Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Insider
It’s easy to wax lyrical about the NFL Draft and how it’s one of those weird sports things that is more than the sum of its parts.
At first glance, it shouldn’t be that interesting, but of course it is so much so that over time it has transformed from a meeting of suits in a conference room to a bona fide festival. It’s its own thing, a critical part of the football calendar that doesn’t include any actual football.
It is “just” a long series of administrative procedures, but as we know, much, much more.
The draft gets us going for a lot of reasons, one of the main ones being that it gives a chance to, first and foremost, ambitious youngsters for whom the round and number of their selection will instantly become a permanent fixture in their history. , whatever happens. later.
Those stories of hope and fulfillment in making it to the biggest league in American sports can melt even the most skeptical heart, but the dream also extends to fans, especially those of downtrodden franchises, who can cling to -se to the belief that these are better times. just one man and an inspired selection.
But if we’re true to ourselves and our tastes in entertainment, we have to admit that not all drafts are created equal, and that there’s a key separator in the fervor that a draft week quickens our sports taste buds.
It would be possible to classify drafts in all sorts of ways, but it is easiest and most accurate to group them into one of two fields. When late April rolls around, it’s always been clear whether the draft will be notable for the quality and number of quarterbacks … or less for the lack thereof.
Quarterbacks rule the show, because no position has more potential to be a franchise changer than the athletes who get the ball in their hands and try to make the magic happen.
That’s why this year’s draft, now two weeks away from April 27, is one of those juicy ones where the anticipation starts early, and why years like 2004 and 1983 flex more in our memories than, uh, last year?
There is no consensus pick in 2023, which is part of the lottery. Ohio State’s CJ Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young have been the main guys to watch since even before his senior year of college, Florida’s Anthony Richardson has gained steam in recent months, while Kentucky’s Will Levis is the maverick of the bunch, as his barrel of an arm and prototypical size could push him as high as No. 3, while other projections have him much lower.
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One major mock went so far as to predict QBs for each of the first four picks, which would be the first time that would even happen and would almost certainly require a team to complete a trade with Arizona to claim the third spot. . Carolina at No. 1, Houston behind them, and Indianapolis at No. 4 are all in need of a QB.
David Helman and Carmen Vitali of FOX Sports teased a scenario where four QBs stepped up; Stroud with 1, Young with 2, Levis with 4 and Richardson with the Seattle Seahawks with 5.
Young’s limitless ability likely would have secured him an iron shot at the No. 1 spot if not for concerns about his height, a 5-foot-10 1/8 mark that became a talking point about which he could do little.
Will Anderson, Young’s Bama teammate, has a legitimate claim to being the best player in the draft. However, the huge potential financial upside for a franchise that can find a starting QB out of college (even top signal callers make around $10 million a year in a market where four times that is the standard for a decent veteran), may be too much. hold out.
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Stroud put up great numbers in college, but really shined on the big stage in the CFP semifinal against Georgia. Richardson impressed with his strength and physical attributes at his pro day despite a relatively unspectacular college career.
You can bet that different teams have conflicting assessments of the top four, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine a trade situation or two from a team that perceives the opportunity for value. The likes of the Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans have often been brought up as potential movers willing to use some trade muscle.
Also floating around late-first-early-second-round projections is Hendon Hooker, the Tennessee QB and architect of the Vols’ wild-card win over Young’s Alabama last season, who would surely be higher on the board if if it weren’t for the ACL injury he suffered. a big one and his age: he is already 25.
Some years you just have QB overload, where all the talk, all the time, is QB. Even then, probably as a seventh-round flier, some team will likely get a chance to pick up a two-time national champion in Stetson Bennett, who has to be worth it despite the Georgia man appearing in a role to be a tight end in the NFL. On paper, it wasn’t a good elite college team either.
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In 2004, the draft featured a handful of guys you know little about, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers—a pair of two-time Super Bowl champions and a guy with ironman longevity and reliability .
There were also 17 signal calls that year, meaning more than half the league thought they had identified a real potential pigskin throw, only for most to find out that they actually hadn’t .
What a part of it too, right? The boom-or-bust nature of the draft is what makes it compelling, which is why QB becomes such a big part of the narrative, given that it’s the most all-or-nothing position out there.
Time to talk QB. It’s just one of those years.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX i subscribe to the daily newsletter.
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