In 2005, the NFL draft wasn’t yet the all-consuming traveling roadshow it is today. Even so, the fact that one of the two top quarterbacks in the draft — a lanky kid from Cal named Aaron Rodgers — dropped from the possible first pick all the way down to 24th drew national headlines, including this memorable little soundbite:
You know what happened next. Rodgers vowed revenge on all the teams that passed on him, and — spoiler— he got it.
But no one knew that at the time. San Francisco, which had the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft following a dismal 2-14 season, needed a quarterback, and their choice was between Rodgers and the equally touted Alex Smith out of Utah.