Michael Goulding / McClatchy Tribune

Mark Sanchez̢۪s week began with at least 10 radio interviews, four television appearances and attending class at USC.

That was just Monday.

A very manic Monday, to be sure, which turned out fittingly busy for the player generating the biggest buzz heading into this year̢۪s NFL draft. On Tuesday, Sanchez reportedly worked out for the Broncos, attended the Lakers̢۪ Game 2 victory over the Jazz. Wednesday he flew to New York City to promote a college-football video game and plans to return to California before the draft.

Where Sanchez ends up after Saturday is the biggest question of this year̢۪s draft.

He is the wild card, the fast-rising prospect that some suspect the Seahawks will choose with the No. 4 pick. Others think Seattle̢۪s interest in Sanchez is a ruse to lure a team such as Washington or Denver into trading up for the pick. Either way, the junior from USC has inserted some Hollywood drama into this year̢۪s proceedings as the player considered the No. 2 quarterback prospect behind Georgia̢۪s Matthew Stafford.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, who worked with Sanchez at USC, vouched for his pro prospects, saying this week Sanchez would make a very successful NFL quarterback. The Seahawks sent offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor to watch Sanchez̢۪s workout at USC last month. Afterward, Sanchez offered to make any additional throws for teams present. The Lions had a couple of requests, but Knapp informed Sanchez he̢۪d seen everything he needed.

Do the Seahawks need Sanchez? Not right away. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will turn 34 in
September, officially making him a mid-30s quarterback, and he missed more games than he played last year because of a back injury. While all indications are that he feels in the best shape of his career, there is the underlying question of whether Seattle must plan for his successor.

That’s where Sanchez enters the equation, a player who could be groomed to become a leading man in the NFL. He even looks more than a little like actor Adrian Grenier, who plays Vince on the HBO Series “Entourage.â€Â Sanchez has charisma, comes from the school that’s been a cradle of NFL quarterbacks and is smooth enough to soothe any fears arising from the fact he started fewer than two seasons in college.

“The best way to answer that is to talk about the kind of experience I’ve had against the top players around, most of them in the NFL,â€Â Sanchez said. “I started 16 games, played in practice every day with a pro-style offense against a pro-style defense.â€Â

When Sanchez declared for the draft, he was considered a first-round prospect, but his stock climbed steadily over the past four months to the point that no one will be surprised if he is picked in the top five.

That̢۪s typical this time of year. Quarterbacks tend to rise toward the top. They just don̢۪t always turn out to be the cream of the crop.
From 1998 to 2008, a quarterback has been chosen first overall eight times. That̢۪s equal to the number of times a quarterback was picked No. 1 in the previous 30 years.

That reflects the value and importance of that position in today̢۪s game. Quarterbacks make the most money and they stage an annual march up the draft boards as teams talk themselves into believing that the flick of this certain passer̢۪s wrist is capable of turning a franchise̢۪s fortunes around.

“Sometimes it’s like, ‘If I take him this high, then he’s going to be a franchise quarterback,’’’ Seahawks president Tim Ruskell said. “It’s like paying a guy more money to do better. It doesn’t always work that way.â€Â

This year is relatively barren in terms of quarterbacks. Stafford, Sanchez and Kansas State̢۪s Josh Freeman are considered first-round candidates, but it̢۪s unlikely another quarterback will be selected in the first three rounds.

And while quarterbacks like Sam Bradford of Oklahoma and Colt McCoy of Texas await next year̢۪s draft, Sanchez has distinguished himself as the fast climber in this year̢۪s draft, coming from USC where even backups like Matt Cassel have proven poised for NFL stardom.

Sanchez showed he relished this national stage way back in February at the NFL̢۪s scouting combine. He saw Stafford was answering question so he walked into the media throng.

“How much did you weigh,â€Â Sanchez asked?

“Two-twenty-five,â€Â Stafford said, chuckling. “Get out of here, dude.â€Â

Now, it̢۪s Sanchez who has become the most pressing question in this year̢۪s draft, the USC quarterback with the jet-set schedule who̢۪s threatening to crash the top four picks.

By Danny O’Neil, McClatchy Tribune