Can Philadelphia's Kevin Kolb Be The Next Aaron Rodgers?

It was Aaron Rodgers vs. Brett Favre all over again. With the Philadelphia Eagles looking to move forward and to their future with a trade of their veteran quarterback to the Washington Redskins, they turned to their young quarterback who had been waiting in the wings.

The only question is, can Kevin Kolb make the kind of fantasy impact in his first year that Aaron Rodgers did when Green Bay traded Favre in 2008?

Unlikely, but it’s hard to deny that the potential is definitely there. And really, arguably more-so than it was for Rodgers.

Green Bay was still a pass-first team with great offenses weapons, but their offensive line was (and still is) a bit shaky, and it’s extremely arguable that Kolb is walking into an offense with much more explosive passing options.

Backed by a strong and growing defense and a solid offensive line, Kolb will have the electric DeSean Jackson and improving Jeremy Maclin as his top two wide receivers, while Brent Celek will provide him with an elite play-making tight end.

LeSean McCoy will step into the starting running back role and provide a nice safety net as a receiver out of the back-field, and the rest will be up to Andy Reid’s sometimes sickening offensive imagination, and of course, Kolb’s talent and preparation.

Here are the facts: Kolb is young and inexperienced, and he doesn’t play in a division for slouches. It won’t be easy to destroy the Dallas Cowboys or Washington Redskins, and with the New York Giants improving on defense, he and Philly could be in for six very difficult division games.

However, there are facts to support Kolb taking the league by storm, too. And that’s probably because for a limited time early in 2009, he kind of already did.

In two starts, while Donovan McNabb was out with a injury, Kolb threw over 300 passing yards and at least two touchdowns. The only issue here is that he also had problems with decision-making and turning the ball over.

But we’re not declaring the Eagles as the 2010 NFC East champs; we’re saying Kolb has the talent and leadership to step into a huge role (ala Rodgers), and make you weep if you passed him up in round 10 of your fantasy football draft.

This is a guy you can easily get for dirt cheap, and he holds the potential to put up numbers that could resemble Rodgers’ first season as the starter with the Packers.

We’re not saying he’ll match those numbers. But if he can get even close, wouldn’t you say that’s a bit of a steal? Yeah, so would we.

For more fantasy football advice, rankings, and fantasy player profiles, head over to NFL Soup.