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Pros- Good size and athletic ability. Sanchez has a good delivery and quick release. He stands tall in the pocket and keeps his eyes downfield. He plays with good leadership skills and a great football IQ. Did a great job of running USC’s pro style offense. He has a very likeable personality that NFL teams love.

Cons- Sanchez didn’t have a lot of experience at USC, starting just one year. He doesn’t move well outside of the pocket and often forces throws into traffic. He has a strong arm but doesn’t throw a great deep ball. He is not very elusive vs. the blitz.

Scouts Take- Sanchez is a very talented prospect, with a great football IQ, and a great personality. He shined in his only season as USC’s starter throwing for 3,207 yards and 34 touchdowns. He is a natural leader and that should translate to the NFL. There are rumors that several teams are very high on Sanchez and could possible trade into the top ten or top five to select him. He should stand on the sideline for a year, like Carson Palmer did. Then take over as the starter in his second season.

School Bio

Decision Time: Mark Sanchez - 1.6.09

4.2.09 - The consensus at USC on Wednesday was that Mark Sanchez had an excellent performance in front of a full house that included NFL scouts and coaches, family and friends, and even a few fans in the stands. He showed balance, solid footwork and most importantly, accuracy on all of his throws. He estimated that he threw about 80 passes—a strong number for a pro day workout. “I think he showed better arm strength than people generally give him,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. “He’s not [Georgia's Matthew] Stafford, he’s not [Kansas State's Josh] Freeman; but his arm is every bit as good as Matt Ryan’s. And as Matt Ryan showed this year, when you’re accurate and you show good anticipation, a good arm is good enough. That’s what Matt is, and that’s what Mark Sanchez is. What he showed is consistency.” The caveat, of course, is that quarterbacks better look good at their pro day. “I’ve never seen a guy not complete 99.9 percent of his passes against air,” one general manager commented.

That last comment is a perfect summation of how the Pro Day should be viewed. Not that I don't believe Sanchez can be a successful NFL quarterback; I do. The point is, with everything set up perfectly for him, how could he NOT look good? Sadly for these players, the NFL doesn't allow you to set things up when it comes time to...you know, actual games. The former Trojan, as mentioned above, doesn't have a canon arm like some of the other signal-callers in the Draft. However, he DOES possess something Stafford doesn't, and that's gumption. Sanchez isn't going to be a world beater, but he can certainly be a solid pro for several seasons. And that's the thing about this Draft; just because he and Stafford are the top-two quarterbacks doesn't mean they're Franchise guys. The class just happens to be a bit weaker than it has been and some teams are being fooled into believing these two guys are Franchise guys. They aren't.

This quarterback class is pretty weak. Sanchez has most of the physical qualities that you're looking for in a quarterback, but I don't view him as being a surefire franchise player. He didn't show me enough consistency in college. I think both Sanchez and Freeman are developmental types. Stafford, in my mind, is the one passer who offers me the most assurances in terms of his arm strength, accuracy and his ability to scan the field. The former Georgia Bulldog is the only one I would invest heavily in with a top-15 pick.There's a reason why USC head coach Pete Carroll advised Sanchez to stick around for another year. I don't think he's ready to start from day one despite his mobility and fine mechanics. He looked great at times beating the blitz in college, but to me he didn't do it often enough. He's a work in progress.

Saints coach Sean Payton, Vikings coach Brad Childress, 49ers coach Mike Singletary, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt and Lions coach Jim Schwartz were on the USC campus. Several GMs are also getting a first-hand look, including the Lions’ Martin Mayhew, the Saints’ Mickey Loomis, the Vikings’ Rick Spielman, the Cardinals’ Rod Graves and Ted Thompson of the Packers. A number of coordinators are getting a look, including Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan of the Lions and Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill was there as well, and I’m told he brought the Cardinals’ contingent on his private jet. The Lions and Saints have the biggest contingents, followed by the Seahawks, Raiders and Vikings. - All Access Daily Dose: Sanchez Shows Off Skills

3.23.09 - Some of the teams being mentioned in connection with Jay Cutler will also be examining another quarterback option this week. USC’s Mark Sanchez is expected to meet with the Jaguars, Jets, and Redskins, according to Ed Thompson of Scout.com. A source tells Thompson that Sanchez will have dinner with a representative from the Jaguars Sunday night. He is then expected to meet with Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer Monday and work out for the team on Tuesday. And on Wednesday, Sanchez will head back to USC to work out for the Redskins.

