COLLEGE CROP OF QBS: QUALITY, QUANTITY.

Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer

Like the Northerners who re-enact Civil War battles so not to forget history, college football is commemorating the anniversary of one of its most significant seasons by trying its best to recreate the events.

Twenty years ago, colleges produced the top crop of quarterbacks ever to enter the NFL. A record six QBs were chosen in the first round. Four went on to be longtime starters in the league. Three - John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino - became Hall of Famers.

Now, dozens of quarterbacks are loading their cannons in an effort to do it again.

``This is an unprecedented year for quarterbacks,'' draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. said on the ESPN Web site. ``You just don't see this very often.''

Three seem to be locks for the first round. Marshall's Byron Leftwich and Louisville's Dave Ragone, ranked by Kiper as the No. 1 and No. 2 senior prospects in the nation, respectively, are of the new NFL mold. They are bigger than most linebackers and have athleticism to go with powerful arms.

Leftwich (6-foot-6, 240 pounds) passed for 4,132 yards and 38 touchdowns as a junior. Ragone (6-4, 250) is a left-hander who draws comparisons to Brett Favre.

Both are Heisman candidates. Florida's Rex Grossman finished second in the Heisman voting last year as a sophomore and flirted with the idea of entering the NFL. The NCAA's all-time leader in passing efficiency, Grossman is expected to turn pro after this season.

Ken Dorsey, Carson Palmer and Chris Simms could play their way into the first round as seniors. Dorsey doesn't have the gaudy passing numbers of other quarterbacks but has a number they all envy. The Miami quarterback is 26-1 as a starter, leading the Hurricanes to the national championship last season.

Simms comes from fine stock. The Texas quarterback is the son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms. But, despite good numbers, he hasn't been able to win big games. The same could be said for Palmer, who likely will finish as USC's all-time leading passer despite failing so far to meet expectations.

Then there are juniors who could be first-round picks if they have great seasons, such as Eli Manning (son of Archie, brother of Peyton) at Ole Miss and former Alemany High of Mission Hills standout Casey Clausen at Tennessee.

``I know a couple of us juniors are included in the class, and it's a pretty big thing,'' Clausen said. ``The group 20 years ago was amazing. I watched them play in the NFL growing up. Only time will tell how many of us are legit. But to be mentioned with them is pretty impressive.''

Ken O'Brien was the fifth quarterback taken in the first round of the 1983 draft, ahead of only Marino. He went on to pass for more than 25,000 yards in 10 seasons mostly with the New York Jets.

O'Brien, the quarterbacks coach at Loyola High in Los Angeles, remembers no fanfare when members of that historic class entered their senior years.

O'Brien played at UC Davis and knew of Elway at nearby Stanford and of Tony Eason, selected 15th overall, because Eason's brother roomed with O'Brien at Davis. But he hadn't heard much about Marino or Kelly.

``No one really knew anybody else,'' O'Brien said. ``Now everyone knows much more because of the Internet and sports channels. It was just a matter of going out and playing for us. We never thought about being a special class. There's a lot more pressure on the kids these days.''

O'Brien said Dorsey and Palmer catch his eye as future pros. O'Brien was quarterbacks coach at USC when Palmer first came to the school.

``I hope they go one through six in the draft,'' O'Brien said. ``It would be great for quarterbacks. Every year I root for the young guys to come on, but this year especially because Carson is a friend.''

The depth of quality quarterbacks in the college game goes well beyond the possible first-round picks. In the Pacific-10 Conference, Jason Gesser of Washington State and Cody Pickett of Washington could outshine Palmer.

``Hopefully, we'll live up to those expectations and a lot of guys can go in the first round and succeed in the NFL like those guys did,'' Palmer said. ``But we'll see. There's still a year to play it out and see what happens.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) BYRON LEFTWICH

(2) Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey is 28-1 as a starter for the national champion Hurricanes, and he could play his way into the first round of the NFL draft.

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

Box:

POSSIBLE FIRST-ROUND QUARTERBACKS