On some mock draft boards, Brady Quinn was on his way to being selected first overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. That is not exactly how things went down, as the Notre Dame quarterback waited patiently to be selected in a private suite of the Radio City Music Hall. As memories of Aaron Rodgers hung over the draft room, Quinn wondered if he would slip as far down as the former California quarterback did in 2005. Brady slid nearly as far- down to the 22nd pick of the draft.
JaMarcus Russell was selected number one overall by the Oakland Raiders, one of the primary teams looking for a quarterback. Still, there were several other teams looking for a franchise quarterback early in the first round. Detroit passed him up with the number two pick, then Cleveland overlooked him at number three. Soon after, Tampa Bay went with defensive end Gaines Adams in the four slot, and before long, draft analysts were wondering where Brady Quinn was going to end up. Minnesota, Atlanta, and Miami, three teams that were in the QB market, declined to select Quinn as well. Before long, the Notre Dame star who supposedly had the talent to be drafted number one was out of the top ten.
As the top ten picks were slowly selected, Quinn began to nervously fidget with articles of clothing- first he took off his suit coat, then he pulled out his collar. After Houston’s pick at number ten, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ushered Brady Quinn and his into a private suite in order to escape the hounding media. Quinn graciously accepted the offer, and he remained in the suite until he was finally taken.
While Green Bay was selecting at the number 16 pick, ESPN managed to get an interview with Quinn. When asked how he was dealing with falling down the draft board, Quinn shrugged and said “I think its tough…on draft day, anything can happen. You’ve gotta be prepared for something like this.” Brady handled the situation very professionally, as he patiently waited to find out where he would begin his NFL career. Mel Kiper and other ESPN analysts began to speculate about which team would finally select Quinn. At this point, it was announced that the Cleveland Browns were trying to trade picks to get another first round selection to snag Quinn. At the 22nd selection, the Dallas Cowboys were fielding calls concerning a trade up to that pick for any teams looking to select him. The Cowboys traded the pick to the Cleveland Browns, who instantaneously selected Quinn to become their next franchise QB.
Perhaps falling in the draft wasn’t such a bad thing. Many quarterbacks struggle leading the low-caliber teams that earn a high rated pick. David Carr, who was selected number one several years ago by Houston, was just released by his NFL team and may be facing the prospect of becoming a back-up for the rest of his career after struggling with the terrible Texans. Quinn has a much better opportunity to flourish with the Browns than he would have with, for example, the Raiders or Buccaneers.
Brady Quinn was a standout QB at Notre Dame, who flourished under coach Charlie Weiss. As a senior, the 6’4” 227 lb. Quinn was rated the number-one quarterback in college football for 2006 by The Sporting News. He was also a first-team preseason All-America selection, and he owns or shares 30 passing records at his alma matter. He will very likely be a successful NFL quarterback, and I’m sure he can’t wait to put this draft experience behind him and get out on the field.
Source: Bradyquinnonline.org
