There was an interesting article in the OCR yesterday examining Mark Sanchez and the possibility of his going to the NFL after the season.
In his first season as USC's starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez has led the Trojans to a 5-1 record and thrust himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation.
He also has appeared on the NFL's radar.
ESPN.com's Scouts Inc. ranks Sanchez, a redshirt junior, as the 12th-best draft-eligible prospect for 2009. Todd McShay, the director of college football scouting for Scouts Inc., wrote that Sanchez “might be the most talented all-around quarterback during Coach Pete Carroll's tenure at USC.”
That tenure includes Heisman Trophy winners and top-10 picks Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.Sanchez was unaware of the Scouts Inc. rankings and said the idea of declaring for the draft after this season hasn't crossed his mind.
“I haven't even thought twice about it,” Sanchez said Monday. “That's something way out in the future. I'll think about it later.”
I hadn't really thought about it but I would say that he is far from ready. Yes, Sanchez is 5-1 but a careful look at those games would show that he has played against some sub-par defenses and the Arizona St. game showed that he is still prone to mistakes that against better team could be very costly. His late INT against Oregon St. was the difference in the game as it directly led to the winning score.
He also has a banged up knee that he needs to make sure
As the article shows, Sanchez is well grounded young man so we know he will be more focused on the task at hand of winning at USC now and not what may await him at the next level.
HP noted that if he stays in school he will be one of the favorites in next years Heisman race...but the argument for going now is a strong one.
I think it is a no-brainer that he should go pro.
Mainly because:
1. It’s a very weak year for quarterbacks in the coming draft. Outside of Matt Stafford, who is there?
2. Sanchez is a pro-style guy and that’s what the NFL likes. There are very few pro-style prospects out there.
3. He’s had his share of injuries (though nothing major) and staying healthy isn’t a given.
4. It appears he will have an outstanding year statistically, aided in part by a down year for the Pac-10. Given the difficult schedule USC must play next season (with road games at Ohio State, Cal, Oregon and Notre Dame), it might be hard to duplicate such success.
It's compelling for sure but like I said earlier, I'm not convinced he is ready. If he were to go he probably wouldn't be a high draft pick, regardless of his upsides, and he would carry the clip board for the first year at a minimum.
Its an interesting topic but I don't think much will come of it this year.
UPDATE:
It appears, as Wolf reports this morning, that Sanchez's father and brother both met with former Washington Redskins VP of football operations Joe Mendez about Sanchez's future with the NFL...
USC quarterback Mark Sanchez has passed for more than 1,500 yards in six starts this season and has 19 touchdown passes with six interceptions.
So maybe it should not come as a surprise that his father and older brother met with a former NFL executive Monday night who advises college football players on subjects such as agent recruitment and pro-scouting evaluations.
Joe Mendes, a friend of USC coach Pete Carroll and former vice president for football operations for the Washington Redskins, is paid by USC to advise underclassmen about the NFL.
"We make him available as a resource," Carroll said. "He advises universities on the NFL and the business aspects that come to the front as you get eligible for the NFL draft.
"He'll give you everything. He's a research librarian on how guys make it and don't make it. It's so guys have someone to ask if they hesitant to ask the coaches a question. I've known him for 35 years."