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"Christian Ponder is Elvis Grbac," Dilfer said. "He's Elvis Grbac. Elvis Grbac was a beautiful thrower. He threw for 4,000 yards. He did a lot of nice things. Every time it got tough, he melted."

I think it's only fair to note that in 2001, the Baltimore Ravens replaced Dilfer with Grbac. The Ravens became a better passing offense but never returned to the Super Bowl, and I think that episode remains stamped in Dilfer's brain.

But that said, Dilfer told Cowherd that he watched every snap Ponder took in college. He described Ponder as a quarterback who looks great in workouts but quickly loses accuracy and effectiveness in the pressure of a game.

"His drop, his arm speed, everything about him ... it's one tempo," Dilfer said. "He has to play at the 7-on-7 tempo. The drop has to be rhythmical. The receivers have to be open. The ball goes one speed. The pocket has to be nice. Any time he's asked to quicken that up or there's people around him, his accuracy is awful. ...

"The great quarterbacks are as accurate going to [options] two, three and four as they are when you go to one. ... Christian Ponder, as soon as you get to two or three, the ball is dirting. It's high. It's all over the place. OK?. He plays with a lot of anxiety. Do you want your quarterback in the NFL to play with a lot of anxiety?

"Christian Ponder tests off the charts. He's in shorts and a t-shirt. He goes to his pro workout, he's in shorts and a t-shirt. His big pecs are hanging out. He's got big guns. He looks great. He's a good-looking young man and he spins that ball around the football field in a perfect environment and people go 'wow he can play.'"

Dilfer also suggested that Ponder will continue to have a high injury rate because of the way his shoulders are built and because his arm action puts pressure on his elbow. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton would have been a much better pick, Dilfer said, and called it a "travesty" and a "major, major whiff" that neither the Vikings nor the Seattle Seahawks (at No. 25 overall) drafted him.

Dilfer said he preferred TCU’s Andy Dalton to Kaepernick, but the Niners didn’t share that view. The Bengals drafted Dalton with the 35th overall pick and the Niners traded up to get Kaepernick at No. 36.

“I do know, knowing enough about the 49ers, that Kaepernick is the guy that they loved,” Dilfer said. “The high ceiling that he had and the time he spent with him. They are very excited about it.”

“When I was done with my study there were a few things I wrote down,” Dilfer said. “One, he’s a project. It’s going to take a couple years to get him right. To get him completely comfortable playing in a traditional offense. Number two … (he has) maybe the highest ceiling of the draft. I think his ceiling for success may be higher than Cam Newton’s. He might be a better athlete than Cam Newton when you look at it. He’s got quicker feet. He’s got better pocket instincts and when he hits full stride, when he gets unleashed and he’s running full stride, it’s pretty amazing to see.”

• Dilfer said Kaepernick was “incredibly accurate” when he got his body in the proper position. He said Kaepernick has the proverbial “cannon for an arm,” but can also change speeds – that is, he has good touch.

Dilfer said Kaepernick was most impressive when throwing out of the pocket.

“He throws the ball to the left, when he’s rolling to the left, better than any quarterback I’ve ever seen in my life,” Dilfer said.

"Johnny has enough of the physical stuff [to succeed in the NFL]," said ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer. "He has enough arm strength. He obviously has sick feet. But more than anything, he has high-level NFL instincts. When you watch him play, there are things he does that I knew I needed to do to be a great player. And I could never do those things."

If Manziel decides to enter next year's NFL draft, he'll have to show even more improvement and brace himself for some predictable questions. Some scouts already question his durability -- "When you look at his size, the right shot could send him to the hospital at the next level," said the AFC personnel director -- but Dilfer believes Manziel has the necessary physical makeup. "He has a big butt, big thighs and a thick frame," Dilfer said. "He's not going to get hurt as easily as people think."

Demi wrote:Not Ponder's fault he's terrible. But he is. What does that have to do with anything? Are his feelings being hurt? Nothing he can do to improve himself?

There's no second guessing. There was plenty of first guessing.

Oh and:

http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/2011/05/ ... the-draft/
Dilfer: Kaepernick might have highest ceiling in the draft Maybe we should hire him to scout QBs for us....

Raptorman wrote:For the record, Dilfer should know what's it like being a lousy QB. 55% passer, 3.6% TD percentage, 4.1% interception percentage and a 6.5 yard per attempt. I am sure he knows what he is talking about.

VikingLord wrote: I know you were being facetious, but when it comes to assessing QBs, it sure seems like he does. He's called the ball on more than a few.

VikingLord wrote: I know you were being facetious, but when it comes to assessing QBs, it sure seems like he does. He's called the ball on more than a few.

Then, rather than risk repeating yourself ....come up with some options other than we shoulda done something different 3 years ago. That would be interesting.

Demi wrote: Philip Rivers, Josh Freeman. hell almost anyone. See how Cassel does to finish the season? Give Ponder to the bye to get his act together. Maybe the draft, but depends where we are drafting. If we're 7-17 no way do I just draft whoever is there like the idiot move they made with Ponder. If there isn't a possible elite talent there, give Cassel the start. Sign a veteran. Whatever you do, if Ponder doesn't pick it up between now and the bye, he gets benched. Start Cassel, if he struggles and the season is pretty much done, throw MBT out there. Ponder will have over 30 NFL starts by then. If he doesn't have it together it should be clear to even the most hardcore Ponder lover that he's not going to get it......

Demi wrote: Philip Rivers, Josh Freeman. hell almost anyone. See how Cassel does to finish the season? Give Ponder to the bye to get his act together. Maybe the draft, but depends where we are drafting. If we're 7-17 no way do I just draft whoever is there like the idiot move they made with Ponder. If there isn't a possible elite talent there, give Cassel the start. Sign a veteran. Whatever you do, if Ponder doesn't pick it up between now and the bye, he gets benched. Start Cassel, if he struggles and the season is pretty much done, throw MBT out there. Ponder will have over 30 NFL starts by then. If he doesn't have it together it should be clear to even the most hardcore Ponder lover that he's not going to get it......