Hall Of Fame QB Warns Not To Dismiss Tyson Bagent

Tyson Bagent hasn't even started a full game in the NFL, and already people have declared him a lost cause. This pessimism is easy to understand. The guy is an undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd. So not only is he inexperienced, but he has never faced anywhere close to this level of competition before. There is no reason to think this will amount to anything because it never does. Except, that is not true. Fans so quickly dismiss the idea that undrafted quarterbacks can have success despite considerable evidence to the contrary.

One person who knows this well is Kurt Warner. Before he became a Hall of Fame quarterback with two MVPs and a Super Bowl ring, he was a Division II quarterback at Northern Iowa. Teams weren't willing to take him seriously. It took five years of work and some good fortune, but he finally got a shot in St. Louis. Everybody knows what happened next. If he could pull off that "miracle," there is no reason to think Bagent can't do the same. He explained as much to Chris Emma of Marquee Sports.

“My opinion is we’ve seen enough of all this stuff,” said Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, once an undrafted Division-II standout in Bagent’s shoes. “We’ve seen enough of guys who played at smaller schools, didn’t have great college careers, didn’t have enough physical talent. We’ve seen enough to know none of that stuff matters at the end of the day. What matters if you can play at this level.

“I think we write way too much into that at the college level. None of that has anything to do at this level. Everything is about what you do in the moments that you’re given.

“I think my story is a perfect example.”

Tyson Bagent wouldn't be the first undrafted success story in Chicago.

Fans often forget that Erik Kramer was undrafted in 1987. He still holds the single-season franchise record for passing yards and touchdowns. Cade McNown, Rex Grossman, Jay Cutler, Mitch Trubisky, and Justin Fields all came in with way more hype. None of them have reached the same achievement. If Kramer could find success in Chicago, why can't Bagent? Several undrafted QBs have excelled in the leave over the past two decades. Jake Delhomme reached the Super Bowl in 2003. Tony Romo reached multiple Pro Bowls in Dallas. Jeff Garcia made a couple of Pro Bowls for San Francisco and Philadelphia.

Is it rare? Of course, it is. Then again, undrafted success stories are rare at every position. People need to remember the NFL is far from flawless at identifying great quarterbacks. Tom Brady, a 6th round pick, is the greatest of all time. Kirk Cousins (a former 4th round pick) and Sam Howell (a former 5th round pick) each rank in the top 10 in passing. Brock Purdy, the literal last pick of the draft, has ten touchdowns and one interception this season. Tyson Bagent may have the odds stacked against him, but it's not because of where he went to school or his draft status.