[NC_Skins]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

If you define a bust as a player who starts (is his team's primary starter) for three or fewer seasons, then from 2002-2007 only thirteen players busted in the top ten, about two per year. And teams are doing a far better job rating talent at the top of the draft now vs. ten years ago.

The stats of "played longer" is a bit misleading and many factors involved here. A guy selected at #24 isn't going to get the same type of lead way a guy drafted #1 is. You think they'd cut Bradford after guaranteeing him 50 mil? I seriously doubt it. Hell, it took JaMarcus Dummy 3 years to finally get the boot. It's also the same reason 1st rounders last longer in the league than say a 3rd rounder. Alex Smith is still starting and why? Because he was a #1 pick and was paid a ton of money. Had he been a late first round or a 2nd rounder, he'd been cut/shipped out loooong ago.


edit: That may soon change with the salary of top rookies being limited. Even so, a #1 spot is still a heavy investment when it comes to resources and teams are doing to do everything in their power to make it work, even if it means keeping them longer than they want.