Quinn ahead of Russell on own draft board

SOUTH BEND, IN — In a typical NFL Draft there are a handful of quarterbacks that merit first-round consideration, but this year draft experts and teams are focused on two: Brady Quinn of Notre Dame and JaMarcus Russell of LSU.

Rumors out of Oakland suggest the Raiders have Russell rated higher on their draft board and will select the 2007 Sugar Bowl MVP with the first overall pick. Most scouts and experts agree with the Raiders but, Quinn feels that he is the better quarterback and can’t understand why he’s being rated below Russell.

“JaMarcus is a great player, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that I’m more suited to the NFL,” the 2006 All-American said. “I mean come on, do you really need a guy that can throw the ball sixty yards on the run with accuracy? Frankly, I think that’s pretty played out. Clearly I’m better looking – look at this face; you know how much Irish poon I pulled with this face? This is the face that makes people forget I couldn’t beat USC.”

For a long stretch of the 2006 NCAA season, Quinn was regarded as the top quarterback in the country. Unfortunately, when the Fighting Irish and LSU squared off in the Sugar Bowl Quinn had his worst performance of the season as Russell shined in a 41-14 Tigers victory. Still, Quinn believes that everything will sort itself out on draft day.

“Look, I benched 225 pounds 24 times. I think that tells you what kind of quarterback I am – forget those stupid throwing drills. That stuff is overrated.”

It’s going to be tough for this sport to sweep any nations, but it’s still pretty frickin’ cool!