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QBs take stage at the combine

Bonanza year for position in NFL draft

INDIANAPOLIS — This year’s deep class of quarterbacks features as many as a half-dozen first-round NFL prospects full of hope, hype and hazard.

There’s Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, and questions about the Heisman winner’s size and stature. A lot of teams would love UCLA’s Josh Rosen for his skills and strength, but wonder if he’s a good fit in the locker room and with their organization.

Wyoming’s Josh Allen has enviable size, but faces questions about his regression last season. USC’s Sam Darnold has to answer queries about his ball security and why he’s not throwing at the NFL combine this weekend like the other prospects.

Louisville’s Lamar Jackson , the 2016 Heisman winner, needs to prove he’s a better pro prospect throwing the ball than catching it. And teams wonder if Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph can transition to the pro offense after operating exclusively out of the shotgun.

No inquiry is out of bounds.

“Absolutely. They’re investing a lot of money in these guys they’re drafting, so they can ask any question,” Mayfield said. “This whole process is about finding out what’s wrong with you. It’s pointing out flaws, seeing if they can look past them, seeing if they can work with it. So, anything they ask is fair game.”

Teams are asking themselves whether these guys can be the next Carson Wentz, who ignited the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl run in just his second season before getting hurt and rooting on Nick Foles from the sideline.

Or whether they’re the next Paxton Lynch, the 2016 first-round flop whose inability to grasp the complexities of the pro game has Broncos GM John Elway once again among those searching for answers at the position.

There’s plenty of questions.

Among them:

TALL ORDER

Is Mayfield too short? He measured in just over 6 feet tall with a hand size of 9¼ inches.

“Height doesn’t matter,” Mayfield insisted. “You see guys like Tyrod Taylor, (Drew) Brees, Russell Wilson. They’ve proven that it doesn’t matter. If you want to say anything else, I’ve got three years of tape you can watch. I think I have fewer batted balls than all the other guys here, and I’m pretty sure I’m shorter than them, too.”

HOT WATER

Rosen’s time in Westwood was defined as much by his proclivity for creating headlines away from the field.

A viral photo showed a hot tub he brought into his dorm room. Another photo showed Rosen playing golf and wearing a headband that disparaged then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Questions have arisen about how well Rosen will get along with his new teammates in the NFL.

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