The NFL Draft is always full of surprises and excitement, but nothing is as big as when teams draft quarterbacks in the first round on draft day. The quarterback position is the most important in football, and teams often target it early in the draft with the expectations of getting an elite signal-caller for the next decade plus.
Because quarterbacks are so coveted, though, teams often have to reach to get their guy. While there have been plenty of draft busts at the position, teams are willing to continue targeting quarterbacks early until they get a franchise-caliber passer.
Quarterbacks are being drafted (and drafted early) with more frequency. Just last year, 11 quarterbacks were taken in the first 150 picks, which set a common draft era record. The 2024 NFL Draft is expected to keep the trend of quarterbacks being taken alive, as five quarterbacks are expected to be drafted in the first round, and a handful more will be taken later in the draft and have a chance to become impact players at the professional level.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye are expected to be taken with each of the first three picks in the first round, and reports are now saying that J.J. McCarthy has a chance to sneak up there as well. Michael Penix Jr. will likely be picked at some point in the first round, and even Bo Nix has a chance to go higher than people expect and is in the running for the top 32 picks.
Quarterback classes as stacked as this one have a chance to be legendary, but they are also rare, so we decided to look back at every class that has had at least five quarterbacks taken in the first round to see how they panned out.
1999 NFL Draft (five first-round quarterbacks)
Pick 1: Tim Couch, Cleveland Browns
Pick 2: Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles
Pick 3: Akili Smith, Cincinnati Bengals
Pick 11: Daunte Culpepper, Minnesota Vikings
Pick 12: Cade McNown, Chicago Bears
While the 2024 NFL Draft has a chance to make history by having five or six quarterbacks taken in the first round, it also has a chance to make history by seeing quarterbacks taken with each of the first three picks, which is surprisingly even more rare. It has only happened three times before. It happened in 1971, and then in both 1999 and 2021 three quarterbacks were taken at the start of the draft, which led to five quarterbacks being selected in the first round.
Tim Couch was given the unfortunate draw of being selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns in 1999. For decades, being selected by the Browns was a death sentence, and Couch was the team's first draft busts after they rejoined the NFL. Couch's had tons of talent, but injuries derailed his career, and his failure has led to the Browns starting 38 different players at the quarterback position this century. Couch went down as one of the worst number-one draft picks ever because of his short time in the league.
Donovan McNabb was a much better pick with the following selection. McNabb earned six Pro Bowl nods en route to becoming one of the best Eagles players ever. Pick three was another bust, though, as Akili Smith only totaled 2,212 passing yards in his career. Such little production makes the quarterback one of the biggest NFL Draft busts ever.
Daunte Culpepper was drafted 11th overall by the Vikings and was a part of some fun and explosive offenses in Minnesota, with Randy Moss and Cris Carter catching his passes.
To continue the trend in 1999 of bad and good quarterbacks altering draft positions, Cade McNown was the final first round quarterback taken and only lasted two seasons in the NFL. He was known for having an arrogant attitude, put his confidence didn't result in success on the gridiron.
2018 NFL Draft (five first-round quarterbacks)
Pick 1: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Pick 3: Sam Darnold, New York Jets
Pick 7: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Pick 10: Josh Rosen, Arizona Cardinals
Pick 32: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
The 2018 NFL Draft has been very hit or miss when it comes to the first-round quarterbacks. On one hand, Baker Mayfield hasn't lived up to the expectations of being a number-one pick. He was traded after only four years in Cleveland, where he put up average numbers. He did accomplish the impossible and led the Browns to their first postseason victory since 1994, though. Additionally, he had a resurgence of a season last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield's Pro Bowl appearance earned him a big contract and gave fans hope for his future.
While Mayfield can be looked at as an above-average quarterback going forward, he hasn't played at near the level of two of his peers: Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. Both quarterbacks have been elite since entering the league. Some consider Allen to be the best active quarterback not named Patrick Mahomes, and Jackson already has two MVPs to his name and has become one of the best rushing quarterbacks in league history.
Jackson's draft spot, in particular, was interesting, because he would have fallen to the second round if the Ravens didn't trade up to take him at the end of the first round to ensure that they got a fifth year option on his contract.