In a weak quarterback class, Sanchez is being scrutinized up and down like there's no tomorrow. In order for any of the above-mentioned teams to secure the services of the former Trojan, they'll probably have to take him in the first half of the draft. But before any team goes through with that, it must be certain that only one season as starter was enough to prepare him for what lies ahead. The primary question with Sanchez is: Does this guy show enough upside to continue improving as he did in college or does he have a limited ceiling? The 6'3" passer has a good, but not great, arm and he reads defenses very well. In fact he rarely got fooled by complex coverage schemes last year. He's much better in that department than his predecessor John David Booty.

The Lions are another team giving Sanchez a long look. Perhaps they're off the Stafford bandwagon. Sanchez' arm is NFL-quality; it's not the strongest arm in the world, but it isn't a pop-gun. His other qualities--decision making, speed, mobility, leadership--are what have teams interested. Does he need to work on some things like footwork and consistency? Sure. But the NFL seems to think those will come with more experience. That might lead some to believe the former Trojan would have benefited from another year of college experience, but this year's QB class was so weak, he kind of had to declare. The Redskins and Jags are among those discussing Sanchez--how come Jason Campbell and David Garrard aren't crying to the media about how their teams are treating them poorly like Jay Cutler has? Exploring all options is every team's duty. Of course the Broncos could have handled the "Matt Cassel problem" better and need to meet Cutler halfway if they want him to perform for them in the future...but the bottom line is Cutler needs to grow up and stop acting like he's entitled to something. - All Access Daily Dose: Mark Sanchez Making The Rounds

1.28.09 - Mark Sanchez has reportedly hired his brother, Nick Sanchez, as his agent. Nick was a quarterback at Yale, earned his law degree at USC, and works as a business litigator for Theodora Oringher Miller & Richman in Costa Mesa. According to the Orange County Business Journal, "Mark is the first client of Nick's new sports consultancy at the law firm."

1.19.09 - Quarterback Mark Sanchez did not change his mind before Sunday night's deadline to remove his name from the NFL draft, according to sources. The NFL gives underclassmen 72 hours to change their mind once they declare their intentions to apply for the draft. But sources said Sanchez showed no intention Sunday of changing his mind. During Wednesday night's meeting between Sanchez and USC coach Pete Carroll, the Trojans coach reminded him he could always change his mind within 72 hours. Carroll, who disagreed with Sanchez's decision to turn pro, later apologized to the quarterback following his comments at Thursday's news conference.

1.17.09 - (From East-West Shrine Game)Area scouts from the south and west were mixed in their evaluations of the two star quarterbacks to enter the NFL Draft this week, but they agreed that the Detroit Lions will face a tough decision picking between Georgia's Matthew Stafford and USC's Mark Sanchez. They could also look at offensive tackle with the No. 1 pick, then take a quarterback later in round one with the choice they have from the Dallas Cowboys.

1.15.09 - After consulting with Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty, Pete Carroll and others, USC quarterback Mark Sanchez announced that he has declared for the 2009 NFL Draft. The redshirt junior threw for 34 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions, to go along with 3,207 passing yards in his only year as a starter in '08. Sanchez currently ranks as the second overall quarterback on the NFL Draft Bible Big Board behind Matthew Stafford of Georgia.

1.14.09 – A sore knee will sideline him the rest of the week. Initial indications are that there is no new injury, but with the NFL Combine next month, he felt safer taking a step back and rehabbing so he can prepare for his workout. Passing the medical at the Combine will now become more important to his final grade.

1.7.09 - U.S.C. junior quarterback Mark Sanchez says he's happy with the draft projection he received from N.F.L. scouts, but he's not sure if he'll enter the 2009 draft.

12.29.08 - While Matt Sanchez has been at USC since 2005, this is in his first season as the starter. After dislocating his kneecap in early August, he returned to practice just 17 days later. Sanchez has played well throwing for 2,794 yards with 30 touchdowns and only 10 picks. He does possess the size (6-3, 225) that NFL clubs look for and has skills but it would serve him best to stay in school, get another year of starting experience and improve his stock.

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee, Kathe Osborne (USC)