ESPN.com did a cool feature in which they compiled a mock draft using all of the best prospects in the history of the NFL draft, but pretended to not know how those prospects eventually turned out.

What if we could hop in a time machine and bring back all the best prospects in history for this year’s draft? Of course, professional accomplishments don’t count. This exercise is based strictly on the scouting reports at the conclusion of college careers. Our big board is an amalgam of only the most ballyhooed prospects. With a few exceptions, these are players who were drafted in the top five overall. Players such as Joe Montana and Tom Brady, who were seen as too physically limited by many evaluators, need not apply.

1. Lions: John Elway, QB, Stanford
In hopes of landing Detroit’s first franchise quarterback since Bobby Layne more than 50 years ago, the Lions reach for arguably the best college prospect ever with the opening selection. Elway boasts a truly extraordinary combination of arm strength, accuracy and mobility. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder passed for 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns, completing 62.1 percent of his attempts. Too bad he didn’t play on special teams. Wait … this just in: Elway’s representatives are saying the Stanford star, who played two seasons of college baseball, refuses to play for Detroit and demands his rights be traded. Meantime, he reportedly is negotiating a 10-year deal with the New York Yankees and is willing to pursue a baseball career if the Lions don’t comply. Stay tuned.

NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert: Luckily, Detroit grabbed the Stanford quarterback before the Colts had a chance. Surely, Elway will have no problem playing for a Lions team that just missed winning (all) 16 games last season.

Read all 32 picks here.

I absolutely love the dig at Elway. He’s widely recognized for being one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game (which he was), but everyone conveniently forgets that he pulled one of the biggest crybaby moves in draft history when he said that he would play minor league baseball if the Baltimore Colts (who drafted him with the first overall pick in 1983) didn’t trade him. I know he’s a football god in Denver, but nobody can deny that what he did in ’83 absolutely reeked of douche-baggery.

No corny jokes.

No stale pop culture references.

Just a touching story about a Montana kid whose father was a big John Elway fan.

I’ll give props when props are due…

Good column, Rick.

At least according to San Diego’s Matt Wilhelm he’s a punk.

During my turn guest-hosting yesterday on XX 1090, Matt Wilhelm came on the show, and I suggested at the start of the interview, “Jay Cutler is a punk, isn’t he?”

I was joking. I mean, I think Jay Cutler is arrogant and off-putting, but I was totally joking and never expected a response. I was saying it for a laugh. I had suggested the same thing in an earlier interview with Clinton Hart.

But Wilhelm, who is a great interview, took my suggestion and ran.

“He is a punk,” Wilhelm said. “I’m just not a huge fan of his.”

Wilhelm compared Philip Rivers and Jay Cutler, saying both were leaders and wanted to win badly.

“But Jay Cutler,” Wilhelm said, “he and Tony Gonzalez are the biggest crybabies in the league.”

Does anyone want to disgree with Wilhelm? Cutler is the humble genius who claimed that his arm was stronger than John Elway’s arm.

Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Beall via Flickr.

ESPN.com did a cool feature recently when they asked SportsNation to select an all-time player for each NFL team. Some players were obvious choices for teams, including Brett Favre for the Packers and Barry Sanders for the Lions, but there were some question picks, as well.

The site added links to video of each player, as well as a chance to debate each choice.

Here were some of the more obvious selections:

49ers: Joe Montana, QB
Packers: Brett Favre, QB
Lions: Barry Sanders, RB
Browns: Jim Brown, RB
Dolphins: Dan Marino, QB
Patriots: Tom Brady, QB
Broncos: John Elway, QB
Chargers: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB
Colts: Peyton Manning, QB

And some of the more questionable choices:

Ravens: Matt Stover, K
Saints: Bobby Hebert, QB

As a colleague pointed out, it’s hard to argue with any of these picks because they were chosen by fans. But Matt Stover over Ray Lewis? Bobby Hebert over Archie Manning?

Lewis has been the face of Baltimore’s franchise for almost a decade and Stover is a kicker (albeit a very good kicker) for Jonathan Ogden’s sake. And I know Hebert was a fan favorite that led the team to the playoffs in 1988, but if Manning had a better team around him, he might have led the Saints to their first ever Super Bowl. I thought Pat Swilling would have gotten more love, too. (Swilling only got 2.4% of votes.)

Cool feature, though.