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          NFL Nation

          Instincts correct on second-tier QBs

          • Mike Sando, ESPN Senior WriterApr 4, 2011, 05:42 PM ET
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            • ESPN Insider NFL columnist and blogger
            • Covered the NFL since 1998
            • Member of Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee
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          Facebook friend Barrett was on the right track when he said NFL teams have struggled finding quarterbacks in the second and third rounds.

          Teams tend to overvalue quarterbacks in the draft, which means the most promising ones rarely escape the first round. Teams tend to focus on other positions in the rounds immediately following the first round before "taking flyers" on the position later in the draft.

          We see this when looking at the number of quarterbacks drafted by round since 2000. There have been 31 in the first round, 16 in the second, 17 in the third, 20 in the fourth, 24 in the fifth, 36 in the six and 32 in the seventh.

          The chart, updated since it ran in February 2010, ranks second-round quarterbacks since 1995 by number of games played.

          1995-2010 Second-round QBs: Most games played

          While we're on a hot streak, let's take a quick look at third-round quarterbacks drafted since 1995, arranged by team:

          Count Schaub and Whitehurst among those who were more valuable to their teams as trade bait than as quarterbacks.