The Next Big Things



These days, living in the present simply isn't enough. Everyone is concerned about what's next. Nicolas Cage has a movie coming out about it, ESPN the Magazine devotes an annual issue to it, and every single draft publication you pick up pigeonholes members of the incoming class as "the next this" or "the next that."

Obviously, fantasy footballers aren't immune to this epidemic. The last couple of years have been spent searching for "the next Antonio Gates" and "the next Drew Bennett." And with the NFL draft barely a fortnight away, talk is already brewing about "the next Marques Colston".

You want entertainment? Bring this "next" trend up to my colleague Pooch at the next magazine release party. Sidle up to him at the taco bar (just keep your appendages away from his mouth, disaster might occur) and ask innocently, "So, who's this year's Tom Brady?"

Then step back and brace yourself for the slow-building "There isn't a Tom Brady in every draft!" manifesto, which will likely culminate with a red-faced Pooch stomping off to the corner to seek solace in his plate of tacos.

But Pooch has a point: there simply isn't a sixth-round quarterback who can step in and lead a team to the Super Bowl, or a seventh-round wide receiver who emerges as one of the top threats in the league, or even a second-round running back who turns a job share into a productive fantasy season, in every single draft. If there were… well, Mel Kiper, Jr. would probably be out of a job.

And with that warning, what am I about to do? Drive poor Pooch through the roof with a few educated guesses at who might turn out to be the next Brady or Colston or Maurice Jones-Drew in this year's draft class.

Sorry, Pooch.

Trent Edwards, QB, Stanford Edwards isn't quite as pro-ready as Brady was coming out of Michigan, but there's plenty here to like. For starters, his NFL size (6-4, 231) gets him in doors that Troy Smith or Chris Leak might not find open. A quick release and decent arm push Edwards closer to the fore of the group after the draft's top two quarterbacks. However, since every team will work off their own draft board and the scouts have no consensus on a No. three quarterback your guess is as good as mine when exactly Edwards might go on draft day. Most of the tally marks in Edwards' "weaknesses" column trace back to poor technique and sloppy footwork, issues that can most certainly be addressed by a decent pro quarterback coach. Edwards probably won't be on the board in round six, but of the quarterbacks in this draft not named "Brady Quinn" or "JaMarcus Russell", he appears to have the most upside.

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