NOW YOU KNOW

San Francisco’s selection of Alex Smith as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft marked the fifth consecutive year that a quarterback was taken first. A look at the previous four and how each did in his first season:

NOTE: Palmer did not play in 2003; all his statistics are from 2004.

*--* YEAR PLAYER TEAM (REC.) COMP ATT PCT YARDS TD INT 2004 Eli Manning N.Y. Giants 95 197 48.2 1,043 6 9 (6-10) 2003 Carson Cincinnati (8-8) 263 432 60.9 2,897 18 18 Palmer 2002 David Carr Houston (4-12) 233 444 52.5 2,592 9 15 2001 Michael Vick Atlanta (7-9) 50 113 44.2 785 2 3

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