NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jay Cutler will leave Vanderbilt with more than just a great education.
He’s the current hot topic of the NFL Draft, rising so far up the rankings after a strong performance at the combine that some analysts now consider him the best quarterback available – ahead of even Matt Leinart and Vince Young.
A Vanderbilt quarterback? Traditionally the worst team in the Southeastern Conference? A program whose last time a quarterback was drafted was in 1990 – in the 12th round, long gone?
Now you know why Cutler was determined to not only attend the meeting that ended earlier this week, but also answer every question and perform every drill.
“With Matt and Vince not training, the spotlight wasn’t going to be on them. It was going to have to go somewhere else. That’s why I wanted to step in and start and get some of that attention and this kindness of the media. to ride this wave a little bit,” the SEC player of the year said Tuesday.
“You want to try to keep your name positive in the media as much as possible until the draft.”
What if he had come close to rallying the Commodores to a double-overtime victory in Florida or beating Tennessee last November to earn Vandy’s first series victory since 1982? Young almost single-handedly led Texas to a national championship last season. Leinart left USC with two national titles and a Heisman Trophy on his resume.
But Cutler, at 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, has a strong arm and was smart enough to be accepted by the SEC’s only private university, a picky school that turned down future NBA player Ron Mercer.
Cutler began wowing coaches and scouts at the Senior Bowl with his strong arm and decision-making. Not practicing at the combine wasn’t much of a consideration, and it paid off as NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock called Cutler the best quarterback in the draft.
“He’s a fan of mine, so I’m a fan of his,” Cutler said.
More praise came from Sean Payton, the new coach of the New Orleans Saints, who holds the second overall pick. He compared Cutler to a young Brett Favre.
“It’s an honor to be linked to someone at that level,” said Cutler, who spoke to Favre before signing with his agent, Bus Cook. “He’s one of the best quarterbacks of all time. But I still have a long way to go before that comparison becomes a reality.”
The idea that Cutler might be a top-five draft pick hasn’t hit him yet. Vanderbilt’s most famous quarterback drafted by the NFL was Bill Wade, the first overall pick in 1952.
“It’s a little weird hearing a lot of things and throwing them out there. I’m just trying to enjoy as much as possible and have fun with my friends while remaining the same person I was before,” he said. he declared.
Cutler, who specializes in human and organizational development, knows he must now face the same scrutiny that Leinart and Young endured as critics looked for flaws.
Here is his record as a starter: 11 victories out of 45 starts. He also received many passes from defenders. On the plus side, the three-time captain also set a school record with 9,953 total yards on offense, and he had his best season in 2005 with 3,073 passing yards.
That may be why Cutler is taking a few days off before returning to throw with former teammates in preparation for Vanderbilt’s pro day on March 17.
“Someone just told me Mel Kiper said I was the most overrated guy in the draft so far,” Cutler said. “You get to the top and then people start picking on you. That’s what happened with Vince and Matt.”
