2011 NFL Draft: Ricky Stanzi A Greg Gabriel Favorite

Greg Gabriel - Western New York native, former personnel executive with the Chicago Bears and current analyst for the National Football Post - has been a must-read this spring, as he's produced several outstanding reads on 2011 NFL Draft prospects. We've already been over what he's had to say about, amongst others, Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert.

While Gabriel has expressed concerns about Gabbert the player and Newton the person, he seems to like a lot of what Iowa senior Ricky Stanzi offers at the quarterback position - and even goes so far as to call him the most NFL-ready passer in this draft class.

"He’s poised and patient and shows good ability to see the field and go through a progression," writes Gabriel. "He has good instincts and doesn’t make many poor decisions." Gabriel also praises Stanzi's playing experience, time spent in a pro-style system and year-to-year improvement as factors in his conclusion, while stating that he's good enough everywhere else to be a good pro.

That said, Gabriel's not going overboard, calling Stanzi a third- or fourth-round talent that presents great value in that range. But his conviction is strong, as Gabriel concludes with this: "I have no problem saying that he will be an eventual starter in the league and a player you can consistently win with... just like he was in college."