Gabbert and the 26-27-60 Rule

For those of you that haven't been following The Jaggernaut all that long, Adam Stites wrote about the 26-27-60 rule of quarterbacks back in March. Here is a pretty good explanation of the rule as it pertains to rookie quarterbacks:

"Here is the gist of it: If an NFL prospect scores at least a 26 on the Wonderlic test, starts at least 27 games in his college career and completes at least 60 percent of his passes, there's a good chance he will succeed at the NFL level." - John P. Lopez (SI.com)

So as we revisit this "rule" that some rather superstitious draft junkies may live by, we need to take a look at the guys that "pass" all three measures of the test. Those rookie quarterbacks are Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, and Andy Dalton. Take a look at those names, and compare them to other big-time names in this draft: Cam Newton, Jake Locker, Colin Kaepernick, and Ryan Mallett. Are you seeing similarities amongst the groups? No? Let's take a deeper look.

The guys in the first group are accurate passers. I know that seems like a mundane thing to say in regards to determining what kind of guy makes a good NFL quarterback, but only Cam Newton passed the completion percentage part of the test, and failed the test as a whole. We'll set aside my personal feelings on Cam Newton and analyze the guys that passed the test.

Blaine Gabbert is going to a great situation. Yes, it's possible that Jack Del Rio will be gone when Gabbert takes the reigns, but he also gets to sit and watch how a veteran quarterback, David Garrard, prepares and functions for games. Gabbert also will work under one of the rising assistant coaches in the league, Dirk Koetter. Koetter is a master of adapting a game-plan to a quarterback's skill set, and it should be a great match.

Christian Ponder will have a difficult time in Minnesota, and Andy Dalton will face similar problems (compounded by one of the worst owners in professional sports). If we accept that the 26-27-60 rule holds some sort of predicting power, we see that it's possible (if not likely) that Blaine Gabbert will enjoy a better pro career than any other QB taken in this year's.

There it is, I said it. Blaine Gabbert will have a great career. Don't believe me? Just look at this highly scientific formula. It's all the proof a real homer needs.