Sanchez was fortunate enough that an injury to Booty his 3rd yr allowed him some valuable playing time...then his RS Junior year he had a good one.
That was the major knock on him, having VERY limited playing time as a starter...compared to Matt Stafford, for example. Leading up to the final days before the draft, Sanchez was expected to go mid-first round. A few teams were willing to gamble...the Jets being one of them, and decided on draft day to move up early and take him.
This doesn't normally occur. If you start only one year, you normally drop a few rounds, if you get drafted at all. Sanchez was a 5* like Barkley, and jumped on early by USC. The fact that they waited this long, communicates to everyone that they don't feel Jesse's on that same level. To them, he's a fallback guy. A roster number. If they were REALLY high on him, they would have been all over him like bark on a tree.
What's more...Heath Shuler and Ryan Leaf taught us a valuable lesson. High Potential, and draft status doesn't spell automatic results. Sanchez hasn't taken a single snap. Clemens an Ainge aren't pushovers to beat out. Remember Brady Quinn supposedly being the savior of the Cleveland Browns? What happened. The guy on the roster has held Brady off and got a fat contract himself.
And Cassell play decent on a great team. Randy Moss playing for the Titans last year would've made Kerry Collins look like Peyton Manning, and we would've had a Superbowl ring. Cassell went to KC, the worst team in the league. We'll see how wonderful he is at opposite ends of the spectrum.
