Drew Brees QB Draft Lessons

From CNNSI Vault – What they said about Drew Brees after the combine:
“If Brees held his draft position, it’s because there is little else to choose from at quarterback after the presumed No. 1, Michael Vick. Mel Kiper Jr., who ranked Brees No. 16 before the combine, drops him out of his top 25 prospects.” Check out the 2001 article here.

On occasion, the football pundits turn out to be wrong – thankfully for the Patriots and Saints, those occasions happened to lead to Super Bowl wins. I wanted to see what the word was on this year’s Super Bowl MVP, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. For most, Drew was too short and didn’t have the arm to throw the long ball, nor the accuracy. Hmmm. What do you think now?

In the past ten years, seven different QBs have led their teams to a Super Bowl. Of the seven, three were taken after the 1st round. Tom Brady appears to be the only “hidden gem” falling to the 6th round. Brad Johnson was on the Buccaneers team, but I still wouldn’t call him a gem. That was a defensive win for the ages. So before Brady, you’d have to go back to the 11th year to find another true hidden treasure in Kurt Warner, the only underafted QB to ever win a Super Bowl.

So for the teams waiting to see who falls farther down the draft chart, don’t wait too long. Seems like the good guys go first. Of course for every great one, there’s a bust but the numbers still support the fact that it’s better to chance it. The pundits and draft experts don’t have the measuring stick that tells them how a player will develop in the three years after the draft. For that, maybe they need to hire Ms. Cleo. If not, fans just have to accept that you just don’t know until you know.

Draft Positions of Last Decade’s Super Bowl Winners (plus Kurt)
Super Bowl XLIV: Drew Brees 2nd Round, 1st Pick 2001
Super Bowl XLII/ XL: Ben Roethlisberger* 1st Round, 11th Pick
Super Bowl XLII: Eli Manning #1 Pick, 2004
Super Bowl XLI: Peyton Manning #1 Pick 1998
Super Bowl XXXIX: Tom Brady* 6th Round, 33nd Pick
Super Bowl XXXVII: Brad Johnson 9th Round, 3rd Pick
Super Bowl XXXV: Trent Dilfer 1st Round, 6th Pick
Super Bowl XXXIV: Kurt Warner Undrafted

*Repeat Winners