NFL Draft: Brian Brohm and Packers cold draft takes

The NFL draft is about educated guesses. No one really knows what is going to happen in a player’s career. You can look at the numbers, the film or all the mock drafts you want until draft day, but we’re still talking about humans, error and all.

One of the banner moments for the “no one knows” movement is the Green Bay Packers’ selection of quarterback Brian Brohm in the second round of the 2008 draft. With Brett Favre announcing his retirement the month before the draft, all eyes were cast on some quarterback named Aaron Rodgers, a fourth-year player who had thrown 59 passes for 329 yards, one touchdown and one interception. When Green Bay selected a quarterback early, the reaction of everyone was natural: There is going to be a camp battle for the starting job.

Some people took it a little too far, though. The following clip, featuring ESPN’s Todd McShay and Merril Hoge will live in infamy.

Mr. Factorback himself stated, “Well, actually I do like Brohm better than Rodgers,” before an intense mechanical sound introduced a chyron that simply read “Packers take Brohm.” McShay followed it up with, “I honestly think Brian Brohm two years from now could be the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. It would not shock me at all. I still think Aaron Rodgers has a chance as well, but I think Brian Brohm’s upside is greater than that of Aaron Rodgers.”

Since then, Rodgers hasn’t done anything but win Super Bowl XLV, four MVPs, made 10 Pro Bowls and get named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team. At the moment, he has the second-highest all-time passer rating in NFL history, only behind Patrick Mahomes.

Two drafts ago, the selection of Utah State’s Jordan Love was supposed to mark the end of Rodgers’ run with the Packers. Rodgers has since won back-to-back MVP awards and just signed an extension with the team that should keep him under center until 2025. According to Pro Football Focus’ Timo Riske, Love has been traded by fans picking for the Green Bay Packers on PFF’s mock draft machine nearly 40,000 times this offseason, the most times any individual player has been traded per their data.

Brohm never played a regular-season snap for the Packers, eventually lost the backup job to seventh-round pick Matt Flynn and was signed off of Green Bay’s practice squad in 2008 by the Buffalo Bills. He played in three games for the Bills over two seasons, throwing five interceptions and no touchdowns, before taking backup jobs with the Las Vegas Locomotives in the UFL and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL. Currently, he’s the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Purdue, where his brother Jeff Brohm is the head coach. Rodgers is hoping to win 13 (or more) games for the fourth straight season in a row.

We know nothing. It’s important to remember we know nothing. Go Packers.

Chime in with your worst takes, if you feel like sharing. I have a Vince Biegel jersey hanging in my closet, so this is a safe space.