Mariota or Winston?

I think there are a total of two quarterbacks in the NFL who could walk into any situation straight out of college and be successful. That would be Manning and Luck.

The Alex Smith-Aaron Rodgers comparison jumps to mind. Smith was drafted by a bad team that needed him to start immediately. Rodgers got time to develop. I doubt Rodgers becomes a two-time MVP if he is drafted No. 1 by the Niners.

 

I always wondered how Couch would have turned out if he wasn't forced into starting on Week 2 for an expansion team with an offensive line that made swiss cheese look sturdy.

 

I put the Super Bowl blame on Roman. I put the NFC Championship game blame the following year on Kaep.

As a Niners fanboy, no quarterback has ever made me as nervous every time he touches the ball than Kaep. That's not to say that he sucks, because he obviously has talent, but I really worry about whether he's coachable since he hasn't been able to get rid of certain bad habits.

 

Didn't Couch have a shoulder issue that the Browns didn't know about when they drafted him?

 

Who are the QBs who you thought were going to be busts who weren't? and Who are the QBs who you thought were going to be great and they weren't?

 

But the opportunity cost is so high if you don't hit at least a double or triple with your quarterback that high in the draft. Granted, you have your Richard Shermans and Kam Chancellors who are selected in the middle to late rounds and become stars at other positions, but - just from observation, but I think it's true - it seems so much more likely to scout a lot of these other positions for an sure impact guy at the top of the draft than a QB. Unless it's a slam dunk like Luck - and I don't think either of this year's guys qualifies - then I don't know how much of a greater chance you have of hitting on your quarterback in the first round than you do if you wait until the second or even third round to take one. I do feel like you're a lot less likely to draft a Mario Williams- or Lawrence Taylor--caliber player after the first few picks, in comparison to the chances you might get a starting QB later.

I know you have your Courtney Browns, but I don't think it happens as much at those positions.

 

I think the rookie salary cap has made teams take quarterbacks higher than they have in the past. When you can get a QB for four years at the cost of what a good backup makes, teams are going to take chances on guys who they might normally have let slide.

 

Daunte Culpepper and Ryan Tannehill come immediately to mind.

 

Daunte Culpepper ended badly.

 

Is there another QB that fell faster that Culpepper?

Saban taking Culpepper over Brees was brilliant.

 

Culpepper wasn't a bust, though.

 

Tim Tebow

In all seriousness you could make a case for Mark Sanchez falling fast. Team makes AFC Championship
the first 2 years, gets a big contract and proceeds to fail badly.