Mariota or Winston?

No, he wasn't. His 2004 season would have won him the MVP in most years. He didn't win because as great as he was that year, Manning was better, but not many QBs will ever have a 4,700 yard, 39 TD season. He got injured and was never the same.

Not only did Saban pass on Brees for Culpepper, but he traded a No. 2 for a QB who had just had a brutal knee injury.

 

The GM of the team I was covering at the time told me before the draft that Ben Roethlisberger would have a better career than Eli Manning or Philip Rivers. It was a pretty good prediction from a guy who was a terrible GM.

Flacco is probably the guy who has surprised me the most. I don't know that I thought he would be a bust, but I was pretty surprised he went as high as he did. But as soon as he was taken, my first thought was, "The Ravens don't make too many mistakes, they must see something there..."

I thought Jake Locker would be better than he's been.

 

It's funny because Locker came to mind as someone who I thought would be worse than he was. Which isn't saying a ton, obviously, but I was a super Locker pessimist coming out. Thought he wouldn't be able to hit the broad side of a barn in the NFL.
Tannehill was a good one for a QB who's been much better than I expected - or at least someone who was better faster than I expected. Saw a QB in college who was prone to a lot of bad decisions. Saw multiple 20+-pick seasons in his future. Instead he hasn't had one. So....yeah, he exceeded my expectations.
I was (and still am) very much a Bortles and Carr pessimist and I was (and still am) very much a Bridgewater optimist, so we'll see how those play out.

 

I thought Joey Harrington would be better than he was. I was watched him a lot in college, and he was pretty darn good in big games.

I think if he'd ended up with a different franchise, he could have had a better career. He wasn't bad in 2004 and 2005.

Both he and Carr never really stood a chance with how bad the Texans and Lions were. They just got beat to all hell, and never recovered. Harrington had Charles Rodgers, Roy Williams, and Mike Williams as the first round picks sent to help him out in the three years after he was drafted. Three garbage ass receivers when what the Lions really needed was a better offensive line.

 

I thought David Carr was going to be awesome, but he was thrown into a situation where almost anyone would have failed.

I think Derek Carr is going to be good, not great, but a solid starter. I'm not sure what to think about Bortles. I agree Bridgewater will prove to be a solid pick.

 

Something I always find interesting, weight-adjusted 40 times. So, how well/poorly people ran considering their size: Bud Dupree Ran The Top Weight-Adjusted 40 At 2015 Combine

 

Bud Dupree sounds like a character on "Justified."

 

Harrington's biggest problem was that Mooch didn't want him. Mooch hated him, which to be fair, probably says a lot about Harrington, since most quarterbacks who have worked with Mooch have loved him (Favre, Young, Garcia...), and is generally, very well-liked. I think it was more of a toughness issue than anything else. I remember taking to Mooch at the combine about Favre and he said, "I would do anything to have a QB who you knew you could count on to be ready to go every week."

 

Winston has apparently decided not to attend the draft, instead choosing to stay at home with family and friends.

 

I'm guessing that meeting with Goodell didn't go too well...

 

No Publix in Chicago.

 

When was the last time the top pick didn't show?