Blaine Gabbert Scouting Report

Relatively speaking, Blaine Gabbert has had a somewhat disappointing 2010 campaign. Missouri quarterbacks tend to throw for some major yardage in the wide open system. However, through the regular season Gabbert has thrown for a mere 2,752 yards and 15 touchdowns. That is pretty good for most teams, but is not what Tiger fans have come to expect. However, Gabbert did lead Missouri to a 10-2 season and completed an impressive 62.2 percent of his passes. It is not that Missouri threw the ball less this year, it is that Gabbert made smarter passes and often checked down to his talented tight end Michael Egnew. The result was fewer passing yards, but a higher completion percentage.

After spending his freshman campaign learning behind Chase Daniel, Gabbert stepped into a starting role in 2009. During that season Gabbert put up some big numbers. That was in small part due to presence of Danario Alexander who himself had 1,781 receiving yards. On the year Gabbert threw for 3,593 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also threw nine interceptions, a number that decreased to seven this season.

Gabbert has submitted the paperwork to the NFL Advisory Committee to see where he may land if he opts to go pro a year early. At 6-5 and 235 pounds, Gabbert has the look of an NFL quarterback. He is tall enough to see over most defenders and see where passing lanes are opening up and he has the accurate arm needed to make those passes. Missouri has flown under the radar a little bit this year, but Gabbert has all the tools to be an NFL quarterback, but he may need to come back to school for another year to get the national respect he deserves.

1/17 Update: Gabbert talked like he was ready to return to Missouri for his senior season, but that changed once he received some information from the NFL draft advisory board. The projected round by the board was not disclosed, but Gabbert is largely considered a first round talent. With his size and experience, he feels like an NFL quarterback. Considering some of the questions around the production of players like Jake Locker, Gabbert could even be a top ten pick by April.

3/25 Update: Gabbert did not throw at the NFL combine, so his March pro day was extra important. He reportedly struggled with some of the deeper throws, which is not a surprise at all, but overall looked very good. The solid showing should cement Gabbert's place in the top ten. With so many teams looking for a quarterback, it is hard to imagine the 49ers, Titans and Redskins all passing on Gabbert. Even if they do, somebody else could move up and take him.