Just wondering how this actually happened. Alex Smith went #1 in that draft, and no other QBs taken until Rodgers at #24 and Jason Cambell at #25.
Why was Alex Smith a #1 overall pick and Aaron Rodgers a #24 in the same draft? Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, so i'm not calling the 23 teams which passed on Rodgers as IDIOTS, despite the fact that a majority of them needed a QB of the future, and let's face it, every team would have taken Aaron Rodgers over the guy they actually picked in that draft in retrospect. The only other guy from that draft before Rodgers that looks like a star in hindsight is the #11 pick, Demarcus Ware from Dallas (if i have the right Demarcus, and if i'm not missing anyone else).
So, the point of this thread is not to call everyone idiots for not picking Rodgers, namely the 49ers who picked Alex Smith with the #1 overall pick. But what was the difference between Alex Smith and Rodgers, at the time, that had everyone thinking the world of Smith and not much of Rodgers?
Because looking at it, Rodgers has an absolute cannon for an arm, his release is incredibly quick, he is insanely athletic and can avoid pressure and run for 1st downs, and he is the most accurate passer in the NFL. Were these traits not there at the time of the draft? Was Alex Smith, at the time, even more athletic, accurate, cannon for an arm?
The thing is, I don't see how a guy's arm can get stronger, or his accuracy that much better, and definitely his athleticism is not going to grow. So all these traits that Rodgers has now, must have been present in large part, at the time. I can see development, mentally, like being able to progress through reads, read defenses pre-snap, understanding the offense, making great decisions, etc.
Any ideas?
Why was Alex Smith a #1 overall pick and Aaron Rodgers a #24 in the same draft? Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, so i'm not calling the 23 teams which passed on Rodgers as IDIOTS, despite the fact that a majority of them needed a QB of the future, and let's face it, every team would have taken Aaron Rodgers over the guy they actually picked in that draft in retrospect. The only other guy from that draft before Rodgers that looks like a star in hindsight is the #11 pick, Demarcus Ware from Dallas (if i have the right Demarcus, and if i'm not missing anyone else).
So, the point of this thread is not to call everyone idiots for not picking Rodgers, namely the 49ers who picked Alex Smith with the #1 overall pick. But what was the difference between Alex Smith and Rodgers, at the time, that had everyone thinking the world of Smith and not much of Rodgers?
Because looking at it, Rodgers has an absolute cannon for an arm, his release is incredibly quick, he is insanely athletic and can avoid pressure and run for 1st downs, and he is the most accurate passer in the NFL. Were these traits not there at the time of the draft? Was Alex Smith, at the time, even more athletic, accurate, cannon for an arm?
The thing is, I don't see how a guy's arm can get stronger, or his accuracy that much better, and definitely his athleticism is not going to grow. So all these traits that Rodgers has now, must have been present in large part, at the time. I can see development, mentally, like being able to progress through reads, read defenses pre-snap, understanding the offense, making great decisions, etc.
Any ideas?
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