Who's the next Roethlisberger?

dberce1 · 04-10-2005, 09:37 AM

Who's the next Roethlisberger; trouble in Pats-land?

1. Which quarterback will be the closest thing to a Ben Roethlisberger in the 2005 draft?

Given that no one even knew Ben Roethlisberger would turn into a Ben Roethlisberger at this time last year, it's pure conjecture to try and identify the next big thing on the young-quarterback front. And let's not forget that Roethlisberger wound up redefining the standard for rookie quarterback performance with his mind-boggling 15 consecutive victories for the 16-2 Steelers. Alas, we may never see the likes of him again.

But if we had to tab one rookie passer as the most likely candidate to make a sizable impact in 2005, our choice might surprise you. It's not Cal's Aaron Rodgers or Utah's Alex Smith, who figure to be the first two quarterbacks to come off the board in two weeks, possibly in the opening three picks.

It's former Florida State product Adrian McPherson, whose exceptional workouts this spring have been generating real buzz among league personnel types. McPherson will be 22 in early May, and he has one clear-cut advantage over his fellow rookie quarterbacks: He already is a professional, having hung up cartoonish numbers playing for the Arena Football League's Indiana Firebirds in 2004.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...son/index.html

04-10-2005, 09:37 AM	#1
dberce1 Chuck Liddells Right Hand Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Prairieville, Louisiana Posts: 1,227	Who's the next Roethlisberger? Who's the next Roethlisberger; trouble in Pats-land? 1. Which quarterback will be the closest thing to a Ben Roethlisberger in the 2005 draft? Given that no one even knew Ben Roethlisberger would turn into a Ben Roethlisberger at this time last year, it's pure conjecture to try and identify the next big thing on the young-quarterback front. And let's not forget that Roethlisberger wound up redefining the standard for rookie quarterback performance with his mind-boggling 15 consecutive victories for the 16-2 Steelers. Alas, we may never see the likes of him again. But if we had to tab one rookie passer as the most likely candidate to make a sizable impact in 2005, our choice might surprise you. It's not Cal's Aaron Rodgers or Utah's Alex Smith, who figure to be the first two quarterbacks to come off the board in two weeks, possibly in the opening three picks. It's former Florida State product Adrian McPherson, whose exceptional workouts this spring have been generating real buzz among league personnel types. McPherson will be 22 in early May, and he has one clear-cut advantage over his fellow rookie quarterbacks: He already is a professional, having hung up cartoonish numbers playing for the Arena Football League's Indiana Firebirds in 2004. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...son/index.html