Quarterback VORP and the Upcoming Draft

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Since the annual NFL scouting combine is ongoing and there’s enormous attention on the three quarterbacks who will go early in the first round, I wanted to look at VORP and records for quarterbacks taken early in the first round. Should I call this measure VORQ? Value Over Replacement Quarterback. Football is a team performance [...]

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[sqvirrel]

First off, I get the subjectivity of the list. That said ...

I don't know how anyone could call Jeff George a good pick. He was one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league, certainly, but that doesn't make his career "good".

He lasted four years with his draft team, only starting 16 games once (in a 1-15 season). The team went 4-12 in his last year when the Colts got fed up and traded him. Their records the next two seasons with Jim Harbaugh were 8-8 then 9-7.

While he had a couple of good seasons late in his career, he was so beloved that he was immediately replaced after each of them.

I am sure that any team in the league would rather have had Alex Smith's career, or Testaverde's, or Vick's (sans dogfighting), or Kerry Collins', or even Stafford's.

[TroyF]

1998 has always fascinated me as an interesting QB draft. Here are the QB's taken:

Manning (1, 1)
Leaf (1, 2)

The next QB off the board didn't come until the end of the second round:

Charlie Batch (2, 60)

J. Quinn (3, 86)
Griese (3, 91)

J Dutton (6, 172)
M Hasselbach (6, 188)

Moreno (7, 232)


8 QB's taken in the draft. 3 made pro bowls and 2 QB'd Super Bowl teams. Another (Batch) became a serviceable QB for many years. (not a great QB, but a capable one and a good backup)

I agree with the above poster on George/Testeverde. I also have a tough time with QB's when it comes to good pick/bad pick. The system they play in is so huge when it comes to QB's. Was David Carr a poor QB because he sucked or was he a decent to good QB who suffered shell shock after taking so many hits?

Elway played in an offense that was designed horribly for him for 11 of his first 12 seasons. Some were complete train wrecks, but I believe many others could have been good QB's and some of the good QB's could have been train wrecks if their situations were reversed.