In 2011, the Vikings made Christian Ponder their No. 1 draft pick – 12th overall -- and for a while it looked as if Ponder might become a good NFL quarterback.
In his second season as a pro, in 2012 Ponder started all 16 games and guided the Vikings to a 10-6 record.
He completed 62.1 percent of his passes and had 18 touchdown throws against just 12 interceptions.
But in four seasons in Minnesota, the former Florida State standout was more often shaky than strong. Over 36 starts he had a 14-21-1 record, and he played just 11 games over the past two seasons, losing his starting job last season to rookie Teddy Bridgewater.
In fact, Ponder tumbled to No. 3 on the QB depth chart behind Bridgewater and journeyman Matt Cassel.
In Minnesota Ponder had a big turnover problem, throwing 36 interceptions and losing 11 fumbles.
Now, the Oakland Raiders are giving Ponder a chance to resurrect his career as the No. 2 quarterback behind second-year man Derek Carr. New Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave – who was Ponder’s coordinator in Minnesota for three seasons – must believe Ponder has something to offer.
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The question is, is Ponder better than current backups Matt McGloin and Matt Schaub?
Certainly, Ponder gets the nod over Schaub, who doesn’t have the arm strength he once did, has been ineffective in limited action and also has a $5.5 million salary against the Raiders’ 2015 cap space that makes it just a matter of time before he’s released.
Bill Williamson, who covers the Raiders for ESPN.com, wrote that Ponder and McGloin may compete for the No. 2 job, but doubts that Ponder would have signed in Oakland “with that in mind.” It’s possible, he wrote, that “McGloin could be shopped for a low draft choice.”
It could be argued, however, that McGloin is a better option than Ponder as the backup to Carr. He’s played just eight regular-season NFL games and has a 1-5 record as a starter, but McGloin throws for more yards (209.5 yards per game average) than Ponder (175.2) and has a better TD percentage (3.9 to 3.6). In 16 starts for the Vikings in 2012, Ponder had seven games of more than 200 yards passing. In McGloin’s six starts in 2013, he threw for more than 200 in every game but one (197).
McGloin has demonstrated a better ability to throw deep and has a fiery personality on the field, having had to prove himself as a non-scholarship walk-on first at Penn State and then as an undrafted free agent with the Raiders.
Even last season, when the Raiders brought in Matt Schaub and essentially named him the starter before he threw a pass, McGloin said he wasn’t going to accept that.
“Do I want to be that guy who pouts and complains? Or do I want to be that guy that says I’m accepting the challenge?” McGloin told reporters last summer. “I’m going to come in and compete with him. I’m still going to act like I’m the starter and prepare like I’m the starter.”
If the Raiders keep McGloin around, it could make for an interesting competition between Ponder and McGloin this offseason.
