For nearly 40 years, the gold standard for quarterback draft cla ses has been the quarterbacks selected in the 1983 draft, headlined by Dan Marino, John Elway and Jim Kelly. That cla s largely went unrivaled until 2004, when three future Hall of Fame quarterbacks were selected during the first 11 picks.It didn’t take long for comparisons to be made between the two quarterback draft cla ses. Comparisons had been somewhat premature until retirement earlier this offseason. With Roethlisberger now joining and in retirement, the conversations can truly begin as to whether or not the cla s of Big Ben, Manning and Rivers was able to supplant the ’83 group as the greatest quarterback draft cla s of all time.Here was the criteria used when determining which was the better cla s.Statistical excellenceIndividual accoladesTeam succe sEnduring legacy/impact on the gameHow each individual quarterback ranks all-timeWithout further ado, let’s dive right in.Statistical excellenceEdge: Cla s of ’04Sure, you can (rightly) argue that the ’04 quarterbacks have an unfair advantage here. They had the benefit of playing in a more modern pa sing era that included more focus on throwing while defenses faced more restrictions when it comes to hitting receivers and quarterbacks. That may be true, but it’s to no fault of the ’04 quarterbacks, who took full advantage NBA Milwaukee Bucks Jeresy of their situation.Manning, Rivers and Roethlisberger are each top-10 all time in career pa sing yards and touchdown pa ses. Marino, who broke Fran Tarkenton’s career pa sing record in 1995, is currently seventh all time in career pa sing yards and touchdown pa ses. Elway is 11th all time in pa sing yards and 13th in touchdown pa ses, while Kelly is 29th in career pa sing yards, just behind , , and and just ahead of , and . He is also 29th all time in touchdown pa ses. Kelly threw for nearly 10,000 yards and 83 touchdowns during his two seasons with the USFL’s Houston Gamblers. Thats 400 career pa sing touchdowns for Ben Roethlisberger! (: ) TSN (@TSN_Sports) Individual accoladesEdge: Cla s of ’83Marino (1984) and Elway (’87) both won league MVP awards, something that no member of the ’04 quarterback cla s won during their respective careers. Along with his league MVP, Elway capped off his career with an MVP performance in Denver’s 34-19 win over Atlanta in XXXIII. Manning was named MVP of both of the ‘ Super Bowl wins over the . Conversely, Roethlisberger’s receivers left with the MVP award following each of Big Ben’s Super Bowl wins. Big Ben did take home Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2004 after breaking Marino’s record for most wins by a rookie quarterback. Dan Marino in 1984-362 completions (1st in Sidney Moncrief Jersey the NFL that season)564 attempts (1st)64.2 completion % (3rd)5084 pa sing yards (1st)48 pa sing TDs (1st)9.0 Y/A (1st)108.9 rating (1st)*Pro Bowler*1st Team All-Pro*MVP*OPY*Lead Miami to a 14-2 record & Super Bowl appearance Four Verts (@FourVerticals_) As far as Pro Bowls and are concerned, Marino takes the mantle with nine Pro Bowls and three All-Pro nods. Elway (nine times) and Rivers (eight) combined for 17 Pro Bowl selections but no All-Pro nods. Roethlisberger (six) and Manning (four) earned a combined 10 Pro Bowl nods and no All-Pro selections. Conversely, Kelly earned one All-Pro nod (1991) to go with his five Pro Bowl selections.Team succe sEdge: Cla s of ’04This was the closest category to determine a winner. Marino, Elway and Kelly each led their teams to Bob Lanier Jersey the Super Bowl, but Elway was the only one with a Super Bowl championship ring. Marino fell short in his only Super Bowl appearance, while Kelly went 0-4 in the big game. Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day’s big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the “Pick Six Newsletter” and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount’s . Milwaukee Bucks Hoodie Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. Roethlisberger went 2-1 in Super Bowls, while Manning won both of his Super Bowl starts. Rivers never made it to the Super Bowl, but his gutty performance in leading the to within one game of the Super Bowl in 2007 — despite playing with a torn ACL — is the stuff of legend.Roethlisberger is fifth all time in career wins, while Elway, Marino and Rivers are also in the top 10 in career wins. Kelly tallied an impre sive 110-67 overall record as Buffalo’s starter, while Manning posted a .500 record as the Giants’ regular-season starter. His 8-4 record in the postseason helped his and the ’04 quarterbacks’ case in this category. The Patriots entered Super Bowl XLII undefeated, but that ended with some help from Eli Manning and David Tyree’s helmet. NFL (@NFL) Enduring legacy/impact on the gameEdge: Cla s of ’83Here’s where the ’83 quarterbacks benefit from having played earlier, as their careers have aged extremely well over time. Marino is still considered as one of the greatest pure pa sers in league history while inspiring future Hall of Famers that include and Brett Favre. His 1984 season still stands up among the greatest seasons ever, as his 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns that season were both league records. He also owns the dubious distinction of being the greatest quarterback in league annals to Khris Middleton Jersey not win a Super Bowl. Kelly owns the distinction of being the only quarterback to lead his team to four consecutive Super Bowls. His mastery of the K-Gun offense helped inspire future prolific offenses. . dropped DIMES. : Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) Elway’s legacy includes his iconic drive late in the 1986 AFC Championship Game and his helicopter spin in the ‘ Super Bowl upset win over the . Elway, who won games with his arm as well as his legs, ended his career with the greatest final game for a Hall of Fame quarterback, winning Super Bowl MVP before riding off into the sunset.It’s hard to match the legacies of the top-three quarterbacks of the ’83 Draft, and the ’04 quarterbacks fall just short. That said, the ’04 quarterbacks have a pretty remarkable legacies. Roethlisberger is the youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Three years later, he led one of the greatest game-winning drives in Super Bowl history that was punctuated by his game-winning touchdown pa s to . The ‘ all-time leader in games played, Big Ben played 18 seasons despite absorbing more sacks than any player in league history. His toughne s and unique style of play showed that, , “there’s…