The not so Mighty Quinn

It seems like the fans and media don't consider a draft a success unless a team drafts a quarterback. Footage from various teams draft parties showed fans booing picks that weren't for skill position players. The media is taking nonstop shots at poor Miami after passing on Notre Dame's Brady Quinn. Quinn dropped all the way to the 22nd pick; the player the chose was expected to go no later than 19. So why is that more of a reach than taking Quinn would have been? Because no one focuses on the various downsides to drafting a quarterback.

Drafting a player is like adopting a pet, while drafting a quarterback is like adopting a child. So many more resources are required in grooming a QB, in terms of coaching and practice, than at any other position. And what's the upside? Atlanta drafts Matt Schaub in the 3rd round, nurse him along, coach him up, and then trade him for the equivalent of a mid first. That may seem like a good move, but in the 3rd round they could have drafted another player that would play more than a handful of games in the last few years, and it is a longshot for a QB drafted outside the first round to pan out. Or you can take a team like the Vikings, who took Tarvaris Jackson last year in the 2nd round. They go with him as the starter and if he doesn't turn into at least a solid player the franchise is set back 3 years. So bravo to the Dolphins for taking an explosive player instead of a QB who has done more damage to the United States armed forces the last 4 years than any foreign presence, with 10 TDs against the service academies last year alone.