Jay Cutler grew up in Santa Claus, Indiana. In high school he was a three sport athlete who not only played football, but was also a first team all-state basketball player who averaged 20 and 21 points per game his junior and senior years respectively. For the baseball team Cutler was an all-state shortstop with a .400 batting average. In football he was a three-year starter at quarterback and safety. As a sophomore he threw for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. The following year he led his team to an 11-1 record with over 1,200 passing yards and 14 touchdowns and was named all-area, all-conference, and all-state for his efforts. As a senior, Cutler led his team to an undefeated season (15-0) and a class 3A state championship, passing for 2,252 yards and 31 touchdowns and running for just under 500 yards and 11 touchdowns as a quarterback. As a safety he recorded 88 tackles and 9 interceptions on the season. He received and accepted a scholarship offer to Vanderbilt following his senior year of high school. He sat out his first year as a redshirt. He then earned the starting quarterback job the following season. He was named first team all-SEC and third team All-American as a redshirt freshman in 2002. As a junior Cutler became just the third quarterback in Vanderbilt history to complete over 60% of his passes. He seriously considered entering the 2005 NFL draft, but ultimately decided to return to Vanderbilt for his senior season. As a senior Cutler emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation has a chance to lead Vanderbilt to their first winning season in 23 years.

Jay Cutler has a ton of experience at the quarterback position, having started each of the past four seasons for Vanderbilt. He has prototypical size for an NFL quarterback and he possesses a strong arm which allows him to make all the throws required of a professional signal caller. He is a tough player who will stand in the pocket and make an accurate throw with a defender in his face. He has a quick delivery, very good accuracy on his short to medium range passes and does a good job of leading his receivers, allowing them to get yards after the catch. He does have a strong enough arm to throw the deep ball but he lacks great accuracy on his deep passes. He knows how to read a defense and does a good job of going through his progressions. He is a very good athlete who can get out of the pocket and make an accurate throw on the run or make a play with his feet when needed. Cutler averaged approximately 350 rushing yards per season during his time at Vanderbilt. He has proven to be a very durable player who played through minor injuries and only missed one start in college. Cutler’s biggest problem has been his poor decision-making ability. He is a confident player who will be overconfident at times, causing him to force passes into coverage which lead to interceptions. He was a three-time team captain at Vanderbilt who possesses excellent leadership skills and all of the intangibles you look for in a quarterback. Jay Cutler has all the skills to develop into a very good quarterback at the professional level. He is a player on the rise and should be a first round pick in the 2006 NFL draft.