Quote:No hindsight. It was evident at the time that there was a top tier of 8 players, and a big drop off after that. That draft, more so than any other I can recall, set up exactly that way. The only reason the Jags had a shot at one of the top 8 from the 9th slot is that Atlanta took DeAngelo Hall who was not one of the 8. (and yes, hindsight has shown that they weren't the best 8 after all, but that was a strong consensus at the time)


 

I also thought Reggie Williams was far from the next best non-QB too, but that has no bearing on the argument.


 

An example of what could have happened if the Jags took Roethlisberger is available in that very same draft. San Diego took Eli Manning knowing that they couldn't sign him, and were able to subsequently trade him for full value. San Diego ran their draft the way I believe it should be done. Of course it would have been a risk had the Jags drafted Roethlisberger when they already had a franchise QB. Chances are they could have worked out a trade like SD did. Besides Pittsburgh, Buffalo and SF both needed QBs. No guts, no glory.

 

For something to be evident, we need evidence. Saying its obvious he was a top 8 player because you, Mike Mayock, Mel Kiper and Gene Smith all though so doesnt mean he was top of our board. Same with Reggie Williams. That people thought he was a second rounder, doesn't mean Shack Harris in his infinite wisdom didn't think he was the 2nd coming of Jerry Rice. Maybe Big Ben was our #1 guy, but we don't know for sure and saying he was just to prove a point that doesn't exist is insane.

 

All we know for sure is we didn't take a QB who turned out to be very good in a year when we didn't need a QB. That doesn't mean he was BAP or that even if he was, BAP is infallible or even the most smart way to draft. No GM in the NFL would have taken Roethlisberger while Leftwich was still on the roster, with his fat contract, having shown promising signs in his rookie year, the Chargers situation was different because they had Eli by the balls just as much as he had them.

 

The only thing that works, getting the scouting right. If you pass on a better player, but still get a guy who helps you win, you've drafted well. We have passed on a lot of very good players in the last 10 years was it always because we didn't need that player or because we sucked at scouting?

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