Marcus Vick vs. Vince Young

Due to the comparisons Mel Kiper drew between Marcus' older brother Michael and Vince Young, I've already compared the two of them and Michael won the battle by a score of 6-2. The draft is less than a week away and I thought it'd be interesting to compare arguably the two most talented dual-threat quarterbacks in the draft, that being Vince Young and Marcus Vick. Young is expected to be a top ten pick and it's a mystery where Vick will go in the draft, due to his on-the-field and off-the-field problems. Is there potentially more to gain with Vick? More to lose? I'll compare the two in every category I can think of and it'll be easier this time around, because both Young and Vick are going into the draft at the same time and will be rookies this upcoming year. It was more difficult to compare Michael Vick with Young for the simple fact that Vick has been in the league for five years and Young will be a rookie. So, here we go.

Passing precision- Young made great strides in this area between his sophomore and junior years at Texas, but Marcus is even a better precision passer than his brother and I gave this category to Michael over Young. So, I'll have to give this to Marcus. Score- Vick 1 Young 0

Arm strength- This is another area that Young improved on between his sophomore and junior years, but he still has room to grow and something to prove in this area. Marcus may be a better precision passer than his brother, but Michael definitely has the stronger arm. He can throw the ball deeper and can put more zip on his passes (sometimes too much). Both quarterbacks have room to grow and something to prove in the NFL when it comes to arm strength. This category is a draw. Score- Vick 1 Young 0

Passing mechanics- This has to be the biggest question mark and concern with Vince Young. It's very fortunate that he stands in at 6'4'' with how he sidearms the ball at times. Because of this, he and Marcus throw like a guy who's 6'0 or 6'1'' and that usually equates to many batted balls in the NFL. Marcus is definitely the smaller of the two. He's even smaller than Michael and Michael is listed at 6'0, maybe 6'1''. But, he definitely has the better passing mechanics. He has nice touch on the short throws, can put a bit more zip on the intermediate routes, and can put a little air under the ball for the deeper routes. Vick still needs to prove that he can throw a good deep ball and throw them with some consistency, but he definitely has the edge in this category over Young. Score- Vick 2 Young 0

Pocket presence- Both quarterbacks are quick and mobile, which allows them more time to let their receivers find space and get open. While his brother Michael is never afraid to tuck the ball in and take off with it if he sees and open lane, Marcus doesn't like to do that much. It could be that he doesn't have much experience and hasn't found a way to make the most of his speed as a quarterback or it could be that he seriously wants to be a pocket passer. This makes him hesitant at times, though. When he feels pressure, Marcus is more tempted to just throw the ball away, as opposed to making something out of nothing. Vince Young's pocket presence has improved dramatically throughout his college career. One need only have watched the USC game to understand that. Vick's pocket presence isn't bad by any means, but Young has him beat here. Score- Vick 2 Young 1

Footwork- It's funny, for how quick both players are, their footwork could use a lot of improving. Both wait way too long for blockers to get in front and make their blocks so they can find a hole to run through. That's not going to work at the next level. This category is a push. Score- Vick 2 Young 1

Leadership- It's very difficult to tell where Vick stands with his leadership role. After his troubles two years ago, he came back and lead Virginia Tech to an 11-2 record. He also choked in the two games they lost, to Miami (Florida) and Florida State. He made some poor decisions against West Virginia (gave some fans the finger) and Louisville (intentionally stepped on a Louisville player's arm). When he was mentally there, he lead the team through his play on the field. When he wasn't mentally focused, that leadership lacked immensely. On the other side of it, Young was the soft-spoken leader all season long for the Longhorns. He even possessed that quality in his sophomore season, when his passing skills were Eric Crouch-like. No matter what the score is, with Vince Young in the huddle, Texas believed they would win, and this past season, they did, every single time. Young definitely gets the nod here. Score- Vick 2 Young 2

Intelligence- Young scored very poorly on the intelligence test given to all potential draftees. I don't know how Vick scored, but I can only assume it to be higher. However, when it comes to decision-making on and off-the-field, Young has definitely shown more consistency with good judgments. Taking all these factors into consideration, I'm going to call this one a draw. Score- Vick 2 Young 2

Maturation- Do I even have to write anything here? With all of Vick's antics on-the-field and his violations off of it, as well? Score- Young 3 Vick 2

Instinct- As I mentioned before with pocket presence, Vick still has to get a feel of when it's the right time to take off with the ball, when it's the right time to throw it away, and when it's the right time to chuck the ball to a receiver. Young's greatest asset alongside his leadership, has to be his instinct. The guy just has a nose for the end zone and a feel for when he should run and when he should throw. Young gets the nod here as well. Score- Young 4 Vick 2

Mobility- Even though both quarterbacks need to learn how to use their mobility more effectively, especially Vick, both are quick and can buy time for receivers to get open, much more so than other quarterbacks in the draft such as Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler. I'm giving this one a push. Score- Young 4 Vick 2

Speed- This category may surprise some people. Even though Marcus is not as quick as his brother and didn't utilize his speed as much last season as Young did, Marcus is actually the quicker of the two. He ran a 4.46 40 meter and Young ran in between a 4.48 and a 4.56. Neither player has the initial burst of speed that Michael Vick does, but both players are quick and have a gliding-type speed, where they run at a very steady pace no matter where they are on the field. I give a very slight edge to Vick here. Score- Young 4 Vick 3

Size- As with the Young vs. Michael Vick comparisons, this is probably the easiest category of all. Michael stands in at somewhere between 6'0'' and 6'1'' and his brother is even smaller, standing in between 5'11'' and 6'0''. Young is an ideal 6'4'', so I definitely give him the nod here. Score- Young 5 Vick 3

Final Breakdown- While both players are extremely talented and probably the most talented dual-threat quarterbacks in the draft this year, Vince Young is probably the safer choice because of Marcus Vick's unpredictability with his decisions during a game and away from the field. Vick might even have more potential than Vince Young, given that he's a better passer and quicker, but he has not shown the leadership, instinct, and maturation needed to be a successful quarterback at the next level. If Vick improves a great deal in those three areas, then somebody will steal themselves quite a sleeper pick on draft day, but if his trend of behavior continues, then he'll just be a team cancer. Young has a lot to improve upon, especially with his passing mechanics and precision. He also has yet to prove that he can run an actual offense, so it'll be interesting to see how he meets those challenges in the NFL. What he does have is a nose for the end zone, great pocket awareness, an instinct that can't be taught, and solid leadership that is needed out of a team's quarterback. Final Score- Young 5 Vick 3