ESPNTheMag.Com at the NFL Combine, Day II: "Hey, Junior!"

The 2009 draft could be a death zone for teams who need a QB who can help them right away. That's because the talent is all juniors.

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The jury is still out on JaMarcus Russell. That's often the case with juniors.

Early this morning, word around Indy was that Matthew Stafford, the Georgia quarterback and potential No. 1 pick, had gone to dinner with the Detroit Lions brass (ESPN's Kevin Seifert confirmed it). But based on what scouts are saying, you hope the Lions didn't hand over a promise ring last night over steak.

"I just keep trying to warn people about (Matt) Ryan and (Joe) Flacco, what an anomaly that is," said Mike Mayock, the NFL Network draft analyst, whose press conference is a must-attend update on prospects. "Both were fifth year guys who we'd been able to track. Talking about Stafford, you have a guy who started three years in the SEC, and that's very impressive, but you don't have the same tracking mechanism."

With junior QBs, teams have almost no idea what they are going to get. This year at the combine, the top three rated quarterbacks—Stafford, Mark Sanchez from USC, and Josh Freeman from Kansas State—all present a blend of talent and mystery.

As Mayock and others have noted here, part of the reason why teams are enthralled with Stafford, Sanchez and Freeman is because more promising talents such as Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy opted to return to Oklahoma and Texas respectively.

While understanding that each QB is a different player and enters different franchise situations, let's look at another slate of juniors scouts were fascinated with over the last ten years:

2007: JaMarcus Russell (No. 1 overall)
While the Raiders are generally thought to be a dysfunctional organization, the jury on Russell appears to still be out.

2006: Vince Young (No. 3 overall)
Young did help the Titans make the playoffs as a starter, but last season during their No.1-seed-in-the-AFC campaign, he sat behind Kerry Collins most of the year. There were personal issues that obviously played into that.

2006: Omar Jacobs (9th QB drafted)
Plays for the Florence Phantoms currently.

2005: Alex Smith (No. 1 overall)
Mike Singletary apparently wants Smith to be competitive with Shaun Hill at camp. He could break out in the next two or three years, but right now he'd be labeled "a bust" by most.

2005: Aaron Rodgers (No. 24 overall)
He's starting to get his post-Favre chance now. Good statistical first year, although Green Bay missed the playoffs.

2004: Ben Roethisberger (No. 11 overall)
He has two Super Bowl titles.

2003: Rex Grossman (No. 22 overall)
Did help the Bears get to a Super Bowl, although most argue it was "in spite" of him.

2002: David Carr (No. 1 overall)
Carr had a terrible offensive line in Houston for most of his time there, and did enter into a brand-new franchise, but it seems OK to label him "a bust."

2002: Josh McCown (No. 81 overall)
Currently a backup.

2001: Michael Vick (No. 1 overall)
Showed flashes of individual brilliance, including winning a playoff game at Lambeau. Currently in prison.

2001: Quincy Carter (No. 53 overall)
He's apparently "living a day to day life" now.

1999: Tim Couch (No. 1 overall)
The whole "Playboy Mansion" story is fun, but he is almost definitely OK to label "a bust."

Should be noted: Roethlisberger, who is probably the most successful guy on the list above, was a red-shirt at Miami (OH) and had a full four years.

The one thing you should take away from this list: not a single one of these juniors came into the NFL ready to truly run an NFL team. If anyone did, it's Roethlisberger (awesome record his rookie season), and he technically wasn't even "a junior" in terms of experience.

Know what might be a safer bet for the Lions? Grab Derek Anderson from the Browns. He's definitely not a junior.

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