Quarterbacks are tied to a general manager’s success now more than ever in today’s NFL. Drafting a quarterback that fails to live up to expectations when a better one is available is a sure way to lose your job. In my last article, I went over how general managers will reach for a quarterback in the draft’s first round. In this one, we will go over quarterbacks who were drafted when a better one was available. In Part 1, we will focus on the years 2005-2015.
Like I said in my last article, Nick Foles is the only quarterback to win a Super Bowl since 2002 who is not a likely Hall of Famer. At the very least, you have to have a top 10 QB to win a championship in this era. It is a quarterback-driven league. Seven of the final eight teams in last year’s playoffs have top 10 quarterbacks. So it’s the job of the general manager to make sure your team has a franchise QB.
The 2005 Draft
Perhaps there is no bigger example of drafting the wrong QB than the 2005 draft. The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed a lot of success in the eighties and nineties. They had back-to-back Hall of Fame quarterbacks leading those teams. Both Joe Montana and Steve Young were two of the best quarterbacks of their eras. After Young retired in 1999, the 49ers were unable to find a franchise QB. Then in 2004, after a disastrous 2-14 season, the 49ers had the first pick in the draft.
A junior out of Cal named Aaron Rodgers was the favorite to go #1 overall. It seemed like a perfect match. Rodgers grew up a 49ers fan in Chico California less than three hours from San Francisco. He had led Cal to a 10 win season and everyone believed the Niners would select him. That is until two weeks before the draft when rumors circulated that someone else would go #1.
Alex Smith was also coming off a terrific season at Utah. However, just about every draft analyst believed Rodgers was the better prospect. Scot McCloughan was the 49ers general manager at the time. He disagreed with the analysts and made Alex Smith the first pick in the draft. Smith would have one of the worst rookie seasons in NFL history. He completed barely over half his passes and threw for just one touchdown versus 11 interceptions.
Smith would go on to have some success playing for Kansas City and Washington. However, he struggled to a 2-5 postseason record and never played in a Super Bowl. In 2020, McCloughan would say he did not regret the choice. I don’t believe that for a second. McCloughan left the organization in 2010. The 49ers have become a contender in recent years but still have not won the Super Bowl since 1995.
Obviously, Scot McCloughan drafted the wrong quarterback. Aaron Rodgers has won four MVPs and was the 2011 Super Bowl MVP. He is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the best to ever play the game. Some people say Rodgers should have won more than one title in Green Bay. I agree with that. But, a lot of those Packer teams played poorly on defense, and it did not help that his former head coach, Mike McCarthy, was consistently outcoached in big games.
Other Wrong Decisions

In 2007, Raiders owner Al Davis took Jamarcus Russel first overall. I did not see a single draft expert who did not have Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson first on their draft board. It was one of many poor decisions by the late owner. Russell was never effective and only played three seasons. He didn’t draft the wrong quarterback, but Davis still drafted the wrong player. Calvin Johnson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021.
Peyton Manning signed with the Broncos in 2012, towards the end of his career. The Broncos wanted to draft Manning’s heir apparent so he could sit for a few seasons and learn from the star. The Broncos drafted Brock Osweiler out of Arizona St in the 2nd round that year. In the 3rd round, the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson out of Wisconsin.
Wilson would defeat the Broncos in the 2014 Super Bowl. That had to make it sting even more. Wilson would end up being traded to the Broncos in 2022. It did not work out for him in the Mile High City, and he is currently starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Osweiler struggled mightily in Denver and last played in 2018. The Broncos have had trouble replacing Manning ever since. However, rookie Bo Nix is off to a promising start this season.
Final Thoughts
This article had to be split into two parts. There were just too many bad draft decisions in the last 20 years to fit into one article. It’s crazy to think not just how the 49ers would have fared with Aaron Rodgers, but what would the Packers have been like without him. Would Calvin Johnson have turned the Raiders franchise around? Would the Broncos have more Super Bowls if they had drafted Russell Wilson instead of Brock Osweiler? Because of poor draft decisions, we will never know.
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