Who can answer the following question first....

[alohabillsfan]

Why are there so many Quarterbacks taken in the first round that are busts???

Ready, Go!

[Johnny Bugmenot]

1. The quarterback field is not consistent from year to year... but there's usually a consistent need for them.

2. The top teams in most drafts are usually in such disrepair that a QB that is sent to play on it will get slaughtered because 1) his RBs can't run, 2) his WR/TE's can't catch, 3) his linemen are constantly letting in sacks (most common), and/or 4) the defense is a sieve, meaning there's no way the offense can keep up.

3. The QB position is a cornerstone of the team, and one that you generally can't find very many in the later rounds. While you can get by with mediocre late-rounders at most positions-- heck, even find a few surprises-- QB depth is notoriously shallow. So you have to draft high to get a good one in most cases... and that, unfortunately, leads to teams reaching to get players that aren't worth it.

4. Hype (see: Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn).

[X-Era]

Why are there so many Quarterbacks taken in the first round that are busts???

Ready, Go!

Question with a question:

Why do over 50% of the teams in the last 5 years have a 1st round QB?

To answer yours, the answer, to me, is that the rate of busts is just as high as any other position (realtively speaking).

But the underlying answer is that drafting any player is not an exact science, it's all a crap-shoot.

[X-Era]

1. The quarterback field is not consistent from year to year... but there's usually a consistent need for them. Agreed.

2. The top teams in most drafts are usually in such disrepair that a QB that is sent to play on it will get slaughtered because 1) his RBs can't run, 2) his WR/TE's can't catch, 3) his linemen are constantly letting in sacks (most common), and/or 4) the defense is a sieve, meaning there's no way the offense can keep up. Agreed.

3. The QB position is a cornerstone of the team, and one that you generally can't find very many in the later rounds. While you can get by with mediocre late-rounders at most positions-- heck, even find a few surprises-- QB depth is notoriously shallow. So you have to draft high to get a good one in most cases... and that, unfortunately, leads to teams reaching to get players that aren't worth it. Totally agree.

4. Hype (see: Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn).

[Jan Reimers]

Why are there so many Quarterbacks taken in the first round that are busts???

Ready, Go!
Desperation.

[Philagape]

Because people fall in love with their arms and athleticism, thinking those things are more important than whether they're right in the head.

[THRILLHO]

Because we remember the first round busts more than the 2-7th round busts. There is just as much chance for a bust in rounds 2 through 7, the first rounders are just more famous, and they have higher expectations.

[X-Era]

Desperation.Sometimes Agree.

The best scenario is when you're not desperate... like us.

[X-Era]

Because people fall in love with their arms and athleticism, thinking those things are more important than whether they're right in the head. Agree that that happens.

[X-Era]

Because we remember the first round busts more than the 2-7th round busts. There is just as much chance for a bust in rounds 2 through 7, the first rounders are just more famous, and they have higher expectations.Also sometimes true.

We expect our first round pick to be a star. And when we don't have a 100% success rate, we get pissed. And that's non-position specific.

[Bill Cody]

Why are there so many Quarterbacks taken in the first round that are busts???

Ready, Go!

The answer is simple: NFL QB is the most difficult job in pro sports.

[alohabillsfan]

A lot of great answers, yes desperation does come into play. Look at the QB's that were graded lower (second and beyond) yet drafted in the first round. I have trouble finding 1 QB that a team traded back into the first round to draft that panned out, See JP Losman...

Teams are going to draft Ponder, Locker, Dalton, Mallett in the first? Yep the 50% and beyond bust rule is alive and well!

[X-Era]

A lot of great answers, yes desperation does come into play. Look at the QB's that were graded lower (second and beyond) yet drafted in the first round. I have trouble finding 1 QB that a team traded back into the first round to draft that panned out, See JP Losman...Hmmmm... Can't think of one either.

[ddaryl]

college football has a lot of superior athletes.... The NFL only takes the very best of those supreme athletes...

the transition of talent from college to pro's is significant and some players can't absorb the game at the next level