We’ve known for a while that the first player taken in the 2007 draft -- quarterback JaMarcus Russell -- became a bust of colossal proportions. But with Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb sliding to 1-5 in Arizona, it’s time to ask the broader question.
Is every quarterback taken in the 2007 draft a bust?
In all, 10 were taken. Russell and Brady Quinn (Browns) went in the first round. Kolb was the third quarterback taken, with the fourth pick in round two. Next came John Beck (Dolphins; 40th) and Drew Stanton (Lions; 43rd), also in round two.
The guy who looked for a short period of time to be the breakout quarterback of the class, Trent Edwards, was the 93rd overall pick, in round three.
The Bengals took Jeff Rowe of Nevada-Reno in round five. 2006 Heisman winner Troy Smith went to the Ravens 23 picks later. In round six, the Redskins took Carson Palmer’s kid brother. Rounding out the parade in round seven was Tyler Thigpen, drafted by the Vikings.
Sure, Beck and Kolb currently are starters. But Beck seems to be holding the spot for whoever the Shanahans draft for the Redskins in 2012, and the Kolb experiment so far is on the verge of becoming Peter Brady’s volcano. So while the book still has a few chapters left, it looks like the entire class of quarterbacks from 2007 will be recalled by football historians with the same reaction I had to the presence of Jeff Rowe on the list.
“Who?”