Where does Ben Roethlisberger rank among QBs of the 2004 NFL Draft class?
Ben Roethlisberger will forever be tied together with Eli Manning and Philip Rivers. Why is that the case? That's because all three went off the board early as part of the 2004 NFL Draft class.
Manning famously went No. 1 overall to the San Diego Chargers, only to force a trade that sent him to the New York Giants and Rivers out west. Roethlisberger went at No. 11 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the rest is history.
These are three legendary quarterbacks who might all end up in the Hall of Fame one day. So where does Roethliberger, the only active one of the group, rank compared to the other two?
Ben Roethlisberger's place in the 2004 NFL QB class
Roethlisberger and Manning immediately get a boost over Rivers as both won two Super Bowl titles. That is the benchmark for success in the NFL, and winning more than once is the stuff of legend.
Congrats to Philip on an outstanding career. It was fun to watch my fellow Qb from 2004 draft class compete these past 17 years. Enjoy the next phase. twitter.com/NFL/status/135…
In terms of passing yards, Roethlisberger has the most of the three (63,721). That is good for the fifth all-time in the NFL. Rivers is next with 63,440. Manning, who was the first to retire, ranks ninth with 57,023.
But let's break down Roethlisberger and Manning's numbers further. The former has made six Pro Bowls, while the latter has appeared in four. Roethlisberger (416) is eighth on the all-time touchdown list, with Manning (366) right behind him.
The only stat Manning has over Roethlisberger is two Super Bowl MVP awards. Now that is not some small thing to gloss over. Especially when one considers he won both awards by taking down Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
So even though both Manning and Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls, Manning took home the MVP honors for his two performances.
A lot of people remember Ben Roethlisberger’s throw to Holmes in the Super Bowl or the finger guns after throwing past Champ Bailey, but this was an underrated moment for him. Duking it out with Aaron Rodgers to keep a season alive without Troy Polamalu. One of his best #Steelers https://t.co/WRGwQs5RbH
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That is still not enough to get the nod over Roethlisberger. Manning finished his career with a 117-117 record in the regular season. The Giants teams he was on were boom or bust and featured plenty of dysfunction at times, especially at the end of his career.
Roethlisberger is 163-80-1 with more postseason wins (13) compared to Manning's eight. Despite Manning's two Super Bowl MVP awards, Roethlisberger still has the edge. He has been more consistent throughout his entire career and is not having a major decline at the end. Manning's last postseason win came all the way back in 2011.
Manning and Roethlisberger both reached the NFL mountaintop with two Super Bowl wins. Rivers never got there, but he still had a legendary career that still holds him high up in nearly every single passing category.
It's a tough trio to top and makes the 2004 quarterback class arguably the best of all time. Unfortunately, the fourth quarterback taken, JP Losman, did not join the other three in their historic success.