3
1999
57
47
17
Cade McNown
12
1999
56
55
15
Shaun King
50
1999
56
56
24
Brock Huard
77
1999
54
56
4
Not such an impressive list, is it? When we consider that three of these quarterbacks were top-five selections, and six were first rounders, the results are downright scary.
Each of these quarterbacks has had a starting job in the NFL at some point, but not one of these players has a career completion percentage of 60 or higher, a number that so many coaches use as a landmark.
The only one who could possibly be viewed as the type of quarterback who could lead a Super Bowl contending team is Michael Vick, and many NFL fans, including myself, would quickly dismiss that notion.
The fact is, none of the quarterbacks developed into efficient NFL passers and the reason is obvious: they were never efficient college passers.
On the other hand, this theory does not guarantee that having a gaudy completion percentage will lead to NFL success, but the other side of 59 in this sample size gave us elite players like Donovan McNabb, Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, and even starters like Chad Pennington, Daunte Culpepper, and Byron Leftwich.
Being a quarterback in the NFL requires skill sets that average fans can only dream about, and plenty of intangible factors play a role in being successful, but if we can learn one thing from the past, it’s this: You can’t select an inaccurate college passer and expect him to become an efficient NFL quarterback.
If you don’t have one of these elite passers, kiss the Super Bowl goodbye and say hello to NFL mediocrity.
Beware the Rule of 59.
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