Finding Best Fits for 2015 NFL Draft's Top 5 Quarterbacks

The 2015 NFL draft offers a limited opportunity for some quarterback-needy teams to strike it rich by finding that next big star at the position.

Attaining success at that level in the NFL requires a lot of elements to be at play. In most cases, great NFL quarterbacks are the product of a perfect storm that fuses talent with the right destination at the right time.

To maximize the careers of the top five quarterbacks in this class, we take an extended look at each prospect’s best fit for a blossoming NFL career.

Not unlike another quarterback on this list, Garrett Grayson will be 24 years old for his rookie season in the NFL. This is on the older side for a prospect and generally indicates that he’s closer to his physical prime than his rookie counterparts.

Grayson, the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, amassed 4,006 yards through the air with 32 touchdowns against just seven interceptions in new Florida head coach Jim McElwain's system with the Rams. 

According to Troy Renck of The Denver Post, ESPN’s Mel Kiper was complimentary toward Grayson when Renck asked about him earlier this week. Here’s what Kiper had to say:

He’s third (among quarterbacks), either he or Petty. Grayson played in a pro style offense. He can play under center. He can go in a three, five or seven-step drop. He can come in and help you. He has enough mobility. Losing bothers him. He is a tremendous competitor. I think Grayson’s a second-rounder. I think it comes down to Petty or Grayson.

Being one of the only pro-style QB prospects with real NFL talent available, where is a great place for him to land?

Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net, via WaterFootball.com, thinks it's Denver:

The team that seems to be highest on Grayson is the hometown Denver Broncos. The feeling is Grayson is the most capable of running the system that (Broncos new head coach) Gary Kubiak will employ in Denver; a system similar to the one Grayson ran at Colorado State. He also has the arm strength necessary to get the ball through the cutting winds that often blow through the Mile High City. There’s also a strong belief Brock Osweiler, who’s in the final year of his rookie contract, won’t be with Denver after this season.

This sounds like the perfect scenario for Grayson. If there’s any truth to the Broncos’ interest, he should be jumping up and down right now.

How many quarterbacks get a chance to learn from a guy like future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning while another Hall of Fame QB in John Elway looks down from above?

Having those two quarterbacks as resources is invaluable.

The Broncos organization is also built with a solid foundation. There are weapons on both sides of the ball, and the roster appears to be built to be competitive for several years down the line.

Grayson should be praying every night for this scenario to play out.

Brett Hundley’s former coach at UCLA, Jim Mora, said on NFL Network's broadcast of the Bruins' annual pro-day event, via Chase Goodbread of NFL.com:

I think he's ready for the NFL. I don't know that he's ready to go in and start in the NFL. I think if he can find the right situation where he can go in and learn and have a couple years to work on his craft -- because he will work on it, his work ethic is off the charts, character is off the charts -- if he can get himself in the right situation where he's not thrown right into the starting lineup, then I think he can be a very productive NFL player.

Hundley finished his career as the all-time leader in UCLA history with 75 touchdowns and 11,677 total yards. He also ran for nearly 2,000 yards and 30 more touchdowns.

On the downside of those impressive statistics, UCLA’s QB took a whopping 125 sacks in three years. This clearly shows us that Hundley is lacking in some critical areas when it comes to playing from the pocket.

History has shown us that quarterbacks who lack the ability to process information quickly are bound to struggle in the NFL. This is not a league where athletic quarterbacks can sustain a career by tucking and running whenever their first read isn’t open.

This uniquely skilled QB needs a system that can maximize what he does best rather than try to turn him into something he may never be. For that reason, the Philadelphia Eagles would be an ideal destination for Hundley.  

Chip Kelly recruited Hundley out of high school, but the player opted to stay closer to home and take advantage of everything UCLA has to offer. But this history shows that Kelly appreciates Hundley’s skill set enough to try to sway him to be his quarterback.

Even former Eagles' great Donovan McNabb served as a mentor to Hundley back in Chandler High School.   

Based on recent examples like Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez, it’s hard to deny that Kelly gives Hundley his best shot at succeeding in the NFL. It doesn’t even matter that the receiving corps is highly suspect or that the Eagles traded away a star running back. This offense will be productive one way or the other.

It’s also necessary to point out that we all know Kelly prefers a mobile QB to a pocket passer—he just hasn’t found the right guy yet. Hundley provides the coach with a plausible consolation prize to the Marcus Mariota sweepstakes without having to make any more major transactions that result in the departure of key members of the team.     

Bryce Petty will be 24 years old by the time his rookie season begins. When that time comes, it’s hard to know which team he will be representing. Trying to find his ideal landing spot is not about making a prediction for the future, but rather pairing him up with a destination that can maximize his career.

Petty is a good athlete who shows impressive leadership skills, intelligence and toughness. According to his player profile at NFL.com, Petty “missed just one game despite cracking two small bones in his back in 2014 opener.” In the profile, one AFC North scout said, "I think his back was a bigger problem for him than people realize."

However, that likely won’t explain why Petty had such a terrible month of October in 2014, when he completed less than half of his passes (51-of-113). That included his big game against TCU where he threw for 510 yards and six touchdowns in a shootout victory over one of the best teams in the country.  

