The 2009 NFL Draft class saw 11 quarterbacks selected through 7 rounds, including three in the first. Among these selected few, Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions is the only one who is still a starter on his team.
Stafford was the number one pick for the Detroit Lions in that draft, and even though his record as a starter is 19-29, it’s hard to believe the Lions are sorry for the pick they made both for Stafford’s talents as a passer and for the disappointing paths other quarterbacks from this class have taken.
Only three guys on this list, including Stafford, actually became starters. Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets was the fifth overall pick in that draft, and he did very well, on a team level at least, with the New York Jets. Quarterbacks are measured for their numbers, but people usually evaluate them (Wrongly at times) for the wins they are part of. It might be something that doesn’t have much to do with them – defense, running game, offensive line, coaching, and yet quarterbacks, for better and for worse, are the first name that comes up as the responsible party.
Sanchez was somewhat of a New York Golden boy through the first two years with the Jets. He never did anything spectacular, but he ran a solid offense, and reached the AFC championship game twice in a row. Once the talent around him started to disappear, it was quite clear Sanchez isn’t one of those quarterbacks who does well no matter the scenario he’s in, and the Jets have look very bad over the last couple of years. His injury in preseason meant Geno Smith is now in charge, and Sahcnez won’t be a part of the Jets in the future.
Josh Freeman is the hot topic right now in the NFL, getting benched after an awful start to the 2013 season, and an unsuccessful relationship with head coach Greg Schiano. Freeman has never been to the postseason, but enjoyed a couple of good years while Greg Olson was running the offense, and last year, despite the inconsistency, posted career highs in yards and touchdowns. However, the awful start to the season made it clear that he’s not the franchise guy for the Bucs, who have now moved on to Mike Glennon, and it’s hard seeing anyone giving Freeman an automatic starting job anytime soon.
The rest of this draft class? Pat White, currently without a team, released on September 14 from the Washington Redskins; Stephen McGee, also without a team; Rhett Bomar, who never played for any of his teams, and is also done with the NFL; Nate Davis, another player who didn’t get a single snap in the league, and was last seen playing for the Amarillo Venom of the indoor Lone Star Football League; Tom Brandstater, also without a team, and with a career total of two pass attempts, no completions; Mike Teel, who never got to play and is now serving as a quarterback coach for Wagner college; Keith Null, who played a bit for the Rams in 2009, but didn’t last very long in the league; and Curtis Painter, surprisingly still in the NFL, and even got to throw 4 passes as the Giants were decimated by the Panthers 38-0 this weekend.
This group has a total of 13 career starts, and McGee is the only one of them who won his. Brian Hoyer was an undrafted signing from this draft, and he just won his first NFL game as a starter this weekend, leading the Cleveland Browns to a win over the Minnesota Vikings, so maybe the 2009 draft class isn’t help up entirely by Stafford.