NFL Draft: Steve Mariucci on Sam Bradford and Pete Carroll

New York, NY - Former Cal and San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Steve Mariucci talked about the quarterbacks at the 2010 NFL Draft's NFL Play 60 event Wednesday. Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen are considered to be the best of a class that's not set to see a lot of first round picks. What does Steve Mariucci, the man who explained the details of what a quaterback looks for when running the Bill Walsh Offense to me, think?

Steve Mariucci

"Well, Sam Bradford is the best, in my opinion. It's a good group. I don't know that we're going to have a lot in the 1st round like we did in 1983, but we're going to have a lot on the second day and the 3rd round will be full of quarterbacks, I think.

Steve Mariucci's high on Sam Bradford because even though Bradford did not play in 2009 after his shoulder injury, the same doctor that checked on New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees after his injury "says he's fine", and points out that Bradford "put on more muscle."

The other issue is that Sam Bradford did not play in a "pro offense", but Steve says he's told that Bradford has done very well in workouts. He can throw the ball from a rollout left or right, which Steve says is rare for a big quarterback. Steve also says Bradford's smart: "He scored a 36 on the Wonderlik. So he's a guy who's going to learn fast."

On Jimmy Clausen, Steve Mariucci says his winning percentage wasn't one you would hope for, but that's not his fault. But Steve says "He's a heck of a player. Charlie Weis "did a heck of a job developing his skills" and getting him ready for the NFL by placing him in an NFL-style offense. "As far as his college career, (Notre Dame's offense) probably benefited him the best."

Mariucci says 2010 NFL Draft quarterbacks Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, and Dan LeFevour all played in shotgun offenses, so they're not used to the "step system" of passing, where a certain number of drop back steps are timed to a pass route and come from getting the ball from under center. Because of this Clausen's ahead of the others in the 2010 NFL Draft.

On Tim Tebow, who was recently panned by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Steve said he could go in the first round, "Somebody might want him." Mariucci praised Tim's character, calling him a "class act" and "a worker," but left a lot of "reading between the lines" messages in the video interview. He looks for Tebow to be "drafted on Friday" which means not the 1st round.

On Pete Carroll

On Pete Carroll, who left USC to become the head coach of The Seattle Seahawks, I asked Mariucci what Carroll was faced with in making the transition from college to the NFL. "Pete had an advantage over some of these other college coaches who have went solely from college to the NFL, 'Ha! cultural shock,' Pete's benefits from having been there. He was on my staff for the 49ers for about three or four weeks, then took the head job at the New England Patriots."

Steve says Carroll's got a rebuilding job ahead of him, but he thinks it will not be hard because the AFC West is in his view a weak division. He think the Seahawks will help themselves in the NFL Draft and that Carroll will do well.

We'll hear and see more from Steve as the NFL Draft progresses.

Stay tuned.