Quote:
Originally Posted by Lov2fish
Montana was a 3rd. rounder and according to experts the niners "reached" Never trust those fucking geeks. Turned out pretty well for a team that "reached"
|
Montana is a perfect example of why team and scheme fit matters for draftees. It may sound absurd to say now, but there is a strong chance that Joe Montana could've been a draft bust. Fortunately for him, he went to the 49ers and Bill Walsh, whose scheme he fit perfectly. Most teams at that time would've asked Montana to be a much more vertical passer, which he would've struggled to do. Walsh's West Coast offense fit Montana's skillset like a glove. Further, Walsh felt it important to surround Montana with elite talent to maximize his offense, and was able to do with several elite players, including the greatest WR of all time.
Similarly, we all marvel at Patrick Mahomes now, but had some team drafted him with the intention of starting him immediately, he may have a similar story to Ryan Leaf. It was the Chiefs' patience in bringing him along and allowing him time to develop that turned him into the monster he is today.
This is why QBs like Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, and Joe Burrow are so valuable. Few QBs are so NFL ready and scheme diverse that you can just plug and play them anywhere. Peyton Manning would've likely succeeded anywhere, for example, because he would've so obsessively studied the game anywhere, and that was the thing that took him to the next level in the NFL.