Five signal callers expected to go in first round, but is all the attention on the position warranted?
Video: Looking back at top draft picksRewinding on the high school careers of Baker Mayfield, Calvin Ridley and others.
The last time five quarterbacks were taken in the first round of the NFL Draft was in 1999 when Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith, Daunte Culpepper and Cade McNown all went among the top dozen picks, respectively
Barring a major surprise, five signal callers are expected to come off the board tonight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen will be linked throughout their careers, but what does recent history say about their chances of success on the field?
Twenty-seven quarterbacks have been selected in the first round of the last 10 drafts (since 2008). Of those, only eight have won a game as a starter in the playoffs. Two of those – Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow – are not currently under contract with a NFL team.
Joe Flacco leads the list of quarterbacks drafted since 2008 with 10 playoff wins. Tied for No. 2 on that list is Matt Ryan, who was also a member of the 2008 draft class.
As a whole, first round draft picks over the last 10 years have combined for 28 playoff wins.
Meanwhile, quarterbacks drafted outside of the first round have combined for 13 playoff wins largely on the back of Russell Wilson's eight victories.
Nick Foles, Case Keenum and Brock Osweiler are the other three non-first round picks to win a playoff game as a starter under center.
The gap between the two categories is significant. That's the justification for NFL teams to give prime positioning to quarterbacks in the draft.
Is there a Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan in the 2018 quarterback class? It all begins tonight in Arlington.
Playoff wins by first round picks (2008-17)Player, High School, Year drafted – Playoff winsJoe Flacco,
Audubon (N.J.), 2008 – 10
Matt Ryan,
William Penn Charter (Philadelphia), 2008 – 4
Mark Sanchez,
Mission Viejo (Calif.), 2009 – 4
Andrew Luck,
Stratford (Houston), 2012 – 3
Cam Newton,
Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.), 2011 – 3
Blake Bortles,
Oviedo (Fla.), 2014 – 2
Marcus Mariota,
St. Louis (Honolulu, Hawaii), 2015 – 1
Tim Tebow,
Nease (Ponte Vedra, Fla.), 2010 – 1
Playoff wins by non-first round picks (2008-17)Player, High School, Year drafted – Playoff winsRussell Wilson,
Collegiate (Richmond, Va.), 2012 – 8
Nick Foles,
Westlake (Austin, Texas), 2012 – 3
Case Keenum,
Wylie (Abilene, Texas), 2012 (Undrafted) – 1
Brock Osweiler,
Flathead (Kalispell, Mont.), 2012 – 1
