By most accounts, the Quarterback class of the 2007 NFL Draft was one of the worst in recent memory. After all, JaMarcus Russell was the #1 pick in that draft. But there is possibly one exception. Taken in that very same draft was a quarterback who most thought would be the luckiest guy on earth if he was taken in the 4th round, but was unfathomably chosen in the 2nd round with the #36 overall pick by Andy Reid. That quarterback, Kevin Kolb, may the lone glimmer in a class of QBs filled with unfathomable failure. Now I am sure some are thinking that even if the top pick was a bust, surely there was some gem taken late, right? After all, that is where you find some of the league's best. Let's take a look, why don't we, at the QBs in the 2007 draft not named Kevin Kolb and see how they fared, where they are now, and if Kevin Kolb really is the last remaining glimmer in a draft class getting more and more infamous by the day.
1. JaMarcus Russell (1st round, Oakland Raiders): I am pretty sure that from here on out every high profile bust will be looked upon as, "well, at least he was better as JaMarcus." Either that or they will just call him a JaMarcus. Russell is currently a free agent, and while I would not rule out a return completely, said return would have to be from a desperate team plagued by injuries at the QB position looking for a body so they can adequately field a team on Sunday. The Hamilton Tiger Cats currently hold his rights. For realz.
22. Brady Quinn (1st Round, Cleveland Browns): Currently with the Denver Broncos, Brady Quinn is yet to find any consistency as a QB in the NFL. With Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow as the other alternatives, there is a good chance that Brady Quinn could get some playing time in Denver. If he does and plays well, his career could be salvagable. If he does and does not play well or if he does not get any playing time, he could find himself somewhere next to JaMarcus.
36. Kevin Kolb (2nd Round, Philadelphia Eagles): The lone star of this list?
40. John Beck (2nd Round, Miami Dolphins): John Beck played some games his rookie year, led the Dolphins to their lone win of the 2007 season, and is now sitting behind Joe Flacco and Troy Smith in Baltimore. He may have a year or 2 more of being a journeyman bench warmer before being totally forgotten about by all of football.
43. Drew Stanton (2nd Round, Detroit Lions): His 1st career pass was a touchdown! Sadly, that does not equate to his success. When not injured, he has been the back-up/3rd string QB in Detroit. Now being that it is Detroit, that job has yielded a start or 2 for Stanton, but that does not mean he is any good. He's not. At all.
92. Trent Edwards (3rd Round, Buffalo Bills): Projected as the 3rd best QB in the 2007 draft behind Russell and Quinn, Edwards spent the 1st 2 years of his career locked in a constant battle with J.P. Losman for the role of starting QB in Buffalo for the 1st 2 years of career, which proved that Edwards is better than a truly terrible quarterback now in the UFL. Edwards has been constantly injured throughout his short career. When he has played, he has shown some flashes of being a reliable QB, but he is as inconsistent as the day is long. With Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Brohm, and Levi Brown as his competition, Trent Edwards (if healthy) would likely somehow still start in Buffalo. Suffice to say, the Buffalo Bills are not considered a playoff contender this year.
103. Isaiah Stanbeck (4th Round, Dallas Cowboys): Drafted as a quarterback by the Cowboys, he has not played the QB position since then. He was recently claimed off waivers by Seattle, who will likely be like Dallas and New England, and use him as a depth WR.
151. Jeff Rowe (5th Round, Cincinnati Bengals): Number of snaps taken as an NFL QB: 0. Number of overall appearances: 0.
174. Troy Smith (5th Round, Baltimore Ravens): The good news: Troy Smith has played an NFL games, even starting some! The bad news: He is currently Joe Flacco's back-up. The good news: Unlike Jeff Rowe, Troy Smith actually has a job!
205. Jordan Palmer (6th Round, Washington Redskins): Carson Palmer's little brother!.....is now his back-up in Cincinnati! Good news for Jordan: the only other QB currently on the Bengals' roster is J.T. O'Sullivan.
217. Tyler Thigpen (7th Round, Minnesota Vikings): The last QB chosen in the 2007 draft can boast with pride he had a better NFL career than the 1st QB chosen in the 2007 draft. Then again, if Jeff Rowe had played 1 play and made some sort of positive contribution in said play, he could boast the same thing.
John Beck just got traded to the Deadskins...for a non-roster CB who got cut. From the UFL.
ReplyDeleteMatt Moore went undrafted in 2007, the jury is still out on him. He's the only other starting QB from that year too!
ReplyDelete@ Anon: Even though he went undrafted and was not technically a part of the draft, I completely forgot about him and that he was a part of the '07 class. I was not impressed with his performance today, though you are right, the jury is still out on him. You can't dismiss a guy completely over 1 bad game. ;)
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