This is an old post John made around this time into the season 2 years ago. It got bumped up on my BFTB side panel so I decided to check it out. It's surprising to look back at the draft class from '07 and '08, and see how things turned out. Most of those guys were called stretches, yet 2 of the 6 guys are now starters and 2 more are nearly there. (Missing from John's list is Paul Oliver,a supplemental draft pick)

I also found it interesting to see how things turned out in positions that were not drafted for in 2008. One thing that John mentioned about the DLine struck me:
"After spending high draft picks on Castillo and Olshansky, what made AJ think he could find a backup DT off the scrap heap?"
He didn't just find back-ups, he found starters. I don't know how AJ does it, but that old article really puts things in perspective.

I think this picture clearly demonstrates why Sproles didn't and would not have scored on the most debated play of the game. Yes, Hardwick missed his block. Vasquez wasn't doing much either and Dielman seems to be tied up.
More importantly though, there are 4 defenders to be blocked by 3 unoccupied blockers. These numbers don't stack up well. In addition to this, all 4 defenders are outside of the endzone which indicates there weren't too far back waiting on playaction (two of them are moving forward).
Barring an exceptional spin move in the hole, which we didn't see at all in this game, Sproles was going to have a ton of trouble reaching the endzone even if Hardwick picks up his block.

This sets the bar for what a top tier LT should expect to get paid in the current NFL environment. McNeill must be licking his chops.