than Jay Cutler (11th overall pick of the 2006 draft).
Scout IV: Shotgun with a 65 percent freedom to call a passerby. Doesn't look to the edge for drama. He has been studying Pro Defense for the last seven months. Had he not been in Georgia (10-3 in 2008), they would have been 4-9. He beats Kentucky on his own in 20-degree weather and 30 mph winds. Likewise Auburn. He aspires to be great. a special child. He won three bowl games and came from behind to win two of them. He won the Texas state championship while spreading so he could do just that.
Director of Personnel: The top player in this draft.
Personnel Director II: Love him. love its size. Top 5 picks.
Personnel Director III: Doesn't wow me with abstraction. Average best in terms of leadership. It's all about Matthew, nothing about the team. This is the Matthew Stafford Show, not the University of Georgia show.
Director of Personnel IV: #1 player in the draft. But the truth is that Stafford will never be in the position he is drafted in. Nobody does. They knock him over to make his decision. I don't think he trusted his receivers. They drop too many balls. I watched the Florida game and he threw some picks. But if he didn't make a play, no one would. He can do what you want - throw, move, run ... If I'm taking the quarterback, I'm taking him. He gets the ball out like (Hall of Famer Dan) Merino.
Quarterback Coach: My second quarterback in this draft. The wow factor with the hand. Plays - but doesn't make other plays it should have made. With everything a fraction of a second. Never won a big match in college.
Quarterback Coach II: I think he's better than coming out Matt Ryan (3rd overall pick in 2008). Very sharp, sharp mind. Physically, the ball moves out of his hand with velocity. Quick release, good anticipation. The games in which he threw picks were also throwing for four touchdowns. His coaches think he is professional about his leadership.
Offensive Coordinator: Top QB in the draft.
Offensive Coordinator II: Top QB in the draft.
Offensive Coordinator III: Must be the first selection of the draft. Can do all this. He still has a cannon while walking back.
Offensive Coordinator IV: Like him, but he lacks the consistency to be the first overall choice. Not the lock that Matt Ryan was a year ago. Stronger hand than Mark Sanchez (fifth overall pick of the 2009 draft).
Head Coach: Top QB in the draft.
Head Coach II: Puzzle Me. Throws in triple coverage. Great abstraction, though.
General Manager: No. 3 quarterback in this draft. Big hand but bad decision maker.
General Manager II: Top QB in this draft.
General Manager III: Top QB in this draft.
General Manager IV: Top player in this draft.
General Manager V: That bothers me. I question his conditioning.
General Manager VI: Good hand but he doesn't always hit what he throws often. Has a Burt Jones hand and tries to stick it anywhere. I will worry about him.
General Manager VII: Question their instincts. Doesn't have a good experience, makes and throws silly decisions.
General Manager VIII: A ton of potential, but he has to play his senior year in the NFL. If Detroit takes him, I'll sit him a year. At least, make him sit in the first half of the season. Big, nice hand and mobile. But I would worry about the offense it's coming from - (It's Produced) Casey Weldon, Brad Johnson, Charlie Ward, Danny Kannell, Chris Vanke, Chris Ricks, D.J. Shockley, David Green... This man has more potential than them all. They have a "wow" factor in the pre-game warmup.
Gosselin Draft Analysis: Stafford went to Highland Park High School in Dallas—the same high school that produced Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne of the Detroit Lions. Stafford did something at Highland Park that Layne couldn't - win a state title. He passed for 4,018 yards and 38 touchdowns in his senior year, championship season, and left Highland Park with 8,711 career passing yards and 92 touchdowns. But Stafford did not follow Layne's lead and went to Texas. Parade All-America opted for Georgia, where in 2006 he became the first true freshman to debut at quarterback since Quincy Carter in 1998. He posted a 25–7 record as a starter, including a 3–0 mark in the bowl. As a freshman, he defeated Georgia in a 21–3 deficit against No. 14 Virginia Tech for a 31–24 victory at the Chick-fil-A Bowl. He was also the MVP in Georgia's 24–12 victory over Michigan State in the Citrus Bowl as a junior. Stafford covered 7,731 career yards in Georgia with 51 touchdown passes. He opted to skip his senior season to turn pro and measured 6-2,225 pounds in an NFL combination. In the 2009 draft, Gosselin named him the top quarterback and number 4 player on their Top 100 draft board. The Detroit Lions selected Stafford with the first overall pick of the draft.
Hall of Fame Resume: Stafford served with the Lions in his first 12 NFL seasons—one of only four NFL franchises that never made it to the Super Bowl. He won only 45.2 percent of the 165 starts in his career. But 39 of his 74 wins came on his return in the fourth quarter. In 2011, Stafford became only the fifth quarterback in NFL history to hit 5,000 yards in a season, as well as throw for a career-high 41 touchdowns. But the Lions never won the division title in their 12 seasons and only qualified for the playoffs three times. Looking to hire his fifth head coach of Stafford's career with Detroit, the quarterback asked for a trade and the Lions gave it to him – sending him to the Los Angeles Rams. With a better team around him, Stafford finished second in the NFL in touchdown passes (41) and third in passing yards (4,886), helping the Rams win the NFC West title with a 12–5 record. Four of those victories were his trademark fourth-quarter comeback, then Stafford rallied the Rams twice after the season with fourth-quarter game-winning drives against Tampa Bay and San Francisco to reach their first Super Bowl. . He was the fastest quarterback to reach 20,000, 30,000 and 40,000 career passing yards. He is still only 33 years old and is already in an all-time 12th place in both passing yards (49,995) and touchdowns (323). The more Super Bowl rings Stafford collects going forward, the better his chances of a stir in Canton.