The 1983 NFL Draft has become legendary for yielding the greatest bumper crop of quarterbacks in league history. Of the six quarterbacks taken in the first round, three are now in the Hall of Fame. Four played in Super Bowls. John Elway, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, Tony Eason, Todd Blackledge, and Kenny O'Brien combined for eleven conference championships, twenty-four trips to the Pro Bowl, and a motherlode of Isotoner gloves commercials.
Of course, 1983 wasn't the only quality QB year. The 2004 NFL Draft gave us Eli Manning, Big Ben Roethlisberger—who have three rings between them, more than that entire '83 class combined—plus Philip Rivers, who might actually be the most talented of the bunch. And while it's early yet, a trio of QB's from the 2008 NFL draft look very promising: Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, and Chad Henne.
Then there's the 2007 NFL Draft, which ushered into the league eleven new quarterbacks, including the No. 1 overall pick. And how'd that class turn out?
Well... here's how: it's not too early to call it the worst QB class of all time.
Quarterbacks take a while to mature. It is probably the hardest position in professional sports—think about it: there are really only about 12 good ones in the entire world—and only a rare few are ready as rookies. In most cases, Year 3 is where it all begins to click. So here we are, three years removed from the 2007 draft, and this weekend—week 4 of the 2010 season—not one of the eleven quarterbacks drafted in the Class of 2007 will be starting for their team. Not because they're injured, or because they got suspended, or because they have the misfortune of playing behind a legend. No, they'll all be carrying clipboards this weekend for a far simpler reason: they all suck.
Running down the list of QBs drafted in 2007 is like being forced to watch your friend's zany wedding entrance on YouTube. It's a little awkward, a little (unintentionally) hilarious, and it goes on and on... Let's do it anyway!
Jamarcus Russell, 1st pick overall, Oakland Raiders: After a brief holdout following his selection, owner Al Davis handed him the starting job and the biggest rookie contract in the history of the sport. This despite being overweight, seemingly disinterested, and clearly lacking the focus necessary to succeed. (To be fair, he also didn't have the support and tutelage of a competent football organization.) Cut this offseason by the Raiders, he is already out of professional football. In July, he was arrested for the possession of codeine syrup. Many consider him to be, already, the biggest bust in NFL history. He's certainly the biggest washout since Ryan Leaf, and the biggest QB flop for the Raiders since Todd Marinovich. (Speaking of Marinovich, that guy owes JaMarcus a fruit basket.)
Brady Quinn, 22nd pick overall, Cleveland Browns: Handsome, talented, media friendly and a hometown hero who thrived at Notre Dame. Quinn was supposed to be the guy who saved the Browns while LeBron saved the Cavs. Well, at least LeBron won a few games. He was traded to Denver this summer, where he began the regular season as the third stringer behind Kyle Orton and another media darling, rookie Tim Tebow.
Kevin Kolb, 36th overall pick, Philadelphia Eagles: This is the one member of the class for whom the jury might still be out. After showing flashes in three years serving as Donovan McNabb's understudy in Philly, Kolb was anointed the starting quarterback by coach Andy Reid when McNabb was traded to the rival Redskins last spring. But after just ten pass attempts and less than two quarters of action on opening day, Kolb suffered a concussion and was replaced by Michael Vick, who went bananas, playing the best football of his life. Kolb's healthy now. Vick's still the quarterback. In fairness, that's more a testimony to how Vick has played than anything Kolb did wrong. Stay tuned on this one.
John Beck, 40th overall pick, Miami Dolphins: Beck was a favorite of Cam Cameron both in Miami (where Cameron was the head coach) and Baltimore (where Cameron was the offensive coordinator). Alas, he's now in Washington (without Cameron), where he's the third stringer behind McNabb and Rex Grossman.
Drew Stanton, 43rd overall pick, Detroit Lions: The Lions brass thought so highly of the local legend out of Michigan State that they drafted another quarterback, Matt Stafford, with the first overall pick just two years later. Stanton is now Detroit's third-stringer.
Trent Edwards, 93rd overall pick, Buffalo Bills: Edwards started the first two games for Buffalo this season. That's how long it took the team to realize he was just as lousy as he was in the first 30 games he started for the Bills. Here's how highly they thought of him: the man who was their opening day starter, who won the preseason QB competition and earned the job, was given his outright release on Monday. The team didn't even trade him for a 7th round draft pick. They just cut him. Ouch.
Isaiah Stanback, 103rd overall pick, Dallas Cowboys: Released by the Cowboys last season, signed by the Seahawks this year, and after an injury, let go in August.
Jeff Rowe, 151st overall pick, Cincinnati Bengals: A master of Chris Ault's "Pistol" offense in college, Rowe was out of the NFL by early 2010.
Troy Smith, 174th overall pick, Baltimore Ravens: After a stint in Baltimore, the former Heisman trophy winner is now the third-string quarterback in San Francisco.
Jordan Palmer, 205th overall pick, Washington Redskins: The second-string quarterback in Cincinnati, where he backs up his big brother Carson. That's his chief claim to fame—that and getting off a few clever one-liners on HBO's "Hard Knocks" last summer.
Tyler Thigpen, 217th overall pick, Minnesota Vikings: Thigpen had a few good starts in Kansas City in 2008, but now backs up Chad Henne and Chad Pennington in Miami.
That's all of them. Eleven quarterbacks. Not a single starter in the bunch
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