I had considered starting a thread over the weekend to discuss this change in attitudes over the last couple of months. Like Jeter stated, when Luck said that he would return to school most were saying that there was not a first round QB this year. However, I think that the number of teams needing QBs and the fact that free agency has been delayed, there has been unprecedented moves upward by all of the QBs.
I think that several teams feel compelled to consider drafting a rookie even though they might prefer to get a free agent. This is because of the lock-out and the shifting of free agency to AFTER the draft. If teams like Washington, Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, Minnesota, and others do not have a rookie on board, they will be truly desperate for a free agent and have very little time to get one.
Other teams like Buffalo, San Francisco, Cincinatti are in similar circumstances and that has made all of the rookies seem like a good option, so that these teams can have a fall-back plan.
My guess was four and that includes Gabbert, Newton, Locker, and one of Ponder or Mallett.
