Gil Brandt's Quarterbacks of the Future
Gil Brandt's Quarterbacks of the Future

The success of each and every NFL team often hinges on the production of their quarterback.

"Everybody feeds off of what the quarterback can and cannot do," says Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN NFL analyst STEVE YOUNG. "The foundation of the game is really built off of responding to what the quarterback presents."

GIL BRANDT, who oversaw the Dallas Cowboys' personnel department for 29 years and currently shares his gridiron knowledge as a senior analyst for NFL.com, sees plenty of quarterback talent on the horizon.

"The quarterbacks we see in college now are so much more developed passers than the quarterbacks we saw 25 years ago, simply because teams are throwing the ball so much more at the high school and collegiate level," says Brandt.

Here are Gil Brandt's choices for the top QBs in college today (listed alphabetically):

Trevone Boykin, Texas Christian

"He is more of a mobile quarterback and rolls out mostly. He has a strong arm and very good speed. He compiled 4,608 total yards of offense last year and had 30 touchdown passes."

Connor Cook, Michigan State

"He's a good drop-back passer and has a strong arm. He threw for 3,214 yards last season, including 24 touchdowns. He led the Spartans to a comefrom- behind victory over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl."

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

"He will be a junior this season. He has a big, strong arm. He passed for 20 touchdowns his freshman year and led Penn State to seven wins in 2013, including wins over Michigan and at Wisconsin. He threw for 2,977 yards in 2014."

Kevin Hogan, Stanford

"He has the ability to roll out or be a good drop-back passer. He is well coached and has good running ability. He threw 20 touchdowns in 2013 and 19 touchdowns in 2014."

Cody Kessler, Southern California

"Overall, he is a very good athlete and understands the game very well. He has very good accuracy -- completed 70.7% in 2014 and 68.3% for his career. He can make any throw and passed for 36 touchdowns with only four interceptions last season."

Dak Prescott, Mississippi State

"The first team all-SEC quarterback led Mississippi State to the No. 1 ranking during the middle of last season for the first time in school history. He threw for 3,449 yards and had 27 touchdowns in 2014. Over the past two seasons, he's rushed for over 1,800 yards. He is a good athlete and can make things happen."

Brandt's Honorable Mentions

Brandon Allen, Arkansas; Jacoby Brissett, North Carolina State; Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky; Blake Frohnapfel, Massachusetts; Jared Goff, California; Cardale Jones, Ohio State; Nate Sudfeld, Indiana.

The talent pool will only deepen with these five high school seniors, rated in order of talent by CBS Sports Network recruiting expert TOM LEMMING:

Jacob Eason 6-5/215 Lake Stevens (WA)

"He's the No. 1 quarterback in the country. He's got all of the tools and is a super talent. He looks like Tom Brady looked when he came out of high school."

Jawon Pass 6-5/225 Carver (GA)

"He looks just like Cam Newton did coming out of high school. He looks like a power forward. He's got great potential and skill. He's the real deal and has great talent."

Feleipe Franks 6-6/205 Wakulla (FL)

"I think he is fantastic. He's got everything going for him. This kid can run. He can throw the ball and throws a 93 mph baseball pitch."

Malik Henry 6-2/180 IMG Academy (FL)

"He's more of the read-option type quarterback. He can run. He can throw. He does everything well."

Brandon Peters 6-4/205 Avon (IN)

"I really like him. He's the best player in Indiana. He just committed to Michigan and Jim Harbaugh. He's a pro-style guy."

Lemming's Honorable Mentions

Jarrett Guarantano, Bergen Catholic (NJ); Dwayne Haskins, Jr., Bullis School (MD); Austin Kendall, Cuthbertson (NC); Tylin Oden, Spring Hill (TN); Shea Patterson, Calvary (LA); Jake Zembiec, Aquinas (NY).

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NFL Football: "Gil Brandt's Quarterbacks of the Future"