The first pick in next April's draft will almost certainly be a
quarterback, but there's growing sentiment in NFL scouting
circles that it might not be Tennessee's Peyton Manning. Once
considered a shoo-in as the top pick, Manning might slip behind
Washington State junior Ryan Leaf, who is likely to declare for
the draft after the college season. While Manning has had a good
season, Leaf has made meteoric progress. A 55% passer with a
better touchdown-to-interception margin (29-8) than
Heisman-favorite Manning (23-7), Leaf has the stronger arm of
the two but isn't as polished.
One scout on a team looking to select a quarterback high in the
draft thinks Leaf has better tools than Manning but needs to
learn to control his emotions. What if his team had to pick
between the two today? "Leaf has a much stronger arm than
Manning does," he says. "Leaf can throw the passes you have to
throw to be successful in the NFL—the comeback, the deep
out—and he's got tremendous upside."
Former Colts linebacker Trev Alberts, now a CNN/SI analyst,
criticizes Manning, saying the Tennessee quarterback "has happy
feet, like [the Saints'] Heath Shuler." Broncos director of
college scouting Ted Sundquist adds, "All the tools are there.
Manning sees the field and is smart. But for whatever reason, he
has a tendency to force things. At times he may get a little
flustered by pressure. Has Leaf passed Peyton? No. Will it
create some debate? Yeah."
Issue date: November 17, 1997
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