Why NFL teams should'nt be afraid to draft a QB on Day Two/Three
Day One of the 2017 NFL Draft brought us fans quite a few surprises along with three quarterbacks being drafted in which all teams moved up to get their guy. I wrote an article yesterday stating why Cleveland was not going to draft Trubisky and how all the reports of them doing so were only smokescreens. These smokescreens and reports surely paid off as Chicago moved up from #3 to #2 after the Browns took the unanimous best player in the draft in Myles Garrett and they didn't have to justify anything to their fans.
As Day Two approaches, a few teams are known to be searching for their franchise quarterback or understudy to take over in the near future. These teams include the Browns, Saints, Cardinals, Dolphins, Steelers and Bills. You may be reading this and ask why would the Saints or Steelers for example draft a quarterback with solid talent already starting and more than likely have a few years left? The answer is simple. Most quarterbacks drafted never pan out, especially those in the first round. Even with the numbers proving so, teams have put a premium on trading for quarterbacks as of late.
Many teams are believers in allowing a quarterback to sit and learn for a year or two, think of it as a redshirt year. My personal feeling is sitting and waiting for a guy to develop doesn't make any sense unless you drafted them in a realistic position which again doesn't happen all too often, because they rarely pan out no matter when they are drafted. That being said, here are a few reasons teams with a quarterback need and even teams without one should be willing to pull the trigger on day two or three.
#1. Interest
Teams have shown extreme interest in guys such as Jimmy Garappolo, AJ McCarron, and even Mike Glennon before he became a free agent and signed with the Bears this offseason. While interest does not always mean results or completed trades as we see with these guys, it is not for lack of teams trying. I am still shocked the Patriots didn't make a move but they can still cash in next year.
#2. Asking Price
The supposed asking price to acquire a backup quarterback has been astonishing. It was rumored that both the Pats and Bengals wanted at least a first round pick in order to facilitate a trade. This randsome price is crazy to me for the reason that most of these guys have no track record of success, tend not to be drafted so high in the first place leading me to wonder what changed in a year or two sitting on the bench and lastly, their sample size is truly too small to know you are getting a sure thing which is what you need to know if you are willing to give away top draft picks.
#3. Every Year brings a new Draft Class
Every year there is new draft class with new risers and often 1-4 solid quarterback choices. In fact the 2018 class is expected to be one of the better classes in a long time with Darnold, Allen and Rosen likely to declare along with those that will surprise during the college season. If you were to tell anyone you knew who Mitchell Trubisky was last year let alone he would become the #2 overall pick you would almost certainly be lying. Teams may be waiting until next year which will allow others to make a great pick as an investment.
#4. Teams are better off Drafting a position player
Using a high draft pick on a position player instead of using that same pick to draft a quarterback or trade for one is far more likely to pan out. Not only will that player have a year under his belt and hopefully strengthen his team in the process, that team can also take someone they can have complete control over the following year. While an elite quarterback has been one of the key factors to reaching the playoffs and Super Bowl, teams cannot forget it takes a whole team to get there. As witnessed, by almost all teams to make a deep playoff run as of late, one commonality is they are a good football team. Notice I say TEAM because one factor remained consistent. That factor? One side of the ball was typically an elite unit on offense or defense. You could argue that an elite quarterback will elevate a team to the same level but my counter argument is take a look at the Colts and Andrew luck. We see that an elite QB does not translate to an elite team or even offense/defense.
Teams like the Patriots and Steelers have created a legacy by drafting smart and consistently making their teams better as a whole. Houston and Tampa are probably better examples because they started accumulating good players before finding a quarterback and now they are in prime postions to make a run.
With guys such as Kizer, Dobbs, Peterman, Davis, Kaaya and few other lesser names there are quarterbacks available tonight and tomorrow. For QB needy teams such as the Browns, and Cardinals (Palmer is said to be playing in his final season and he is supposed to get lots of time off) they should not be afraid to take a guy in hopes he establishes himself. Even if that player doesn't, only plays a few games, or flat or bombs there will be guys available next year and don't forget, once these teams find "their guy" they have these players to flip when the times right or at the very least can rest of the fact that Quarterbacks fail more often then succeed and that's the natute of the beast that is the NFL Draft and evaluation process.
