One of the great promises the NFL provides its fans is that turnarounds are more easily achievable than they are in many other sports.

Worst-to-first stories happen in professional football. Almost every season.

The draft is one of the primary functions that provides hope. Teams at the bottom of the ladder can restock with young talent and will benefit from a slightly easier schedule. Of course, the clubs in need of the most help must pick well to reap the benefits of the draft.

Mike Freeman of CBS Sports reports that some believe this draft is not all it is cracked up to be by some. Freeman quotes one high-ranking team executive as saying this will be the “worst draft in (the) past 10 years or longer.”

“When we look back at this draft in five or 10 years,” the source told Freeman, “we might view it as one of the worst we've seen in some time.”

What causes that opinion? There aren’t any quarterback prospects that people are getting excited about. There isn’t a consensus top pick, either. When scouts talk about the strength of this draft, a lot of them are discussing the depth that will carry through the second round. But they’re not talking about star quality players. They’re talking about good, rank-and-file contributors.

The 2005 draft didn’t perform well, at least not at the top of the draft. Quarterback Alex Smith was the No. 1 overall pick. The hope is he will help revive the Kansas City Chiefs but his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers had more ups than downs. Here are the top 10 from that draft:

Alex Smith
Ronnie Brown
Braylon Edwards
Cedric Benson
Cadillac Williams
Pacman Jones
Troy Williamson
Antrel Rolle
Carlos Rogers
Mike Williams

That group leaves a lot to be desired eight years later. Hopefully, the 2013 class will have more impact and greater staying power.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune