Quarterbacks were selected at an unprecedented rate during the draft. Thursday night marked the fourth instance in the draft’s history, which began in 1967, where quarterbacks were chosen with the top three picks. Additionally, three more quarterbacks were picked within the top 12 selections, making it the smallest number of picks for six quarterbacks to be drafted.
This draft saw five quarterbacks taken within the top 10, matching the renowned 1983 class with a total of six first-round picks. Teams across the league were eager to find a standout passer who could potentially transform the fate of their franchise.
“I wasn’t surprised,” said Bo Nix, who was the final quarterback selected at No. 12 by Denver. “I believe all six of us are capable of playing at the next level. It’s going to be interesting to see everyone’s development. I wasn’t surprised at all because I think this quarterback class was very strong.”
The draft began predictably with Caleb Williams going first to Chicago, Jayden Daniels second to Washington, and Drake Maye third to New England, marking the second time in the last four drafts that quarterbacks were chosen in this sequence.
However, there is a note of caution, as two of the highly drafted quarterbacks from the 2021 draft have already disappointed their teams. The New York Jets traded the No. 2 pick, Zach Wilson, earlier this week to Denver, and San Francisco dealt the No. 3 pick, Trey Lance, last August to Dallas for a fourth-round pick.
Two other quarterbacks from the first round of that draft have also been traded away. Chicago traded the 11th pick, Justin Fields, to Pittsburgh, and New England traded the 15th pick, Mac Jones, earlier this offseason.
Despite these failures, teams still used top picks on quarterbacks. Atlanta surprised many by selecting Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick shortly after signing Kirk Cousins to a massive deal in free agency.
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot emphasized the importance of bringing in potential franchise quarterbacks, regardless of when or how.
Minnesota then moved up to select Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick, unwilling to risk missing out on their target.
“We knew we weren’t the only ones that had identified him as a quarterback we wanted to select,” said coach Kevin O’Connell. “You start thinking about the what-if.”
Denver completed the quarterback selections by picking Bo Nix with the 12th pick.
The only other time six quarterbacks were taken in the entire first round was in 1983, which produced Hall of Famers like John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino, along with less successful quarterbacks.
However, this time, the quarterbacks were chosen much faster. Marino, for example, had to wait until the 27th pick to be selected by Miami 41 years ago.
This draft marks the eighth time in the last nine years that at least three quarterbacks have been taken in the first round, matching the total from the first 38 years of the common draft era.
