The 2018 NFL Draft is headlined by a contingent of intriguing quarterback prospects. Could this be a record-breaking year for first round passers?
It’s hard to make it far in the NFL without an elite quarterback. Two of the four teams still alive in the playoffs got there on the arms of a passer worthy of MVP consideration. Tom Brady took the Patriots to yet another AFC Championship game while Carson Wentz broke through in Philadelphia to send them to the top seed in the NFC despite his late season injury.
However, just because elite passers are of utmost importance doesn’t mean they grow on trees. “No-brainer” first round selections don’t show up in the draft every season and 2018 is no exception. But that doesn’t fix the demand issue. With a smattering of good to possibly great passers available this season, will the 2018 NFL Draft class break some records?
A tier of six quarterbacks has broken away from the pack. Different Mock Drafts each have some combination of these passers (ranked here in no particular order) with their rankings subjective to personal preference, fandom and project-ability:
The NFL has had four or more quarterbacks drafted in the first round seven times in league history. The most recent occurrence came in 2012 when Andrew Luck (No. 1), Robert Griffin (No. 2), Ryan Tannehill (No. 8) and Brandon Weeden (No. 22) were all first round picks.
Five quarterbacks were selected in 1999 and a record six passers were drafted in the first round in 1983. John Elway was the No. 1 pick in that class with notable signal callers such as Jim Kelly (No. 14) and Dan Marino (No. 27) also taken in the top round. Those six first round selections are even more impressive given the league size – the NFL had just 28 teams that season.