Michael Vick vs. Vince Young

Ordinarily, I wouldn't do this and make a comparison between a kid just coming into the NFL for his rookie campaign and a player whose been in the league for five years, but NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. made a statement yesterday that Vince Young is further along in his development as a quarterback than Atlanta Falcons starter Michael Vick.

I have watched both quarterbacks develop through their college years and Vick in his NFL career. So, I'm going to compare these two in several categories and we'll see who comes out victorious. Being that Vick has been in the league for five years and Young will just be entering his rookie season, I will compare the two in some categories as to how they developed or what they showed in their college years.

Passing precision- This is a tough category to compare, because neither is the most precise passer in football. Young made great strides from his sophomore to his junior season, but I'll have to give the slight edge to Vick. They're both equally precise with the short passes and medium routes, but Vick gets the edge with the deep ball. Score- Vick 1 Young 0

Arm strength- This is one area Young needs to work on at the next level. Don't forget that he was surrounded by talent around him at Texas, so a screen pass could turn into an 80-yard touchdown. The 'Horns have never been short on talent at the receiver position either. One of Vick's strengths is the deep ball. He rivals Brett Favre and Daunte Culpepper as having one of the strongest arms in the game. Score- Vick 2 Young 0

Passing mechanics- This may be the area that most scouts worry about with Vince Young. He may be 6'4'', but his throws come at a 3/4, almost sidearm angle, which will end up in a lot of batted balls in the NFL. He will definitely have to work on and improve in this part of the game in order to have a chance of being a successful quarterback at the next level. Vick's mechanics, while not stellar, are much better than Young's. Vick is shorter than Young, but comes over top with the ball. Score- Vick 3 Young 0

Pocket presence- Both quarterbacks have a great awareness of knowing when pressure is coming and knowing when to take off with the ball and run with it or to scramble and find the open man. I'm calling this one a push. Score- Vick 3 Young 0

Footwork- At Texas, they ran a lot of shotgun set plays for Young and he just waited for the big uglies up front to make their blocks before Young found a hole and galloped toward the end zone. This isn't going to work in the National Football League. This is another area Young has to work on at the next level. Vick's footwork is reminiscent of Barry Sanders. I have to go with Vick here. Score- Vick 4 Young 0

Leadership- This is one of Young's strengths. He showed it even in his sophomore season when he couldn't pass worth a lick. This leadership was on display during the national championship game against USC. Vick also possesses great leadership. In his redshirt freshman campaign at Virginia Tech, he lead the Hokies to a national championship game against the much more talented Florida State Seminoles. Vick almost single-handedly won that game for Tech, but FSU pulled it out in the fourth quarter. I'll have to give this one a push. Score- Vick 4 Young 0

Intelligence- Vick has to learn four different offenses in five years at the NFL level. Young needed to know about four plays while he was at Texas. Young also scored extremely poorly on an intelligence test given to players coming into the NFL. Score- Vick 5 Young 0

Instinct- This, along with leadership, may be Young's greatest asset. He has a very good instinct on when to run, when to throw, and where to go with it. Vick's instincts, while solid, get him into trouble sometimes (with getting hurt), so I'll have to give this one to Young. Score- Vick 5 Young 1

Mobility- This is a strong area for both quarterbacks. When pressure is felt or the receivers can't get open initially, both Young and Vick can scramble around and make time for the receivers to get open. Or, if that fails, neither is afraid to take matters into their own hands and scamper off with it. I think I'll have to give this one a push. Score- Vick 5 Young 1

Speed- Vince Young was clocked at anywhere between 4.48 and 4.56 at the combine for the 40 meter. Vick has been clocked at around the 4.20 mark. I call Young deceptively quick, because he's got such long legs that his strides cover more ground than a lot of players. But, there's no doubt in my mind who the quicker of the two is and that's Michael Vick. Score- Vick 6 Young 1

Size- This might be the easiest category of them all. Vick stands in at 6'0'', which is fairly short for an NFL quarterback. Young stands in at a more ideal 6'4''. Score- Vick 6 Young 2

Final breakdown- Both Michael Vick and Vince Young were and are very raw talents entering the NFL. Young is the rawer of the two, however. While Vick has taken slight strides as an NFL quarterback during his five years, he didn't have nearly as far to go to be a successful NFL quarterback as Vince Young does. Young's passing strength, precision, mechanics, on-field intelligence, and his footwork are all suspect and need to be improved for him to become a successful NFL quarterback. What Young has going for him is his size, his mobility, his leadership, and his instincts. Both Young and Vick are winners and possess the tools to be solid NFL quarterbacks, but Vick has already had some success, in being selected to go to three pro bowls in his five years, taking the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago, and being signed to one of the lucrative contracts in all of football. Does Young have the talent and potential? Yes, but he's got a long way to go.
Final Score- Vick 6 Young 2