18 Apr 1998: Running back Curtis Enis, defensive back Charles Woodson and quarterbacks Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning stand together during the NFL draft at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire /Allsport
NFLBy Brad Gagnon on

Peyton Manning made his retirement official this week, giving us a chance to have some fun by remembering that even Manning wasn’t a sure thing when the Indianapolis Colts drafted him 18 years ago. In fact, a lot of folks thought that Washington State product Ryan Leaf was a better prospect, and fellow quarterback prospects Charlie Batch, Jonathan Quinn, and Brian Griese received their fair share of hype.

Leaf was drafted second overall, right behind Manning. That, of course, didn’t pan out well for the San Diego Chargers. Batch was taken in the second round by Detroit, Quinn and Griese in the third by the Eagles and Broncos, John Dutton (Dolphins) and Matt Hasselbeck (Packers) were sixth-round picks and Moses Moreno went to Chicago in Round 7.

Dutton spent time on three NFL rosters but never threw a regular-season pass in the league. However, the other six members of the ’98 quarterback class did start some games. Here, 18 years later, is how they stack up.

Games started
Manning: 265
Everyone else: 328

Hasselbeck started 160 games, while Moreno started just three.

Passing yards
Manning: 71,940
Everyone else: 72,475

Manning finished with 20 times as many passing yards as Leaf (3,666).

Touchdowns
Manning: 539
Everyone else: 411

Manning is the all-time record holder in terms of yards and touchdowns. Among the other six quarterbacks, only Hasselbeck (212) and Griese (119) threw more than 100 touchdown passes.

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Interceptions
Manning: 251
Everyone else: 349

That despite the fact Manning threw nearly as many passes (9,380) as the rest of the group combined (10,711).

Wins
Manning: 186
Everyone else: 160

Hasselbeck (85) was the only other quarterback to win 50 games. He and Griese (45-38) had winning records, while Batch went 25-30 and Leaf, Quinn and Moreno were a sad 5-25 altogether.

Pro Bowl selections
Manning: 14
Everyone else: 4

Hasselbeck went to three, Griese one.

First-team All-Pro selections
Manning: 7
Everyone else: 0

Excluding Manning, the entire 1998 draft class had 20 first-team All-Pro nods. In other words, Manning took up 26 percent of the total for the entire class.

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Last start
Manning: 2015
Hasselbeck: 2015
Batch: 2012
Griese: 2008
Quinn: 2004
Leaf: 2001
Moreno: 2000
Dutton: Never

Manning retired Monday, Charles Woodson retired earlier this year and Hasselbeck is a free agent, which means zero players from that draft remain on NFL rosters. We’ll see if Hasselbeck signs somewhere, giving the 40-year-old a chance to help the field in the comparisons above before his time runs out.

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com, a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at CBSSports.com, Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Comeback Media, but his day gig has him covering the NFL nationally for Bleacher Report.

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