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I wrote earlier that NFL.com was the latest to call Tom Savage a potential first-round pick. While many are saying that very thing, in the end, it's difficult to imagine (barring a trade).
Here's why.
Savage really doesn't fit with a number of teams near the bottom of the first round. The ideal scenario for the former Pitt quarterback is going to a team where he doesn't need to play right away. While the teams near the end of the first round are generally the better ones with established quarterbacks, taking Savage wouldn't make much sense.
For now, I'm going to focus on picks outside of the top 25 since Savage is unlikely to go that high. If he's a first-rounder, it's probably as a later selection.
Teams like the Denver Broncos (picking 31st), New England Patriots (picking 29th), and New Orleans Saints (picking 27th) are all scheduled to pick late in the draft. With quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees respectively, those are teams where Savage could fit as a backup. However, the key thing to keep in mind is that those teams are all franchises with Super Bowl aspirations. While they may want a quarterback for the future, drafting a guy like Savage in the first round really makes little sense because he wouldn't be able to help them get closer to winning a championship right away.
Instead of shoring up a weak spot on their team with someone that could start immediately, they'd be playing for the future. Make sense to you?
Also, take a look at the other teams picking near the end of the first round - the Seattle Seahawks (32nd), San Francisco 49ers (30th), and Carolina Panthers (28th). All three have young quarterbacks and aren't really in the market for another high-profile one right now. Colin Kaepernick has run into some trouble with the law recently, but other than that, those teams are set under center.
Checking in at No. 26 are the Cleveland Browns, who actually could use a quarterback. However, there's a good chance you can rule them out, too, since they also pick at No. 4. The team needs a quarterback and while they could take Savage later and fill another need earlier, it probably makes more sense for them to pick a guy later if they're not going to take an elite quarterback early. Simply put, despite his rise, Savage isn't really seen as an elite quarterback and I don't know that you can't find a comparable player in the second or even third round.
The Draft is always completely unpredictable and of course, you can never know what will happen. But if you're asking me, it's hard to see a team taking him in the first round.
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