The other two first-round picks haven't worked out quite as well. Josh Rosen is one of the biggest draft busts of the last 10 years, as the Arizona Cardinals took a quarterback in the first round (first overall) in the draft directly following this one. Darnold is certainly a bust as well, and he has spent the last few seasons as a backup. However, reports indicate he has looked much improved in recent seasons, and he will likely start for the Minnesota Vikings this season unless the team takes a first-round quarterback of their own this year, which is definitely a possibility.
2021 NFL Draft (five first-round quarterbacks)
Pick 1: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick 2: Zach Wilson, New York Jets
Pick 3: Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
Pick 11: Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Pick 15: Mac Jones, New England Patriots
The quarterback class from the 2021 NFL Draft has already turned into a disaster and is a prime example of the risks that come with reaching for quarterbacks. Those players are only three years deep into their careers, but four of the five first-rounders are already on new teams.
In fact, you can consider each of Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones to be a bust. All of them are young enough that they do have a chance to turn around their careers, but they are all slated to be backups next season, and it appears that their best days might be behind them.
All four are some of the biggest draft busts of the last decade, but Lance is already one of the biggest draft busts ever. He only had four starts to his name, and he didn't even see the field last season after being traded to the Dallas Cowboys. Lance was traded after only two years with the 49ers, whereas Fields, Jones, and Wilson were all traded this offseason, with the latter being the most recent victim after failing in New York, where he would have been a backup all of last season if Aaron Rodgers wasn't hurt in Week 1.
The teams that drafted Fields and Jones are picking first and third in the 2024 NFL Draft, and both teams are expected to try again at the quarterback position with those picks. Obviously, these teams planned on having their quarterback problems fixed three years ago, but these players busting out set their franchises back years.
The one quarterback that has looked like a hit from 2021 is Trevor Lawrence. He hasn't taken the league by storm quite as drastically as many expected after such a prolific collegiate career, but he still has a case as a top-10 active quarterback. Lawrence already has a Pro Bowl appearance and two 4,000-yard seasons to his name, and turning the Jacksonville Jaguars around was no easy task.
1983 NFL Draft (six first-round quarterbacks)
Pick 1: John Elway, Baltimore Colts
Pick 7: Todd Blackledge, Kansas City Chiefs
Pick 14: Jim Kelly, Buffalo Bills
Pick 15: Tony Eason, New England Patriots
Pick 24: Ken O'Brien, New York Jets
Pick 27: Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins
The 1983 NFL Draft was the only class to ever have six quarterbacks taken in the first round. It will forever be known as the quarterback class of 1983 and one of the best draft classes in NFL history. Three of these quarterbacks became Hall of Famers, one more was a Pro Bowler, and one more made a Super Bowl.
Of course, things got started off hot (and hectic) with the first pick. The Baltimore Colts selected John Elway first overall despite his refusal to play for the team. Elway threatened that he would play baseball instead of playing for the team, which forced the Colts hand into trading him to the Denver Broncos. In Denver, Elway showed off his rocket arm and went on to play in five Super Bowls. The best athlete in Denver history won the big game in each of his final two years before riding into the sunset.
The other top-10 all-time quarterback from this class was Dan Marino, who was the last quarterback taken in the first round. Most consider Marino to be the best player to never win a Super Bowl. Marino was ahead of his time as a gunslinger. He set then-records for single-season passing yards (5,084) and touchdowns (48), which were just a couple of the 40 different records he held at the time of his retirement.
Along with Elway and Marino, Jim Kelly also had a Hall of Fame career. Like Elway, Kelly didn't sign with the team that drafted him right away. Instead, he spent his first couple of years in the USFL before he made his way to Buffalo. The Bills were always a powerhouse under the leadership of Kelly, but like Marino, he was never able to win the big one. His Bills went to a record four straight Super Bowls with him leading the way, and they lost all four of them.
Ken O'Brien made two Pro Bowls, and Tony Eason led the Patriots to their Super Bowl debut. Neither of them had magnificent careers like Elway, Marino, and Kelly, but Super Bowl appearances and Pro Bowl nods are not easy to come by. Todd Blackledge was the major flop from this quarterback class, especially considering he was the second one drafted. Blackledge was considered a reach at the time, and that proved true, as he spent a good chunk of his career as a backup.
The 2024 NFL Draft is eerily similar to 1983, and the two will forever be connected if six quarterbacks do happen to be selected in the first round this year. The 2024 class will have big shoes to fill if that is the case, but the quarterbacks have the potential to live up to the standards set over 40 years ago.
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