Another scout, this time from the AFC West, was quoted from that same profile as saying: “Offenses that ask quarterbacks to look to the sidelines so coaches can make the pre-snap reads will never crank out NFL-ready quarterbacks. Those quarterbacks all need redshirt years in the league."

Petty threw for 8,055 yards and 61 TDs (against 10 interceptions) in his two seasons as Baylor's starter in a wide-open Air Raid system. 

Justis Mosqueda recently wrote an article for Bleacher Report that provides a convincing argument as to why Petty’s NFL future is not likely going to be as a productive starting quarterback.

So where would a guy with his fair share of doubters and believers fit best?

According to a tweet from Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News, quarterbacks coach of the Dallas Cowboys Wade Wilson and a scout attended Baylor’s pro day to get a better look at Petty.

With quarterback Tony Romo turning 35 in April, the Cowboys need to start planning for a future replacement. This is partly what makes Dallas the ideal destination for Petty.  

He would have a solid offensive line that could be hitting its collective prime right around the time Petty would be ready to compete for a starting job, assuming he sits and learns for a couple of years.

A dominate group of hogs protecting you is one of the greatest assets a quarterback can ask for—that and a playmaking receiver. Dez Bryant fits the bill.

In addition, Petty would be able to stay in the comforts of his college state where he knows his way around and the fans are likely to be more forgiving of his inevitable growing pains.

The Cowboys run a top-notch organization that does everything first class. Even if he never pans out as a starter, he could end up serving as a longtime backup and eventually become the head coach. Jerry Jones seems to favor intelligent, former backup quarterbacks for members of his coaching staff.

The answer to this question is rather obvious isn’t it? It’s got to be the Eagles, no doubt about it—right?

Wrong, and here’s why.

There are a lot of questions circling around the NFL about whether or not Mariota is a system quarterback. Is his success merely a byproduct of a system ahead of its time and one that serves to stifle a QB’s development?

These questions would never get answered if Mariota were to somehow find his way to Philadelphia, playing for his former college head coach and mastermind of the very system that took his college career to unparalleled heights and obscured his pro prospects to a point where we have more questions than answers. 

For example, thanks to the fast-paced spread offense built off play action, there’s not a lot of film showing Mariota dealing with a compromised pocket. Film of the Heisman-winning QB demonstrating anticipation and throwing in tight windows is also scarce.

Mariota would likely succeed in Philadelphia and take that team to new levels of success. But if he did that, we would still never know how good he really is. We would always wonder whether the quiet kid from Hawaii really had what it takes to thrive in a traditional NFL system.

Because of this, the Eagles would not be ideal for Mariota. So who would?  

In many ways, the Jets could represent a potentially good landing spot for Mariota—given that he could be given time to develop behind incumbent starter Geno Smith and trade addition Ryan Fitzpatrick. Allowing the rookie an opportunity to sit and learn for a year while those two battle it out for the position in 2015 is ideal for a QB who has never called a play in the huddle during his entire college career.

But more than that, Mariota would finally be able to break free from the shackles of being labeled a system QB.

The Jets haven’t had much success at the position since perhaps Vinny Testaverde. Even that could only be considered marginal success. Testaverde saw just one Pro Bowl appearance during his seven years in New York.

In addition, the Jets are actually putting together quite an arsenal of weapons on offense, and we suspect the defense will be among the league’s best. This offseason they added a big target in receiver Brandon Marshall. He should pair nicely with Eric Decker and second-year tight end Jace Amaro. By 2016, this team would have likely completed its transformation, which is just in time for the Mariota factor to take full effect.  

Winston wrapped up a two-year collegiate career where he threw for 7,964 yards with 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions to test his luck in the NFL.

After a Heisman-winning campaign in 2013, Winston's next season would turn out to be fraught with peril. In 2014, he was accused of sexual assault, cited for shoplifting crab legs and suspended for jumping on a campus table and shouting something inappropriate.

So where does a talented yet divisive figure such as Winston fit best? How about the team that is nearly certain to draft him?

Even if the Buccaneers weren’t picking first overall, they are still ideal landing spot for Winston.

Why is Tampa Bay such a good fit?

We can start with the advantage of not having to leave the state of Florida. Familiarity in geography can make a big difference for guys transitioning to the NFL, especially for a position that comes with more pressure than perhaps any other role in sports.

Winston can enjoy the support of a built-in fanbase while adjusting to the league.

Offensively, the Bucs hired Dirk Koetter of the Atlanta Falcons to take over as the offensive coordinator. He has proved himself in Atlanta, helping to orchestrate one of the better offenses in the league over the last three years.

Perhaps Tampa's biggest area of need is on its troubled offensive line, especially at guard. The good news is that there will be some decent guard prospects worth considering in the middle rounds of the draft. Nevertheless, this is one of the biggest destination concerns in Winston’s case.

If Tampa Bay cannot find a way to shore up its pass protection, there’s little hope for a truly progressive rookie campaign out of Winston. A rookie QB needs to learn too much to have to battle through an imploding pocket during every dropback.

However, a large part of the failure there came because the Bucs were without a real offensive coordinator after Jeff Tedford underwent heart surgery just before the season began.

Assuming this area of the offense can at least achieve mediocrity in 2015, Winston should have a ton of success throwing deep to his gargantuan and uber-talented receivers Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

This team has never had a franchise quarterback, and Winston would love to be the first.

Ryan Riddle is a former NFL player who writes for Bleacher Report.