Sanchez started just 16 games for the Trojans, including his last in January against Penn State in the Rose Bowl, and yet Sanchez became the second quarterback drafted yesterday after the Detroit Lions picked Georgia's Matthew Stafford with the No. 1 overall selection.
St. Louis selected Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith second overall, Kansas City took Louisiana State defensive end Tyson Jackson third, and Seattle picked Wake Forest outside linebacker Aaron Curry fourth.
"This is exactly where I wanted to be," Sanchez told ESPN after watching the draft with his family in Irvine, Calif. "It's the right place."
Before the draft started, the speculation was that few, if any, teams would try to move up into the top 10. The talent pool was considered deep, but not particularly outstanding.
Of all the players after Stafford, Sanchez appeared in the days leading up to the draft to be the most coveted by teams needing a difference-making quarterback, and he could probably thank Penn State for that. In a 38-24 win in the Rose Bowl, Sanchez accounted for all five of the Trojans' touchdowns - four passing (to go with 413 passing yards and an .800 completion percentage) and one rushing.
Following in the footsteps of Carson Palmer, John David Booty and Matt Leinart, Sanchez went 14-2 as a starter, but went against coach Pete Carroll's recommendation and submitted his name for the draft after his junior season.
Carroll was frosty at Sanchez's news conference announcing his decision, and even called the move a mistake, but it appears to have been the right move for Sanchez, who had 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last year in his only full season as a starter.
