[DemforBush]

Interesting article. Tim Tebow is the only one on the list I'm really familiar with, but it looks like there will be a fair number of interesting gambles this draft.

[Vince Ferrer]

Nobody can beat Ryan Leaf.

[rdl6989]

NFL ping.

[wastedpotential]

I am a Bengals fan, so I know all about risky picks (Akili Smith, Peter Warrick, David Klingler, Odell Thurman, Kijana Carter, Dan Wilkinson).

Dez Bryant can play on my team anytime. Tebow needs the right spot where he can grow into an NFL QB over a couple of years. I would take Tebow over Clausen, but not McCoy at QB.

[nickcarraway]

I totally disagree with this guys criteria. The biggest risk in drafting a player is what is in his helmet. For this guy, that isn’t even a consideration.

[Richard Kimball]

Any quarterback is a gamble. Leaf and Manning were considered toss ups in talent. Tony Romo was an undrafted free agent. Tom Brady was a sixth rounder.
The rest of the “risky” picks are guys that have questions about maturity or guys that have a lot of raw talent but haven’t developed skills.
Some guys grow up, but maturity is always a concern with guys who are 23 years old and suddenly have several million dollars.
Guys with incredible raw athleticism sometimes rely on that athleticism and don’t develop their skills. That can be good or bad. DeMarcus Ware was working on developing a ton of different moves and his position coach finally told him, “You’re faster and stronger than most of the guys you’re going against. Develop a few good moves and quit negating your talent by outsmarting yourself.” That said, the top athletes in college only go against people as good as they are maybe twice a season. In the pros, it’s far more rare for a player to be able to simply “out-athlete” the other side.

[Terpfen]

Replace Dez Bryant with Sergio Kindle and this is a pretty good list.

[Non-Sequitur]

Any player from LSU has to rank right up near the top in terms of risk.