Bryan Fischer of NFL.com recently compiled an interesting –and somewhat controversial– list, ranking quarterbacks who were taken with the top overall pick in the draft. Fischer puts Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning, John Elway, Troy Aikman, and Andrew Luck as his top five seeds, followed by Eli Manning, Jim Plunkett, Matthew Stafford, Drew Bledsoe and Michael Vick to round out the top ten.
Experts and fans alike can debate the order of the top-three choices until the end of time. The Giants Professor would prefer John Elway atop the list, but such are minor quibbles– there truly is no right answer. Bradshaw, Elway and the elder Manning all revolutionized the game in their own ways, and each has had an historic and profound impact on the sport itself.
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Aikman is the obvious choice in the four slot. He did not possess the pure physical abilities of Peyton or Elway, but the hall-of-famer was a fluid and master orchestrator of the well- oiled Cowboy machine that won three Super Bowls and played in four-straight conference championships in the early 90’s.
Fischer pulls a stunner at five, placing Andrew Luck (5) just ahead of two-time Super Bowl MVP, Eli Manning (6). There is little doubt that Luck will be a great quarterback– his success in guiding the Colts to playoff berths in each of his first three seasons in the league has been remarkable. But Luck has a long way to go before he can be considered a top-five member of this list.
A seemingly forgotten man since ushering in the Tom Brady era after a freak injury in 2001, Drew Bledsoe (9) was a prolific passer in his prime. He guided the Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1996 and, five years later, spelled a gimpy Tom Brady and drove the Patriots to a game-clinching touchdown in the AFC championship game, sparking the first title of the Bill Belichick era. Bledsoe was among the top quarterbacks of his era and should be ranked well ahead of Luck and others on this list.
Aug 16, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws a pass against the Indianapolis Colts in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Eli Manning is well-placed at 6 on Fischer’s list. His flaws can be debated, but there is no getting around the two unfathomable Super Bowl upsets over Tom Brady. Plunkett (7) had an enigmatic career that is becoming eerily comparable to Eli Manning’s. He, too, was an erratic quarterback but makes the list because of his two Super Bowl titles and, like Manning, a superb (8-2 to Eli’s 8-3) playoff record.
Stafford (8) is a competent player with much yet to prove and should be bumped further down the list. Vick (10) was an amazing talent who failed to meet various expectations that fans had for him. Still, it’s hard to forget how he could dominate games before all of his off-the-field problems. We bump him up a bit, since he was, so often, the best player on the field.
The names fall off dramatically after the top-ten, including many busts, back-ups, and borderline starters.
The Giants Professor says: We’ll fix the top-ten list for the fine folks at NFL.com thusly: 1) John Elway, 2) Peyton Manning, 3) Terry Bradshaw, 4) Troy Aikman, 5) Drew Bledsoe, 6) Eli Manning, 7) Michael Vick, 8) Jim Plunkett, 9) Andrew Luck, 10) Matthew Stafford.
Next: NFL Draft: Analyzing Every Draft Under Jerry Reese
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