Let the debate begin.
Quarterbacks worked out for NFL scouts for the first time Sunday at the NFL combine, fueling the debate over who will be the first quarterback taken on April 20. Will it be former Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington or David Carr, the former Fresno State star?
Most NFL scouts and draft analysts have Carr listed as the top quarterback in the draft and possibly the No. 1 pick overall, which belongs to the expansion Houston Texans. ESPN.com’s Len Pasquarelli said that Carr will “no doubt” be the Texans top choice for the No. 1 pick, despite Carr’s unorthodox sidearm delivery.
Harrington’s workout Sunday did not go unnoticed. In fact, Pasquarelli said Harrington was the “star of the throwing session.”
“I was very impressed with Harrington,” one NFL head coach told CNNSI.com. “He’s very smooth. I like his mechanics. Very fluid. Very natural. Not labored at all. If I were to rank them based on what I saw today, I’d put Harrington above Carr.
“But you can’t base it on just this.”
Harrington was not at full strength entering the workout. He was battling a head cold and dealing with the hospitalization of his grandfather, Bernie Harrington.
“I feel terrible,” Harrington said. “It’s been a long week. … What people don’t realize is how difficult the two days are leading up to these workouts. It’s a very draining weekend.
“When people talk about how tough it is to perform at the combine, it’s not necessarily the track or necessarily the field itself. It’s just a difficult weekend — mentally, physically. It’s draining. They get you up early, they keep you up late, they want to see how you can respond to an adverse situation.”
Prior to the combine, some draft experts had Harrington falling out of the top 10, but Pasquarelli said Sunday that the “Oregon star answered any doubts some teams harbored about him and re-established himself as a certain first round selection.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. projects Harrington to be the third overall pick, which belongs to the Detroit Lions. Former Oregon quarterback Akili Smith was the third overall pick in the 1999 draft (Cincinnati).