First in an 11-part series. Coming next: running backs

This will be fascinating because it will stretch a conventional theory: Teams will do almost anything to convince themselves to fall in love and to pretty much shred their carefully constructed player value boards when there is desperation to find a quarterback.

There is the “best player available’’ chatter — often trite-sounding blather — and the “stay true to your evaluation’’ mantra that gets un-mantred when a team is on the scent of a quarterback and the aroma is too intoxicating to resist.

In a year when the quarterback class is considered fairly weak and shallow, this year’s NFL draft will provide a litmus test, as far as when and where Shedeur Sanders comes off the board.