Who's Next?

No, not that Who's Next? With Byron Leftwich's departure from Jacksonville, I decided to take a look at the other quarterbacks selected in the 2003 NFL Draft and examine their situations. Pretty interesting, eh?

Carson Palmer, USC, Round 1, Pick 1
Drafted by: Cincinnati Bengals
Current Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Career Stats: 45 games, 45 starts, 932/1461, 63.8%, 10,768 yards, 78 TDs, 43 INTs, 91.5 QB Rating
Career Analysis: One of the best quarterbacks in the game today. Benefits from a great supporting cast, but is still for real. Came back strong from his devastating knee injury.

Byron Leftwich, Marshall, Round 1, Pick 7
Drafted by: Jacksonville Jaguars
Current Team: --
Career Stats: 46 games, 43 starts, 789/1344, 58.7%, 9,042 yards, 51 TDs, 36 INTs, 80.5 QB Rating
Career Anaylsis: A huge disappointment. Plagues by injuries (never played a 16 game season) and inconsistency (never had more than 15 TD passes), the Jaguars basically said, "Good riddance" by releasing Leftwich.

Kyle Boller, California, Round 1, Pick 19
Drafted by: Baltimore Ravens
Current Team: Baltimore Ravens
Career Stats: 41 games, 34 starts, 578/1036, 55.8%, 6,103, 36 TDs, 34 INTs, 71.0 QB Rating
Career Analysis: A disappointment, but the jury is still out. Boller's career in Baltimore is basically condemned by inconsistency, the arrival of Steve McNair in 2006, and the drafting of Troy Smith in 2007. Boller (another Tedford product?) has basically worn out his welcome in Baltimore. However, he could resurrect his career if he finds a suitable system and patient coaching staff.

Rex Grossman, Florida, Round 1, Pick 22
Drafted by: Chicago Bears
Current Team: Chicago Bears
Career Stats: 24 games, 23 starts, 367/675, 54.4%, 4,496, 27 TDs, 26 INTs, 72.4 QB Rating
Career Analysis: All I can basically say is that a lot of people do not like him. Grossman led the Bears to a Super Bowl appearance in 2006, his first full year as a starter, but took the brunt of criticism because he was maddeningly inconsistent. This is a very important year for him, as he has missed most of three out of four seasons, and he needs to produce to keep his job (and quite possibly his life) right now.

Dave Ragone, Louisville, Round 3, Pick 88
Drafted by: Houston Texans
Current Team: --
Career Stats: 2 games, 2 starts, 20/40, 50%, 135 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 47.4 QB Rating
Career Analysis: Out of football since 2005. Maybe he was brought in to push David Carr? Who knows? Nothing really to say. The 2 games he appeared in were both in 2003, his rookie season.

Chris Simms, Texas, Round 3, Pick 97
Drafted by: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Current Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Career Stats: 19 games, 15 starts, 291/492, 59.1%, 3,087 yards, 12 TDs, 17 INTs, 71.2 QB Rating
Career Analysis: Not good. Simms just has not got real good shot in Tampa. The acquisition of Garcia buried him even further this year after his devastating spleen injury last year. Who knows if he will ever return to 2005 form (which was not even that good)?

Seneca Wallace, Iowa State, Round 4, Pick 110
Drafted by: Seattle Seahawks
Current Team: Seattle Seahawks
Career Stats: 15 games, 4 starts, 95/166, 57.2%, 9 TDs, 8 INTs, 75.4 QB Rating
Career Analysis: Probably would have been converted to a wide receiver or running back because of his athleticism, but he has found a home as backup quarterback in Seattle. Wallace filled in admirably for Matt Hasselbeck last year and was rewarded with a contract extension, so you know he must be doing something right.
Brian St. Pierre, Boston College, Round 5, Pick 163
Drafted by: Pittsburgh Steelers
Current Team: Pittsburgh Steelers (spent 2005 with Baltimore Ravens)
Career Stats: 1 game, 0 starts, 0/1, 0.0%, 0 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 39.6 QB Rating
Career Analysis: Preseason player. That is all there is to say.

Drew Henson, Michigan, Round 6, Pick 192
Drafted by: Houston Texans
Current Team: --
Career Stats: --
Career Analysis: Spurned the Texans for baseball. Later returned and played for the Cowboys, but didn't do anything.

Brooks Bollinger, Wisconsin, Round 6, Pick 200
Drafted by: New York Jets
Current Team: Minnesota Vikings
Career Stats: 14 games, 9 starts, 168/293, 57.3%, 1,764 yards, 7 TDs, 7 INTs, 73.0 QB Rating
Career Analysis: Mediocre backup at best. Performed well during his nine starts in New York. If Tarvaris Jackson struggles in Minnesota, Bollinger could see some playing time.

Kilff Kingsbury, Texas Tech, Round 6, Pick 201
Drafted by: New England Patriots
Current Team: -- (Played for NY Jets in 2005)
Career Stats: 1 game, 0 starts, 1/2, 50.0%, 17 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 79.5 QB Rating
Career Analysis: Yet another system passer on college that failed in the NFL.

Gibran Hamdan, Indiana, Round 7, Pick 232
Drafted by: Washington Redskins
Current Team: Miami Dolphins
Career Stats: 1 game, 0 starts, 1/2, 50.0%, 7 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 58.3 QB Rating
Career Analysis: Four teams (Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins) in four seasons spells doom for Hamdan. Probably won't see anymore action in the NFL.

Ken Dorsey, Miami, Round 7, Pick 241
Drafted by: San Francisco 49ers
Current Team: Cleveland Browns
Career Stats: 12 games, 10 starts, 171/317, 53.9%, 1,712, 8 TDs, 11 INTs
Career Analysis: Another quarterback with a ridiculous college career that falls short in the pros. Probably hasn't gotten a legitimate shot to show his stuff, but there has to have been a reason he was drafted behind Gibran Hamdan.

So there we go, a look back at the quarterbacks of the 2003 NFL Draft. As for predicting their futures, I see a change in scenary in the cards for Leftwich (duh), Boller, and Simms. I think Grossman will be in Chicago for a few more years.

Wasn't that interesting?