When, as expected, quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn are both selected at or near the top of the 2007 NFL Draft, the teams drafting them are obviously expecting to get a franchise quarterback.
However, if NFL history is any indication, the odds of seeing both guys wind up as highly successful franchise quarterbacks are slim. In fact, it's actually more likely that at least one of them will eventually go down in history as a bust.
I've always been sympathetic to the plight of a first-round QB bust. It's harder to contribute early in one's NFL career at quarterback than at any other position. Yet fans clamor to see these guys immediately justify their bloated contracts, so they're often forced into early and impossible action on generally awful teams. It's a near no-win situation, and that's why for every Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb or John Elway, there are seemingly handfuls of Ryan Leafs, Akili Smiths or Todd Blackledges.
So, here are the NFL Draft's Top 25 quarterback busts:
