Ex-49ers coach reveals the illogical reason behind picking Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers
One of the NFL's best quarterbacks in the league currently was taken in the draft 11 years ago. He didn't go first overall, though. Aaron Rodgers fell all the way to the Green Bay Packers at No. 24 despite being considered a candidate to go No. 1 to the San Francisco 49ers.
Why didn't that happen? Well, because the 49ers liked Alex Smith's pleasing attitude better than Rodgers' cockiness.
Tom Brady is cocky. Cam Newton is cocky. Sure, Aaron Rodgers is cocky, but he's also one of the best signal callers in the NFL. To make this decision sound even more ludicrous, Nolan revealed that the 49ers also didn't like Rodgers' throwing motion.
Ball security was also a factor in choosing Smith over Rodgers. Sure, Smith has protected the ball fairly well in his career, but Rodgers is consistently at the top in terms of fewest interceptions thrown year in and year out.
One can only imagine how far Rodgers would have taken the Niners for the next decade, but things turned out pretty well for him in Green Bay.
