Teams try and grab their present and future when they use a first-round pick on a quarterback. Some work out and others are flat-out busts. A look at the 30 quarterbacks drafted in the opening round in the 2010s decade.
30. Paxton Lynch
Paxton Lynch had big hands and a big rep coming out of Memphis The Broncos selected him with the 26th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. They had high hopes for the 6-foot-7 QB. However, he flamed out big time, starting four games before being sent packing.
29. Jake Locker
Jake Locker was the eighth overall pick in the 2011 draft. He had plenty of tools, so many, in fact, that he could have played baseball, too. Locker did not pan out for the Titans. He was 9-14 and oft-injured before being out of football after 2014.
28. Christian Ponder
Christian Ponder came to the Vikings from Florida State as the 12th pick in the 2011 draft. Like Jake Locker, he was out of the NFL after the 2014 season. Ponder had one glorious season, going 10-6 in his second season. After that, a thud. He was 4-15-1 in his other stars.
27. Johnny Manziel
Trouble on and off the field found the Cleveland Browns’ Johnny Manziel, a Heisman winner out of Texas A&M and the 22nd overall pick in 2014. He was 2-6 and out of the NFL after 2015. Manziel has washed out in the CFL and had the AAF fail on him. All he needs to complete a football cycle of failure is to somehow be a bust in the XFL, which didnt draft him.
26. Blaine Gabbert
Blaine Gabbert’s career is the definition of journeyman and it is not pretty. Drafted 10th overall in 2011 out of Missouri by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gabbert has went 5-22 for them as a starter. Overall, he has played for four teams and is 13-35 when starting.
25. Tim Tebow
So much was expected, perhaps too much, from Tim Tebow after a marvelous college career at Florida. He didn’t seem to translate to the NFL as a quarterback and the scouts were right. Tebow was drafted by Denver 25th in 2010. He had moments, like the pass to win a playoff game over Pittsburgh, but they were far too few. One of sports’ great guys who doesn’t deserve to be bashed. He was out of the NFL after 2012.
24. EJ Manuel
The Bills took EJ Manuel out of Florida State 16th overall in 2013 and he fizzled. He played in 28 games, was 6-11 as a starter before turning up in Oakland and recently retiring.
23. Blake Bortles
Blake Bortles was going to be the Sunshine State savior for the Jaguars. Straight from UCF to Jacksonville as the third pick in 2014, Bortles did not deliver as a franchise player. He did start 73 games, going 24-49. He is backing up Jared Goff with the Rams.
22. Robert Griffin III
Washington went to great lengths to draft Robert Griffin, trading picks galore to move up. For one year it appeared to be a wise decision. Then, reality set in Griffin was hurt and fell apart. He floated to Cleveland and is a backup in Baltimore. Definitely not what Washington hoped for when acquired giving the Rams four high-value draft picks over three years.
21. Josh Rosen
Josh Rosen was chosen by Arizona out of UCLA in 2018. Wrong place, wrong time. And he was dealt to Miami for this season, which could be the only worse place than Arizona last year.
20. Brandon Weeden
Cleveland drafted Brandon Weeden after a busted baseball career. Typical Browns to select a 28-year-old with a first pick. It didn’t work. Weeden has spent his time bouncing from team to team after being chosen in 2012 with pick No. 22.
19. Dwayne Haskins
The reviews have been ugly on Dwayne Haskins. The rumblings are the Ohio State star is nowhere near ready and he proved that by throwing three picks in his NFL debut. Past performances have to mean something and Ohio State QBs simply don’t have a great track record after leaving the Buckeyes.
18. Ryan Tannehill
Ryan Tannehill is back as a starter. That’s more reflective of how poorly Marcus Mariota has played than the ability Tannehill has shown in the NFL. He was the QB of a less than average Miami offense and simply doesn’t feel like he was worthy of the eighth overall pick in 2012.
17. Sam Bradford
When a team decides to move anything and everything to get a QB No. 1 in the draft, one doesn’t expect him to turn into a journeyman. That’s what the Rams got when they selected Sam Bradford from Oklahoma. He was oft-injured and inconsistent after being the top pick in 2010. The 2018 season in Arizona was an ugly brush on a disappointing career.
16. Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston found stardom and trouble at Florida State. He won a Heisman for the Seminoles. He created thickets for himself. Nothing has changed in the pros. He has not developed into an elite QB, in fact, he’s pretty ordinary.
15. Marcus Mariota
The second overall pick out of Oregon, Marcus Mariota has been injured and now replaced as the starting QB in Tennessee. When the Titans drafted the Heisman winner, they believed he would lead them to great success. All that has happened is medocrity and less. Doesn’t say much when Ryan Tannehill steps in for you.
14. Daniel Jones
It’s too early to be too high or low on Daniel Jones. So he’s in the middle. He gets credit for handling the hostile fans and quarterback controversy built around when would Eli Manning be replaced. Jones has shown ability and smarts — okay, okay, he went to Duke. He’s going to have to watch out for being turnover prone … fumbles as well as interceptions.
13. Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold was plagued by being on the struggling New York Jets as a rookie. He went 4-9 in starts and missed time due to injury. He’s already missed games this season due to illness. The Jets believe they made the right call drafting him No. 3 out of USC. Shown flashes. The test of time is upon him.
12. Josh Allen
Josh Allen has been injured, limiting him to 11 starts last season and already missing some game time this year. Buffalo is playing better around the former Wyoming QB and he needs to stay healthy to help the team remain in contention for a playoff spot.
11. Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield probaby thinks he should be rated higher. Confidence is not lacking for a Heisman winner out of Oklahoma, who was part of the Browns’ turnaround last season. However, hype and headlines appear to have gotten the best of the QB and team in 2019. Time to right the ship or sink.
10. Kyler Murray
It is early to judge Kyler Murray, but the Heisman winner out of Oklahoma has matched Arizona’s victory total of 2018 already. He gets major points for that since he’s also making sure the Air Raid offense can soar in the NFL.
9. Teddy Bridgewater
Teddy Bridgewater would likely be higher if not for the awful knee injury suffered when a Viking. The Louisville star was a 32nd overall pick, like Lamar Jackson. He had an 11-5 season in 2015, missed all of 2016 and started one game in 2018. He’s shown great poise and ability currently filling in for Drew Brees.
8. Mitchell Trubisky
The No. 2 overall pick out of North Carolina — the Bears traded up big time to select him — Mitchell Trubisky appeared to blossom last year as Chicago won the NFC North. He’s been out with injury in 2019, but his early games were far from what he did last season. Could slide down the rankings if he doesn’t improve upon returning.
7. Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz was the second pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State, immediately after Jared Goff. The Eagles’ QB has a Super Bowl ring, courtesy of Nick Foles. That 2017 season saw him go 11-2 as a starter, by far the best year of a career beset by injuries.
6. Jared Goff
Jared Goff scores points for making it to the Super Bowl, despite his team only putting three on the scoreboard. Goff took a beating while going 0-7 as a rookie starter. Sean McVay arrived the top pick out of Cal got his game together. Bit of a rough go so far in 2019.
5. Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson appears to be another of the amazing draft steals. A Heisman winner out of Louisville, Jackson was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 32nd pick in 2018. He took over from Joe Flacco and led the Ravens to the playoffs. A dynamic player.
4. Cam Newton
Cam Newton inspires controversy. What can not be taken away from the Carolina Panthers’ star is he had some fantastic seasons. He led the team to a Super Bow after a 15-1 campaign in 2015. He’s also had five seasons where the team finished below .500. Overall, he has accounted for about 33,000 yards in total offense.
3. Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck was 53-33 for the Colts before retiring prior to the start of this season. In six seasons, he threw for 23,671 yards. He did miss one year due to injury. The No. 1 overall pick out of Stanford in 2012 won 10 or more games four times.
2. Deshaun Watson
The 12th pick in 2017 out of Clemson, Deshaun Watston has proven to be among the NFL elite already. He leads a powerful Texas offense and is a threat with his arm and legs. Dabo Swinney was spot on when he said the QB should have been taken much higher.
1. Patrick Mahomes
Talk about one of the great draft steals of all-time. Patrick Mahomes sat around until Kansas City selected him with the 10th overall pick out of Texas Tech in 2017. He watched as rookie as Alex Smith ran the show. Mahomes stepped in last season and all he did was throw for 5,000 yards and 50 TDs.
