The 2008 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, which means another year of the media outlets cramming insider misinformation on whatever the latest flavor of the year seems to be the biggest flop. This year, they will not be outdone.
Last year, Brady Quinn – for much of the year – was considered the top QB in the country. Along comes Jamarcus Russell and the 07 Sugar Bowl against Brady’s own Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Two first round draft picks at WR and a load of talent on both sides of the ball and Russell vaulted himself into the latest can’t miss prospect. This lead to Russell being drafted by the Oakland Raiders, based solely on his ability to throw the ball 60 yards while sitting down. Off in the distance, Brady Quinn possessed only the intangibles of being a gym rat, pocket presence and the biggest predictor to NFL QB success – college starts. Yes, I’m also extremely biased.
2008 is turning out to be no different, with a similar group of QBs. So, lets review the potential draftees and last years 1st rounders.
Player Completions Attempts Percentage Yards INTs TDs GS
Ryan 807 1347 59.9% 9,313 37 56 32
Henne 829 1387 59.8% 9,715 37 87 47
Russell 493 797 61.9% 6,625 21 52 29
Quinn 929 1602 58.0% 11,762 39 95 46
*Forgive the formatting
Matt Ryan, out of Boston College, is this year’s JaMarcus Russell. Granted, Ryan probably had the least amount of talent around him, but I still find it hard to believe that Henne is considered by some to be a late 2nd round or even a 2nd day pick while Ryan is a top 3 pick, despite his TD-INT ratio looking extremely average. It’s rare that I’d try and give support to a Michigan guy, and I really don’t like Henne, but he’s IMO the best QB for any of the teams that need a quick fix at QB position. I don’t understand what Oakland was doing last year. You need help right away, and you know you’re going to play him right away, what is the point of picking up a guy who’s going to need at least 3 years before he will have matched his potential. Miami passed on Brady last year, going for flash-in-the-pan Teddy Ginn Jr, it’ll be interesting to see if they choose to go with Henne and his pro-ready game to replace the slow to develop John Beck. I’m not even going to touch on Brian Brohm, who last year was a top 10 QB, but decided to stay and watch his coach pull his legs out from under him. Now? He’s barely on draft boards in the first day.
There certainly isn’t a single answer to having a successful draft, but it seems that teams make the same mistakes over and over again. Despite having unlimited resources, the media (namely ESPN) has too much of a hand in changing the public perception.
