The way NFL quarterbacks are groomed — specifically the timetables on which that grooming takes place — has drastically changed since the Packers took Aaron Rodgers in the first round in 2005.
Not that you need the history lesson, but Rodgers was considered to be candidate to be the top pick during the draft process but fell into the back end of the first round, much like Teddy Bridgewater did this past spring. The Packers had Brett Favre, but decided Rodgers was too good to pass up.
Seeing a first-round QB sit and watch for three years before starting was a rare occurrence even then, but about a decade later, it has become a question of when and not if they start as a rookie.
All nine of the quarterbacks selected in the first round from 2011 and 2013 started at least five games as rookies. And in 2014, two of the three first-round quarterbacks were starting by Week 4.
On a conference call with Minnesota media, Rodgers, while admitting he hasn't seen Bridgewater play a single NFL snap, said he would not have been as prepared to start right away back in 2005.
"Definitely not as prepared as the guys are now," the 30-year-old said. "The guys coming out now are a lot more prepared than maybe myself and Alex Smith and Jason Campbell, the three guys who went in the first round in 2005; we're all still in the league and still playing. But definitely, you look at some of the guys who have been starting the past few years, they're a lot more prepared."
Rodgers figures the reason is that offensive schemes at the high-school and college levels have become more advanced and young quarterbacks are asked to read more at the line of scrimmage.
"And, obviously, we've seen some guys step in the past few years and really play well in their first, second and third years," said Rodgers, who is now in his seventh season as the Packers' starter.
