The Titans, who draft eighth, and the Jaguars, who draft 16th, are among nearly a dozen teams I expect to address the quarterback position in the draft.
Our teams may go in a different direction in the first round and take a second-tier quarterback.
Let’s take a look at some pool reports from members of the Pro Football Writers of America who watched quarterbacks work out on Sunday.
Disclaimer: A combine workout is one of several snapshots in an album teams put together. Let’s not get too excited about a good showing or too distraught about a poor one.
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
"Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett had the best throwing day in his throwing group, having a slight edge over Jake Locker of Washington.
"What was evident -- as expected -- was his strong arm, an arm that sometimes was almost too strong. Mallett’s first throw on a short route was so strong and hard it caused Mallett to step back and almost hit himself with his hand as if he was mad at himself for throwing a 5-yard route with such velocity. After that, he settled down and had a great day.
"Mallett elected not to run but instead to throw, emphasizing his strengths as a quarterback. On deep seam routes in the middle of the field, Mallett was flawless, arching the ball with perfect touch and hitting receivers in stride. On out routes to the sideline, Mallett delivered his best fastball and was perfectly accurate. The ball exploded into receivers’ hands.
"His slant route throws were perfect although some of the throws are so hard and fast they will challenge the hands of receivers. He was particularly impressive on his post corners on the right, going four-for-four. If there was a weakness, it was his 17-yard turn-ins to his left. His first pass was high. His second one was a little off, but by the third throw he was perfect.
"Mallett has excellent deep touch on his throws. His challenge is making sure he can be accurate on his intermediate throws."
Jake Locker, Washington
"Though Sunday wasn’t a perfect rebound from a sub-par Senior Bowl week, University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker bounced back with his throwing. Running was no problem. It never has been.
"His initial unofficial times of 4.52 and 4.52 would have tied him for Daunte Culpepper, the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback, as the fourth best quarterback 40 time since 1999. Considered the Tim Tebow of the West Coast, Locker has always been known for having great athletic skills for his ability to move.
"It’s been his inconsistent throwing that has been under scrutiny. Sunday was good day overall because he was consistent in most of his throws. He opened by showing great arch and touch on seam routes down the middle of the field.
"Though his throws on slant route were fine, a drop and a miss-step by a receiver led to two of three incompletions, but drops by receivers were familiar to him from his days at Washington.
"Locker wasn’t as sharp in two of his three 'nine' routes to his left, being a little high with a couple of throws. Locker bounced back with a strong performance of throws to his right. He completed two of three throws on short out routes. His 12-yard curls to his right were natural. He was 3-for-3 on post corner throws.
"Overall, Locker seemed to be in tone with his throws and made it easy for receivers to catch them. He’s made progress since the Senior Bowl."
Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
"Kaepernick, considered a promising project coming out of the Nevada pistol offense, immediately displayed what he needed to work on the most -- his deep throws. He opened the throwing sessions with three long overthrows on seam routes.
"He was also high on two of three passes on out passes to the right. If anything, he seems to have inconsistencies with his footwork on his deep throws. His long passes tended to sail. Only once did he have a deep underthrow.
"But let’s move to the positive. He was flawless on his 12-yard curls, going 3-for-3. His most consistent throws were the 17-yard turn-ins. In each of those three throws, the ball had the right velocity and was places in a good spot for receivers to catch them.
"Though his first post corner route to his right was a little high, Kaepernick made two of the best post-corner throws of his group."
Christian Ponder, Florida State
"Ponder had the best day of the second group of the quarterbacks. He was accurate on the short and intermediate routes but struggled a little bit on the long passes. He doesn’t have the strongest arm. Extremely accurate and good placement on throws. Definitely had the most command of anyone out there."
Andy Dalton, TCU
"Dalton looked very comfortable in his drops and delivery throughout the morning. For the most part his passes were in catchable areas for the wide receivers, including the deep passes. They did not always connect, but with the exception of two or three passes, there was always a chance to make the catch."
Ricky Stanzi, Iowa
"Another tough day for him as his throws were all over the place. Only thing he did well was a quick release. Passes were short and low. He threw a deep ball better than he did at the Senior Bowl but it was short most of the time. Did not improve his chances."
Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech
"Suprisingly accurate and had good touch on his passes. He didn’t try to zip most of his shorter throws, which helped him complete them. But he looked comfortable in his set-up."
Pat Devlin, Delaware
"Devlin was inconsistent in his delivery and at times he did not give his receivers a fighting chance to catch the ball. However, during the workout he probably had the best accuracy percentage, somewhere in the neighborhood of 65-70 percent."
Nathan Enderle, Idaho
"Enderle seemed the least comfortable in his drops and delivery and several times seemed to be pushing the ball down the field rather than throwing. On 30-yard pass down the left numbers, he hooked up for a nice completion with Ricardo Lockette out of Ft. Valley State. It was Enderle’s best throw of the morning."