Recently, Pro Football Focus put together a first round “foundation” mock draft, which let teams select any player in the NFL, college, or high school realm to build their team. Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck were the first two players off the board, with quarterbacks occupying the first 15 spots.
Around the same time, SB Nation put together a first round mock draft featuring all the current quarterbacks in the NFL. The quarterback position is the most important in football, and so this provided a look at one person’s view on how the quarterbacks shake out. It involved the idea of building your franchise around a quarterback, so age was a factor. The top two picks in this draft were Andrew Luck and Marcus Mariota. Aaron Rodgers slipped to No. 9 and Tom Brady slipped to No. 23 due to age. For comparison, PFF had Mariota at No. 7 and Brady at No. 11.
If the 2017 NFL Draft order was in play, and the San Francisco 49ers held the No. 2 overall pick, what would your big board look like? Who would be your top two quarterbacks?
Even though Aaron Rodgers is turning 34 in December, I have a feeling he is going to be playing for a good four or five more years, at least. At the same time, that is still a gamble given the physicality of football. That’s why Andrew Luck would be my first choice in this mock draft.
The bigger question is where to situate Marcus Mariota, Derek Carr, Matthew Stafford, and Dak Prescott. If Rodgers went No. 1, I would take Luck every day at No. 2. But if Luck went No. 1, it’s a tough call. Rodgers is the conservative pick, while Mariota seems like the crazy upside pick. Mariota has seen both of his first two seasons cut short due to injury, so that’s a concern.
Who would be your top two quarterbacks in this hypothetical?