Lets Revisit The 2005 Draft

[Shayn•Da•Pain]

Shawne Marriman was on his way to be a damn good OLB until he stopped juicing.

[St. Francisco]

Guess we know who won the QB battle. Rodgers is Super Bowl MVP, Smith is looking for work.

[Diivox]

and I dont think Alex has had some horrible coaching along the way...

Alex Smith sucks. Watched every road game he played until this year when I was living in SF. he just sucks. I listened for years to everyone in the Yay area make excuse after excuse after excuse for him. If you put Rodgers on that 9ers team, does he still become Aaron Rodgers? who knows. but if you put Alex Smith on the Packers, the guy would have melted behind the Favre drama, and he'd still be a shitty, weak armed, poor decision making draft bust.

[Leftwich]

I can't believe i got a Matt Jones jersey. FML

[RyanLeaf16]

Pacman was on his way to being a pretty damn good corner until he found that strip club.

It's a SCRIP club and he was just "being rebellion."

[Woy]

I can't believe i got a Matt Jones jersey. FML

Please tell me you have a Ray J. Soward jersey also.

[Leftwich]

Please tell me you have a Ray J. Soward jersey also.

I don't buy Jaguars jerseys anymore. I got a Byron Leftwich, Matt Jones and Reggie Nelson one. Where are they know? Not on the fucking team.

[Woy]

I'll buy you a MJD one for your birthday.

[Tailback U]

What was the deal with Rodgers? Wasn't it because of Tedford that some felt Rodgers wouldn't be good? Hindsight is 20/20 but AR has the better arm, athleticism and everything...wtf?!

Smith was widely regarded as the more polished QB coming out of college. Reports suggest that Rodgers looked good, but scouts felt that he wasn't NFL ready and that Smith was better mechanically at that point in time.

That's what I heard on the radio from John Clayton at least.

[dave]

For all the people making Smith-Rodgers comparisons now, who's really to say how things would have turned out for Rodgers had the Niners drafted him.
They go through offensive co-ordinators like Pac-Man does $100 bills at the strip club, they would have forced him to play day one with crap talent, etc...
The best thing to happen to Rodgers was San Francisco making that decision to pass on him.

Hell, look at Steve Young. In Tampa Bay, he's on his way to being a bust. In San Fran, he becomes a hall of famer.

[Wildcard]

I got a Byron Leftwich, Matt Jones and Reggie Nelson one.

This may be the first time I have ever muttered these words, but coming from me, please take my statement with a grain of salt.

You sir, make horrible life decisions.

Thank you.

[Derrville]

Can Rodgers and Smith really be compared? I mean of course they will be cause they both came from the same draft but Smith was thrown out there from the start and Rodgers got to sit a while and learn from one of the greatest QBs ever.

[Rush]

Can Rodgers and Smith really be compared? I mean of course they will be cause they both came from the same draft but Smith was thrown out there from the start and Rodgers got to sit a while and learn from one of the greatest QBs ever.

Smith was thrown in the line of fire. Rodgers had 3 years to sit and grow his mustache. It was a great mustache at that.

[Hasselbeck]

Can Rodgers and Smith really be compared? I mean of course they will be cause they both came from the same draft but Smith was thrown out there from the start and Rodgers got to sit a while and learn from one of the greatest QBs ever.

The Niners assembled some talent for Smith to utilize the past several years.. and it didn't materialize.

Yeah, he got thrown in the fire during his first season.. but so did Sam Bradford this year. So did Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco in 2008. If you're cut out to be a starting NFL QB.. you're cut out to be an NFL QB. Clearly Aaron Rodgers is a starting NFL quarterback and Alex Smith is not.

[Hasselbeck]

Smith was widely regarded as the more polished QB coming out of college. Reports suggest that Rodgers looked good, but scouts felt that he wasn't NFL ready and that Smith was better mechanically at that point in time.

That's what I heard on the radio from John Clayton at least.

Basically nailed it. Mechanically speaking.. this picture shows what concerned scouts. Notice where he is holding the ball as a QB in college:



And notice it in the pros:


Major difference. Rodgers gets the ball out quicker with the pro delivery and is less susceptible to passes being knocked down as he is allowed to get more velocity on the ball. Not to mention if a blitzing DE or LB comes around, it's much easier to knock the ball out of his hands if it's up near the ear as opposed to around the chest.

So there was that concern. There was the concern he was more of a system QB, especially given how bad other Tedford QB's had flopped up until Rodgers (Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, Kyle Boller). There were concerns he wasn't a starter long enough at Cal (he started just under two full seasons at QB).

In the end though, Alex Smith was just as much a risk as Rodgers.. if not more. As Smith played in a very unorthodox offense as opposed to Rodgers playing in a Pro-Style attack. Supposedly both players were impressive in their workouts, but the Niners liked Smith a little bit more because they felt he was a bit more polished than Rodgers coming out of school.

Obviously they probably want that pick back, just like mostly everyone else in need of a QB with the opportunity to take him probably does.