I took out my fine tooth comb and proceeded to take a hard look at some of the states top quartebacks.  In the first of a 3 part series I broke down Skyline's Senior signal caller: Max Browne.

The things that make him great at the high school level are the things that may get him in trouble at the collegiate level.

Things that I don’t Like: 

Keep in mind I’m not saying that he can’t do these things I just haven’t seen enough of these things on the film that I've watched.

3 step drop and pop:  You rarely see much of a drop anyway because he’s in the shotgun, but in the tapes I’ve seen he takes too much time going from his first read to his second read. When I watch Browne’s tape the highlights are great but to be successful at USC he will have to learn to get the ball out of his hands quicker, he tends to rely too much on his athletic ability to make plays, I understand you have to HAVE athletic ability first to be able to use it so that't not much of a knock.

At USC he will be asked to go under center in a pro-style offense, this is something he hasn’t had to do.  He’s going to be asked to take 3 and 5 step drops, another thing he hasn’t done and he’s also going to be asked to get the ball out of his hands quicker, this is something he isn’t acustomed to. 

Anyone who thinks Browne is going to come to USC and run around and break all kinds of sacks, stretching plays out, needs to put the kool-aid away.  He is quick at the high school level, in College he will have average speed.  From the shotgun he can take snaps and immediately has a head start around the corner on defensive endsl.  In College he will not be able to get that head start coming from under center, but he will most certainly not be able to toy around with defensive ends who have been recruited from all over the Country to take his head off,aAthletes who are faster and stronger than he is.  Browne comes from a very pass friendly offense at Skyline, a system that has produced other great quarterbacks like Jake Heaps.  In all fairness Heaps career has barely begun, but he was also at one time considered by some to be the top rated quarterback in the Country.  He went to BYU where he was eventually benched and has since been transferred to Kansas.

Things I do Like:

What Browne has going for him is he is going to USC and will be surrounded by some of the best talent in the Nation and an offensive line that ranks as one of the best almost every single year.  He’ll also benefit from working with Lane Kiffin.  The one thing Browne has going for him is his accuracy which will help him as he moves forward at USC.  It’s tough to throw on the run and it’s rare to see a quarterback that can dot his targets and he can do this rolling to either side. Accuracy may be the one attribute that is un-teachable, the other is height and at 6'5" Browne got that one checked off the list too. 

The fact that he’s a Champion and he’s used to the spot light will help as well.  There have been some questions about his arm but at USC he is going into an offense that doesn’t require a gun.  Although from the film I’ve seen, and his recent performance at Nike’s The Opening, his arm strength looks just fine to me.   Max Browne will have his challenges at USC, but when you consider that he's still got his senior season and an off-season at USC to improve the sky is the limit.

This is a 3 part series.  Next week I’ll give you my thoughts about Sefo Liufau (Bellarmine Prep) and the following week Kolney Cassel (Eisenhower). Email me your thoughts This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or you can follow me on twitter @JerryMercadoWSN