2.06 Detroit Vipers — QB Brandon Weeden

	In the real world: A well-known issue with Weeden is age (he's already 28). Will he be the next Chris Weinke (who struggled after playing a few years of minor league baseball) or another Kurt Warner (who did not start in the NFL until he was 28, then played until he was 38)? For what it's worth, his Scouts, Inc. grade (86) is close to what Josh Freeman had in 2009 (85) and Colt McCoy had in 2010 (also 86). McCoy and Freeman went late in Round 1 of their respective years' TUFF Drafts. Due to the age factor, Weeden falls to 2.06. Cecil Lammey said in a recent podcast that Weeden profiles more as a backup QB, not someone on whom an NFL team should pin its hopes on as "the starter," citing a lack of mobility; also, he argued that it will be harder to bounce back from NFL hits at age 29 than it would have been at 22 or 25. (I don't recall Warner having a hard time getting up from hits, though.) Weeden definitely has better arm strength than his competitor on the Cleveland Browns, Colt McCoy. Greg Cosell called him the best pure pocket passer in this year's draft. Also, KC Joyner of ESPN.com says that based on a statistical analysis of Weeden against Ryan Tannehill, Weeden is the better prospect. The Browns certainly didn't seem to worry about Weeden's age, taking him with the 22nd overall pick. And remember, when the Browns took McCoy two years ago, Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post said at that time that the Browns' front office viewed him as a long-term backup, not as a starter.
	In the TUFF world: Having a good backup QB is extremely important. The Tampa Bay Meat Goats know this; their 2008 season went down the toilet after Tom Brady tore his knee. Last year, Peyton Manning's neck reduced the Denver Devils from one of the AFC's most dominant teams to just another 8-6 team that missed the playoffs. In 2010, my Detroit Vipers started 0-5 while Ben Roethlisberger served his suspension. I took Jimmy Clausen in Round 1 that year (remember him?) with the thought that he would be a decent backup for Roethlisberger by now, but he has yet to respond successfully to questions about leadership and temperament. Anyway, it's not often that a QB who goes in Round 1 of the NFL Draft goes to Round 2 in the TUFF Draft—Ryan Tannehill and Joe Flacco are the others—and I figured that Tampa Bay would have snapped him up at 2.08 if I didn't grab him here. Did I pick for need? Yes, you bet I did. Was Weeden the best available player? That's debatable, but a few web sites — USA Today, the National Football Post, NFLDraftScout.com and ESPN's Scouts, Inc. — gave higher grades or rankings to Weeden than WR A.J. Jenkins (the player I would have taken if Clausen was a starting quarterback today).
	Cowboy connection: That's two Oklahoma State draftees going to Detroit! They may not play on the same NFL team, but come Week 4 (Roethlisberger's bye week), Weeden may well throw a TD pass or two to Blackmon.