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Before the 1993 draft, some were hyping star Notre Dame quarterback Rick Mirer as the next Joe Montana. By the end of his career, a more apt comparison might have been Hannah Montana. But a decidedly disappointing career arc does nothing to diminish what Mirer accomplished his rookie season, which was considerable.

Drafted second overall, Mirer almost single-handedly turned a dreadful Seahawks team mediocre. Low praise, perhaps, but in becoming just the third rookie quarterback since 1970 to start all 16 games, Mirer had the Seahawks at 5-5 going into their second bye week, before hitting a tailspin and finishing 6-10. Still, he tripled the team’s victory total from the previous season and did so with the underwhelming Chris Warren at running back and Brian Blades as his No. 1 receiver.

Mirer played eight seasons with five teams but never eclipsed his first-year stats, which set NFL rookie records: 486 passes, 274 completions and 2,833 yards. But he was intercepted 17 times and sacked 47 times, and those numbers wound up being more indicative of a career that quickly turned sour.

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