Before the 2018 NFL draft, scouts were skeptical if Lamar Jackson's dual-threat ability could translate in the NFL. In the end, he was the fifth quarterback taken from his draft class and the last pick of the first round. While it's clear today that he's already done enough to be a top-10 pick of his draft class if a redraft were ever to happen, how did the careers of the other quarterbacks picked ahead of Jackson pan out five years later?
1. Baker Mayfield
It's hard to argue that there were other quarterbacks better than Baker Mayfield in the 2018 draft. In his last season, he became the first and only walk-on to ever win the Heisman. He threw for 4,627 yards on a 70.5% completion rate, and led the Sooners to the Rose Bowl. Mayfield was selected as the number one pick of the draft by the Cleveland Browns and was the team's starting QB from 2018 to 2021.
Mayfield's career was in jeopardy after a disastrous 2022 season but he's done enough to resurrect his career as the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
2. Sam Darnold
The New York Jets track record of selecting quarterbacks hasn't been good for ages, which makes their pick of Sam Darnold at number three unsurprising. He was given a chance to be the starting quarterback almost immediately, but the results were underwhelming. With Darnold as the starting quarterback, the Jets never won more than eight games in a season. He tried to rejuvenate his career by switching teams, but the results stayed the same.
After another disappointing season as a starting quarterback, Darnold has been limited to a backup role to Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson recently won his second MVP award.
3. Josh Allen
Three picks after Darnold, Allen was taken by the Buffalo Bills with the seventh pick. Similar to Jackson, Allen has developed to be a dual-threat quarterback who can do damage with both his legs and his arm. Of all the quarterbacks taken before Jackson, Allen is the only quarterback who has stuck with the same team over his career.
Allen may not have a lot of individual accolades, but as the seventh pick, you can say the Bills made the right decision.
4. Josh Rosen
This name may not sound familiar to some NFL fans since he did only play in 13 games, but Rosen was actually taken with the 10th pick of the draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona fans surely wish the Cardinals selected Lamar Jackson, however.
Over his four-year career, Rosen was signed by six different teams after his rookie season with the Cardinals and finished his NFL career with more interceptions than touchdowns.
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