RSS FeedCan Chiefs Alex Smith Separate Himself From Other QBs Drafted in 2005
By Chris Malumphy
If Kansas City Chiefs fans compared the career record of newly acquired Alex Smith with the other quarterbacks drafted in 2005, they wouldn't necessarily feel very assured that the team was likely to improve. The career stats suggest that Jason Campbell, Matt Cassel and Kyle Orton are each slightly better than Smith and that Smith isn't all that much better than Ryan Fitzpatrick or even a career non-starter like Dan Orlovsky. That Cassel could be the equal of Smith must make those fans shiver since they've had the pleasure of watching him closely the past few seasons.
| Career Statistics for Quarterbacks Drafted in 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Drafted By | Round | Pick | Player | College | Att | C | Pct | Yds | Avg Att | Avg Comp | TD | TD Pct | Int | Int Pct | Sacked | Pct Sacked | Rating |
| Aaron Rodgers | Packers | 1 | 24 | 24 | California | 2665 | 1752 | 65.7 | 21661 | 8.1 | 12.4 | 171 | 6.4 | 46 | 1.7 | 211 | 7.3 | 104.9 |
| Jason Campbell | Redskins | 1 | 25 | 25 | Auburn | 2182 | 1328 | 60.9 | 14682 | 6.7 | 11.1 | 76 | 3.5 | 52 | 2.4 | 153 | 6.6 | 82.5 |
| Matt Cassel | Patriots | 7 | 16 | 230 | USC | 2044 | 1203 | 58.9 | 13495 | 6.6 | 11.2 | 82 | 4.0 | 57 | 2.8 | 160 | 7.3 | 80.4 |
| Kyle Orton | Bears | 4 | 5 | 106 | Purdue | 2214 | 1293 | 58.4 | 14621 | 6.6 | 11.3 | 81 | 3.7 | 57 | 2.6 | 132 | 5.6 | 79.7 |
| Alex Smith | 49ers | 1 | 1 | 1 | Utah | 2177 | 1290 | 59.3 | 14280 | 6.6 | 11.1 | 81 | 3.7 | 63 | 2.9 | 196 | 8.3 | 79.1 |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | Rams | 7 | 36 | 250 | Harvard | 2249 | 1338 | 59.5 | 14336 | 6.4 | 10.7 | 92 | 4.1 | 81 | 3.6 | 144 | 6.0 | 76.8 |
| Dan Orlovsky | Lions | 5 | 9 | 145 | Connecticut | 472 | 276 | 58.5 | 2931 | 6.2 | 10.6 | 14 | 3.0 | 12 | 2.5 | 29 | 5.8 | 76.0 |
| Charlie Frye | Browns | 3 | 3 | 67 | Akron | 677 | 419 | 61.9 | 4154 | 6.1 | 9.9 | 17 | 2.5 | 29 | 4.3 | 79 | 10.4 | 69.7 |
| Derek Anderson | Ravens | 6 | 39 | 213 | Oregon State | 1440 | 760 | 52.8 | 9206 | 6.4 | 12.1 | 53 | 3.7 | 55 | 3.8 | 72 | 4.8 | 69.1 |
| Andrew Walter | Raiders | 3 | 5 | 69 | Arizona State | 333 | 174 | 52.3 | 1919 | 5.8 | 11.0 | 3 | 0.9 | 16 | 4.8 | 51 | 13.3 | 52.6 |
| David Greene | Seahawks | 3 | 21 | 85 | Georgia | |||||||||||||
| Stefan Lefors | Panthers | 4 | 20 | 121 | Louisville | |||||||||||||
| Adrian McPherson | Saints | 5 | 16 | 152 | Florida State | |||||||||||||
| James Kilian | Chiefs | 7 | 15 | 229 | Tulsa | |||||||||||||
But if the fans only considered the past two years, Smith would fare considerably better. The question is, how much of Smith's improved play should be attributed to Jim Harbaugh and the system he implemented when he took over the 49ers versus Smith himself. And how well will Smith fare with the Chiefs under Andy Reid.
| 2011 and 2012 Statistics for Quarterbacks Drafted in 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Drafted By | Round | Pick | Player | College | Att | C | Pct | Yds | Avg Att | Avg Comp | TD | TD Pct | Int | Int Pct | Sacked | Pct Sacked | Rating |
| Derek Anderson | Ravens | 6 | 39 | 213 | Oregon State | 4 | 4 | 100.0 | 58 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 145.8 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Packers | 1 | 24 | 24 | California | 1054 | 714 | 67.7 | 8938 | 8.5 | 12.5 | 84 | 8.0 | 14 | 1.3 | 87 | 7.6 | 114.9 |
| Alex Smith | 49ers | 1 | 1 | 1 | Utah | 663 | 426 | 64.3 | 4881 | 7.4 | 11.5 | 30 | 4.5 | 10 | 1.5 | 68 | 9.3 | 95.1 |
| Dan Orlovsky | Lions | 5 | 9 | 145 | Connecticut | 200 | 126 | 63.0 | 1252 | 6.3 | 9.9 | 6 | 3.0 | 4 | 2.0 | 14 | 6.5 | 82.3 |
| Jason Campbell | Redskins | 1 | 25 | 25 | Auburn | 216 | 132 | 61.1 | 1435 | 6.6 | 10.9 | 8 | 3.7 | 6 | 2.8 | 11 | 4.8 | 81.5 |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | Rams | 7 | 36 | 250 | Harvard | 1074 | 659 | 61.4 | 7232 | 6.7 | 11.0 | 48 | 4.5 | 39 | 3.6 | 52 | 4.6 | 81.0 |
| Kyle Orton | Bears | 4 | 5 | 106 | Purdue | 262 | 159 | 60.7 | 1847 | 7.0 | 11.6 | 10 | 3.8 | 9 | 3.4 | 10 | 3.7 | 80.4 |
| Matt Cassel | Patriots | 7 | 16 | 230 | USC | 546 | 321 | 58.8 | 3509 | 6.4 | 10.9 | 16 | 2.9 | 21 | 3.8 | 41 | 7.0 | 71.6 |
