jake lockerLess than three hours after quarterback Jake Locker led Washington to a 16-13 upset of USC on Saturday, the lovefest began. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen was first on the scene:

6:44 pm: Hearing that UW’s Locker may be in real competition with Sam Bradford for 1st QB in next year’s draft.

The praise has not ceased.

Worth noting before we get into this – in 2006, Locker was rated as the 4th best “dual-threat high school QB” in the country behind Tim Tebow, Demetrius Jones (went to Notre Dame, has since transferred), and Jevan Snead.

Colin Cowherd, Monday: “Trent Dilfer told me that he has Jake Locker as the No. 1 QB in the 2010 draft.”

Pete Carroll, Tuesday: “Washington quarterback Jake Locker was the best [QB] [I have] faced in eight-plus years at USC.” Guess Carroll wasn’t kidding when he said last week that Locker scared him more than Terrelle Pryor. But did Carroll purposely slight Vince Young? He carved up the Trojans for 267 yards passing and 200 rushing in the 2005 National Championship game. So Carroll cleared up his comments Wednesday: “I think [Locker] is the best quarterback we’ve played against. I thought Vince played the best game I’ve ever seen anybody ever play.”

Mel Kiper’s latest “Big Board” came out Wednesday night, and the ESPN draft guru has Locker as the 4th best QB in the junior class behind Bradford, Snead, and Clausen. Kiper has Colt McCoy as his top senior; it is safe to assume that all four juniors would be drafted ahead of McCoy if all four entered April’s draft.

Sports Illustrated liked what it saw from Locker in the victory over USC:

Jake Locker/QB/Washington: Locker’s statistics were not eye-catching during the Huskies upset victory over USC, yet his performance was nothing short of spectacular. Locker is accomplishing what NFL scouts hoped the junior would do this season; he’s slowly making the transition from athlete to a quarterback. His command of the offense and decision making, as well as the ability to make big plays on third down, was the difference in Washington coming away victorious. Locker ranked high on the list of underclassmen signal callers before his injury last season and his return to form as a junior is making NFL decision-makers smile.

Todd McShay is the only media member we could find raising just one pom-pom for Locker, instead of two:

It’s hard to criticize QB Jake Locker for his performance in Washington’s win over USC. On the plus side, he showed good mobility, looked poised and confident late in game, did a good job using his feet to buy time, and threw the ball on the run well on the game-winning drive. Still, there’s room for improvement. USC’s pass rush dominated at times and Locker didn’t always have time. But when he did, he held the ball too long. He had guys open underneath, but didn’t get rid of the ball quickly enough. He also made some poor decisions and threw in double coverage at times, including in the red zone. That is something you don’t want to see. He took too many chances and missed open receivers. It was a win for the Huskies, but these are some things Locker can work on.

As the season progresses, the debate about whether he’ll leave for the NFL will become a hot topic in the Northwest. Bradford, after getting hurt in the opener, seems like a lock to enter the draft. If Snead carries Ole Miss to a BCS game, there’s no way he stays in school. Clausen is difficult to peg – he’s having his best season, and his best tree weapons (Allen, Tate, Floyd) could all return. But what if Weis is given his walking papers?

There’s always the chance that Locker forgets football and goes the baseball route. He was drafted by the Angels earlier this year, and they own his rights for six years.