SAN DIEGO -- A.J. Smith selected Eli Manning and traded for Philip Rivers during the first hour of the 2004 NFL draft. But that doesn't mean Smith also wasn't intrigued by current Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

The Chargers met with Roethlisberger and studied him closely in the weeks and months leading up to the now-famous draft haul.

"At the time I said there were three marquee quarterbacks, and he was one of them," Smith said Wednesday. "And I thought in their careers, some very special things would happen.

"Some very special things have happened for Ben, and they have happened for Eli and not for Philip yet."

Smith means Super Bowl rings when he refers to special things, and both Manning and Roethlisberger have led their respective teams to a title.

Manning was plucked first overall and traded to the New York Giants because of his refusal to play for the Chargers. The trade package from the Giants included Rivers, who was picked fourth overall by New York.

Roethlisberger went 11th overall to Pittsburgh and has become the face of the Steelers, who host the Chargers on Sunday. He guided the Steelers to a Super Bowl crown in his second NFL season. Manning matched that feat last season.

It has turned out to be a draft in which none of the three teams could go wrong. That isn't always the case in the fragile world of franchise quarterbacks.

"If you asked each one of us individually, we kind of knew what we could do individually, but no one really knew what our class was going to do, maybe the potential," Roethlisberger said on a conference call. "I talked to Eli (recently) when we played (the Giants), and we just kind of laughed at how our draft class of quarterbacks has shaken out to be a pretty good one."

Smith said the trio of quarterbacks reminded him of the famed 1983 quarterback class. Six signal-callers went in the first round that year, and three ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: John Elway (selected first overall), Jim Kelly (14th) and Dan Marino (27th).

Roethlisberger said he had no idea what to expect on draft day in 2004. But being selected by Pittsburgh worked out well for him, just as being traded to the Chargers has worked out splendidly for Rivers.

In fact, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sounded like a coach who doesn't want any part of formulating a game plan against Rivers, who leads the NFL with 21 touchdown passes and has the league's second-best passer rating (106.3).

"I think he's playing awesome," Tomlin said. "He doesn't need an endorsement from me. His 106 quarterback rating and 21 touchdowns is endorsement enough.

"This guy is making great decisions."

Roethlisberger and Rivers aren't close friends, but they have mutual respect and keep a watchful eye on how the other is faring.

"I obviously keep an eye on him and all the quarterbacks," Rivers said. "I think most of us do as fans of the game and we enjoying watching each other play.

"But certainly, Ben and Eli, guys who are picked in the same draft as you, you certainly know what they're doing and where they are."

Roethlisberger and Rivers aren't phone pals, but they will exchange hellos before Sunday's game and chat briefly afterward.

"I think he's a great player, a great person and I respect him a lot," Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger is having a shaky 2008 season, partially because of shoulder and thumb injuries. He has thrown more interceptions (11) than touchdown passes (10) and ranks just 25th with a 76.1 passer rating.

But down season or not, there's no denying that Roethlisberger -- along with Manning and Rivers -- has lived up to expectations through 4 1/2 seasons.

"They appear to be legitimate at this point in their careers," Smith said. "People can form an opinion on Philip if they want to because he has not won a world championship. But I don't know what you could say about Ben and Eli.

"You can have an opinion if you'd like to, but the fact of the matter is they led their teams to world championships. End of conversation."

Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com.