The top 10 QBs we'll be talking about before the 2017 NFL Draft

Some words of advice for the fine, young quarterbacks available in next year's draft: Get some rest. You're about to be wrung out.

Was it me or was the scrutiny even more out of control than usual this year? It's no longer just height, weight and hand size. Suddenly, a full vetting of these guys' kindergarten teachers is part of the equation. That is, if you're a team that believes in a complete MRI of a guy's character before drafting him.

And who doesn't these days?

Back to the all-important hand size, which is now a thing with quarterbacks. Ask Carson Wentz, whose claws were deemed great (10 inches across!) and Arkansas' Brandon Allen, who got dinged because of his (8.5 inches, boo!).

Connor Cook was downgraded for finishing fourth in Michigan State's voting for captains last season. Never mind that coach Mark Dantonio only names three. For some reason, the fact that he wasn't a captain became a stain on his resume. Fourth might as well have been 40th by the time Cook was taken early on the third day by Oakland.

And for the love of Bart Starr, you better have taken some snaps under center. "How big a deal is it? It's huge," said George Whitfield, the man who trained Ohio State's Cardale Jones for the draft.

Jones, playing in Urban Meyer's zone-read scheme, was selected at the end of the fourth round Saturday after only 11 career starts. Spread quarterback Jared Goff was taken No. 1, this year, while Oregon's Marcus Mariota was taken No. 2 overall in 2015.

It makes you wonder what they're looking for these days. That's what the guys listed below need to figure out over the next 12 months.

To clarify: This is not a list of the top 10 quarterbacks in college football. This is a subjective list of the 10 quarterbacks we'll be talking about heading into the 2017 NFL Draft ^[1].

Our hit rate is pretty good. Eight of the 10 QBs we rated last year were part of the 2016 draft ^[2], seven of which were selected over the weekend.

1. Deshaun Watson, junior, Clemson: If Alabama winning another national championship was the No. 1 story back in January, Watson carving up the Tide was a close No. 2 ^[3]. The best is yet to come from Watson. Yes, he is strictly a spread guy. But oh, that decision making, those feet, that arm. Watson is smart, accomplished and fearless. Clemson quarterback coach Brandon Streeter says Watson's game is "perfect" for the NFL.

If he stays healthy, Watson will arrive in the pros with at least 32 college starts. The only player in history to throw for 4,000 and run for 1,000 in a season enters 2016 as the Heisman Trophy co-favorite with Stanford's Christian McCaffrey.

Deshaun Watson was the star of the national title game. (USATSI)

2. Brad Kaaya, junior, Miami: In two seasons, the 6-foot-4 Cali kid has thrown for 6,500 yards and 42 touchdowns. New coach Mark Richt, a quarterback specialist, can only help his game. As Miami continues to teeter (at times), Kaaya has been a tower of strength. He grew up 15 minutes from UCLA. He's maturing into a future NFL quarterback 3,000 miles away in Coral Gables.

3. Chad Kelly, senior, Ole Miss: Kelly could be the best thing that happens to the Rebels this fall. Hugh Freeze loses four of his starting offensive lineman. His best receiver, Laquon Treadwell, is gone, too. And Freeze can only hope the stink Laremy Tunsil left behind for the NCAA doesn't become a distraction. Kelly (4,000 yards, 31 touchdowns in 2015) is the SEC's best quarterback on what might be the conference's second-best team.

4. Seth Russell, redshirt junior, Baylor: Remember him? Russell and the Bears were undefeated and averaging almost 700 yards per game when the quarterback was lost for the season with neck surgery. Russell was cleared for preliminary workouts in February. He's 8-0 as a starter and might be the difference in the Bears making another College Football Playoff run.

5. Luke Falk, redshirt junior, Washington State: It's likely you know more about Falk's sisters ^[4] than his game. In Mike Leach's pass-heavy offense Falk led the country in passing yards per game. No one came close to throwing as much (644 passes). Falk is one of eight starters back on offense in 2016. With that much firepower, the Cougars are a dark horse favorite in the Pac-12 North. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Falk has the look of a future NFL QB.

6. Patrick Mahomes II, junior, Texas Tech: The Big 12's 2015 leader in attempts, passing yards, touchdowns and interceptions has Johnny Manziel's former offensive coordinator as his coach (Kliff Kingsbury). That's a good thing, by the way. We know the kid can throw. His dad played 11 years in the majors. Son could approach 5,000 passing yards in 2016.

7. Baker Mayfield, senior, Oklahoma: Yes, we called him "a Manziel among men ^[5]." Yes, we meant it in the most positive way. And yes, the last we saw of him, Mayfield was being harassed by that Clemson defensive line. Size (6-foot-1, 212 pounds) may be an issue, but his ability to improvise is not. Mayfield was the conference's most accurate passer (68 percent) and perhaps its most inspirational leader.

The feeling here is that Mayfield -- denied an extra year of eligibility by the Big 12 -- will be motivated to go out strong. Mark your calendars for Oct. 22 when Oklahoma is at Texas Tech.

8. Josh Dobbs, senior, Tennessee: No character issues here. As an aerospace engineering major, Dobbs is one heck of a quarterback -- and if you have to be told -- he is also a top-notch student.

The Vols will be favored to win the SEC East. Dobbs is the biggest reason on a team with 16 other returning starters. Coming off the worst completion percentage of his career (59.6), Dobbs' intangibles are more important than ever. He didn't pout when Tennessee started 2-3 and blew games against Oklahoma, Florida and Arkansas. Dobbs will have to show scouts he can throw downfield. Only 17 of his completions last year went for at least 25 yards. His 671 rushing yards led all SEC quarterbacks.

9. C.J. Beathard, redshirt senior, Iowa: Matt Millen compared him to Joe Montana.^[6] Sure, hype abounds, but the results reflected Beathard's talent. The Hawkeyes won a school-record 12. Kirk Ferentz was a national coach of the year. Beathard has "it." At a place starved for playmakers for years, Beathard made enough plays to lead the Hawks to the Rose Bowl. A repeat isn't out of the question.

10. Wes Lunt, redshirt senior, Illinois: Think positive at a program that has been through the wringer. Lovie Smith drops into college football for the first time in more than two decades with an experienced quarterback. Yeah, things could be worse for both parties. Lunt seems to have bought in after throwing for the ninth-most single-season yards in program history (2,761). "It gives us motivation to know who we're playing for," said Lunt, a former Oklahoma State transfer.

Five others to watch: Tommy Armstrong Jr. (Nebraska), J.T. Barrett (Ohio State), Gunner Kiel (Cincinnati), Dakota Prukop (Oregon), Patrick Towles (Boston College).