The NFL draft is nearing. This means that the weak teams in the NFL are about to pay a Dr.Evil-type sum of money (and I don’t mean what he was asking for right out of cryogenic freezing, I’m talking the exorbitant variety) for a quarterback savior.

The savior business is the heaviest of responsibilities. Not many have the shoulders to bear it. However, there are some big names in this year’s draft that would have you believe they are ready to bear that responsibility.

Sam Bradford.
Colt McCoy.
Tim Tebow.
Jimmy Clausen.

Who is the right pick?

The first three are among the winningest college quarterbacks of all time. The fourth played at the highest-pressure school in the country. Bradford and Tebow have Heismans. McCoy has left the field with the higher score more often than any other. Clausen was once called “the Lebron James” of high school football. All were college golden boys.

Still after saying all that, there is really only one choice.

You can throw out Tebow, because you probably want a guy that will actually stay at quarterback. (He is more fit to be a preacher than NFL quarterback.) He doesn’t have the release, arm strength, or the skills to read NFL defenses. He doesn’t even have the all-around game of former Urban Meyer prodigy Alex Smith, and Smith hasn’t been able to cut it in the NFL.

You can throw out Colt McCoy, unless you want a nice backup quarterback with your first round pick. Great kid, great leader in college, can make it happen on the college football field. However, he racked up great completion percentages because he spent most of his time throwing 5 yard passes, and won because he was surrounded by phenomenal talent. When the talent is equal, McCoy is not good enough to be the difference.

That leaves Bradford and Clausen.

Most thing Bradford is the pick. Why? He has more “upside”. ESPN personality Colin Cowherd reiterated these thoughts on his show. Though Cowherd does think Clausen will start faster due to his upbringing in Charlie Weis’s Pro-Style offense. (What this means is, Clausen understands protection schemes, what to do against “odd”, and even” defensive fronts, where the “mike” linebacker (key to the defensive scheme) is, and where secondary receivers will be. No other college quarterback can boast this.)

So, Clausen is ahead now, but what about the upside issue? Or Clausen’s maturity issue that many talk about?

I can tell you now, I’ve seen both play, and I don’t see anything that Bradford has over Jimmy. Bradford played with more overall talent (by far), a better offensive line, and a defense that allowed him to play without the predictability of pass on every play. Clausen had none of this. Plus, Jimmy played on a toe that was found to have torn ligaments-he had trouble throwing off his foot all year (and still threw 28 tds to 4 picks). Both are deadly accurate, though Clausen’s passes have a slight edge, they can find their target like Tiger finds hookers. Jimmy also has the bigger arm-he can make every NFL throw. Both are smart enough to handle the pro game.

As far as Clausen’s maturity, he can be a leader. Her may or may not be an arrogant jerk off the field, but he produces on the field. That is all your teammates need to see in the NFL to gain respect.

So, in other words, I won’t hate on a team for picking Bradford, he may become very good. However, Jimmy Clausen is the best quarterback in the draft. Period.