Jeff Brohm Madden Career 1997-1998 - Peak 62 OVR

Jeff Brohm quarterbacked at Louisville and went undrafted in 1994, then spent the next several years as a quarterback whose name only appears on rosters and depth charts, a third-stringer who dressed on Sundays and rarely played. San Francisco carried him from 1995 to 1997, deep behind Steve Young, and he threw a handful of passes in a handful of games before moving on.

Madden's two cards of him are barely there, which fits. The game rated him a 29 for the 1996 season, a placeholder number for a quarterback it had no reason to grade, and a 62 for 1997, the modest ceiling of a career backup. There was almost no player for the ratings to measure, only an arm at the end of the bench.

Brohm's real football life started once he stopped playing. He became one of the most respected offensive minds in the college game, a head coach who turned around Western Kentucky, took over Purdue, and eventually came home to run his alma mater at Louisville. The quarterback the game rated a 29 turned out to know more football than almost anyone who ever outranked him on a depth chart. Some players are worth more with a headset than a helmet.