Stanzi a possible 'steal'

IOWA CITY, Iowa - ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said former Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi could be a steal in this month's NFL draft.

“I think Stanzi's a fourth-round pick, and he can present the best value of any of these quarterbacks in the fourth round,” Kiper said in a conference call. “He could definitely be a guy that's underrated.”

Kiper considers Stanzi, a three-year starter at Iowa, among the best second-tier quarterbacks in the draft along with TCU's Andy Dalton. Kiper puts Stanzi behind Auburn's Cam Newton, Missouri's Blaine Gabbert, Washington's Jake Locker and Arkansas' Ryan Mallett.

Other quarterbacks in the second tier, according to Kiper, include Nevada's Colin Kaepernick and Florida State's Christian Ponder.

Kiper was asked which late-round player could develop into a defensive force like Philadelphia Eagles' perennial Pro Bowler Trent Cole, a 2006 fifth-round pick. The first name Kiper mentioned was former Iowa defensive tackle Karl Klug.

“If you could put him on his feet, he could be a little different,” Kiper said.

Klug, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 270 pounds, is too light to play defensive tackle in the NFL. Many analysts project Klug, a two-year starter at Iowa, at rush end or linebacker.

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