Blaine Gabbert hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since the Jaguars chose him with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. But his new position coach still loves his talent.
Frank Scelfo, the new quarterbacks coach in Jacksonville, told Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union that Gabbert, who left Missouri early after one year as a backup and two years as a starter, could easily just be entering this year’s draft after finishing college as a fifth-year senior. And if he were, Scelfo says, Gabbert would be the top quarterback in this year’s draft.
“If you graded him out right now, this is his draft class. If he were coming out and the quarterback draft class the way it is, would he be the top guy taken? I think the answer is yes,” Scelfo said. “Ask the scouting departments and the general managers around the league and I think you would end up with a yes on that. Basically at his age, 23, the number-one pick in the draft with two years of experience already under his belt. That’s pretty good.”
In other words, Scelfo thinks Gabbert is a better quarterback talent than USC’s Matt Barkley, West Virginia’s Geno Smith, North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon, Tennessee’s Tyler Bray, Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib, Arkansas’s Tyler Wilson or any of the other quarterbacks in this year’s draft. If that’s how the Jaguars feel, that’s another sign that they remain committed to him as their starter.
That won’t necessarily please Jaguars fans, but when Scelfo was asked about fans thinking Gabbert is a bust, Scelfo said he wasn’t aware of that.
“I hadn’t heard that. I’m being honest. I’ve met some great people and nobody’s told me all those bad things,” Scelfo said. “I don’t hear all that stuff. I look for the good in everybody.”
And Scelfo sees plenty of good in Gabbert.