The first-round QB: The ultimate crapshoot

Article by: MARK CRAIG
Star Tribune
Updated: April 30, 2011 - 8:50 PM

By drafting a quarterback early, the Vikings made what often is an all-or-nothing gamble.

As hard as NFL teams try to make it an exact science, selecting a franchise quarterback will forever remain the biggest leap of faith in professional sports.

Pick the right guy, develop him properly and you get to land on the other side with the upper echelon and compete for Super Bowls. Pick the wrong guy and/or fail in the delicate grooming process and you take the entire franchise off a cliff until it's time to leap once again.

The Vikings took that leap Thursday night when they used the 12th overall draft pick on Florida State's Christian Ponder. What we know is the selection was unpopular and unexpected. What no one knows is where this leap will land.

"It's always a crapshoot because you can't judge a kid's heart," former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham said. "The Bible even says no one knows the heart of man. He might be great in college, but will he pan out when he sees that everybody is just as good as him? That answer comes from the heart."

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