In football, no position gets nearly as much attention, rewards, or blame as the quarterback.  Despite the fact that a team is the sum of all of its' parts, many people attribute the teams success to the QB. 

It was only just over two years ago when it was the 2006 NFL Draft.  And this Draft was hailed by many to have a bunch of future star QBs in it.  You had Matt Leinart and Vince Young, who had been on the teams in the BCS Final, and everyone was expecting great success from both.  You had Jay Cutler, less touted by many as Young and Leinart, but many people thought he'd be as good if not better than the before mentioned two.  You had Kellen Clemens, a sleeper who a lot of people had being successful.  Others like Tarvaris Jackson and Brodie Croyle who were selected in the middle were expected by many to be starter quality players in the future.

Well, it's been two seasons, and we're in the third.  Usually, the third season is the defining year for players, whether or not they're for real or not.  And this "great" QB class is on notice.

Vince Young has been a starter for the past few years, but his passing numbers have been absolutely brutal.  On top of that, many questions have recently arrived about his state of mind, and leadership.  He's shown recently not to have the poise of an NFL QB.

Matt Leinart played ok in his rookie year, and many figured that with great weapons around him, he'd be a big success soon.  But he stunk in 2007 before getting injured, and this season he lost his starting job to an ancient Kurt Warner.  On top of that, his commitment and focus have been questioned.

Kellen Clemens started half of the season for the Jets in his second year after a year of learning, but he played horribly in those starts.  Then it looked like he'd have his chance to be the guy, but the Jets brought in Brett Favre, and now Clemens is back on the bench for at least this year, if not more. 

Tarvaris Jackson got some playing time at the end of his rookie year for the Vikings, and looked ok.  Last season, he played decently, but heading into 2008; the Vikings looked to have a great team and Jackson was primed and ready for a breakout year.  But after two bad games, he was benched in favor of Gus Frerotte of all people.

Brodie Croyle looked to have some potential, as had played ok football in his second season.  Some thought he would be set for a good 2008, but he got injured.  On top of that, he plays for an awful team and if Tyler Thigpen somehow does well, his spot could be gone.

Of the other QB's in this draft, Charlie Whitehurst hasn't thrown a pass for the Chargers.  Brad Smith became a wide receiver.  D.J. Shockley was pegged as some heading into 2007 as the Falcons next starter after the Michael Vick debacle, but he tore his ACL, and the Falcons drafted Matt Ryan.  Bruce Gradkowski played decently his rookie year being thrown in to Tampa thanks to injuries, but he barely played in 2007, and was tossed by Tampa, and then failed to make the Rams.

Pretty much every quarterback in this group has been below average, except for Jay Cutler, who has shown to be a legitimate starter with Denver. 

Perhaps this could be said as another example of quarterbacks struggling because of lackluster talent around them.  That often is the cause of the high pick bust, but no one in this quarterback class minus Cutler really looks to be starter quality players.

And considering the high praise of this group just over two years ago, this will come as a surprise to many.  Usually after year 3, you've gotten a good idea of what you're going to get.  And so far, that doesn't look like a whole lot.

What do you think about this group?  Do you think there is still hope for some of these guys?