Vanderbilt’s Jay Cutler was taken 11th overall and immediately challenged for the starting role against veteran Denver QB Jake Plummer.
Winning his first start, Cutler showed he had what it took to lead an NFL team to victory, becoming the first rookie QB to throw two TD passes in each of his first 4 games.
A concussion in the first half of Denver’s final game against San Francisco didn’t stop him as he carried the Broncos on a game-tying touchdown drive in the final minutes of what turned out to be an overtime loss (26-23) that booted them out of the playoffs.
The Broncos missed the playoffs again in ’07 with Cutler at the helm for his first full season. Cutler finished with a 63.3 percent completion percentage (third highest in team history) 3,500 yds, 20 TD, and 14 interceptions.
Cutler has a weapon that joined him out of the ’06 Draft class in WR Brandon "Baby T.O." Marshall. Marshall showed he is a more than an adequate target for the strong-armed Cutler by snagging 102 receptions in his first year as a starter. Tight end Tony Scheffler contributed 49 grabs in 2007, including five TDs.
Cutler has the intangibles in that he is a strong leader, gutsy, and smart. He also has a great civic and work ethic and a very strong arm, which allows him to improvise when flushed. His arm strength allows him to commit the cardinal sin of throwing back against the grain to the middle of the field when rolling out and complete it with frustrating regularity.
Though young, Cutler is definitely a star on the rise and will need to be pressured and accounted for by the Raiders in the years to come and with salvaged Chris Clemons recovered and off to a lucrative Philly contract, the Raiders will need to generate pressure elsewhere to rattle the young Cutler.

bleacherreport.com