The first ever NFL Draft was way back in 1936 while the league was trying to stop the bidding wars between ownership groups. The draft allowed teams to gain arbitrary rights to a player, and close to 90 years later, it's as important as ever. Just look at the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. They were able to buy certain positions because they dominated in the draft, including hitting on post-first-round picks. The most important of those picks was Jalen Hurts in 2020.
Every year, teams come into the draft hoping to get future stars. It's the greatest day of hope. That's especially true for teams who select quarterbacks. The right quarterback pick can set a team up for an entire generation. The wrong pick can set the team into a rebuild. Every so often, there are multiple superstars availble under center in one draft. Which ones are best?
The greatest NFL quarterback draft classes in league history
Honorable Mention: 2024 NFL Draft
Notable picks: Caleb Williams, 1st overall, Chicago Bears
Jayden Daniels, 2nd overall, Washington Commanders
Drake Maye, 3rd overall, New Engalnd Patriots
Michael Penix, 8th overall, Atlanta Falcons
J.J. McCarthy, 10th overall, Minnesota Vikings
Bo Nix, 12th overall, Denver Broncos
We couldn't continue with this list without talking about what could become the best NFL Draft class in the history of the NFL. Last offseason, six quarterbacks went into the top 12 picks of the draft. Two of those players made the Pro Bowl in their first season. Jayden Daniels took his team all the way to the NFC Championship Game a year after the team had the second-overall pick. Drake Maye has Patriots fans thinking they have a chance to finally move on from Tom Brady. Caleb Williams really came into his own later in the season. Heck, even the surprise picks of Bo Nix and Michael Penix look like they are quickly becoming really good quarterbacks.
It's too early to put this quarterback class on the list, but in 20 years, this might be at the top of the list. If rookie seasons were any indication, there might be no busts among them.
10. 1998 NFL Draft
Notable picks:
- Peyton Manning, 1st overall, Indianapolis Colts
- Brian Griese, 81st overall, Denver Broncos
- Matt Hasselbeck, 187th overall, Green Bay Packers
The 1998 NFL Draft is an interesting one on this list as there were some notable busts. Ryan Leaf is considered one of the worst quarterback picks in the history of the NFL. The choice at the top was between Leaf and Peyton Manning. One is a top five quarterback of all time, and the other had just two seasons as a starter, one of which he threw for two touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Manning obviously makes this class. He turned the Indianapolis Colts from a forgotten franchise in a new city that was trying to remember the legacy of Johnny Unitas from two generations ago to one of the premier teams in the AFC. Their rivalry with the Patriots was the best in the NFL at the time, and when Manning finally got that championship in 2007, the entire league was able to celebrate him as an all-time great.
There are two very good other quarterbacks here. Brian Griese might have been asked to do a little much in Denver, but looking back at his career, he was still really good. He made the Pro Bowl in 2000 after throwing for 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had a decent run in Tampa for a couple of seasons, but injuries were always his bugaboo and probably stopped what would have been a great career.
Matt Hasselbeck is one of the best sixth-round picks ever. He spent 10 years as the starter in Seattle, bringing that franchise to new heights. He even took them to the Super Bowl in 2006. He finished his career with more than 36,000 yards and 212 touchdowns.
9. 2000 NFL Draft
Notable picks:
- Chad Pennington, 18th overall, New York Jets
- Marc Bulger, 168th overall, New Orleans Saints
- Tom Brady, 199th overall, New England Patriots
This class is on this list because of Tom Brady. That's not too surprising. He's the greatest quarterback of all time, and he was drafted in the sixth round. The Brady 6 is a famous term referencing the six quarterbacks who were selected before Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft. And yes, there are some stinkers like Giovanni Carmazzi and Chris Redman, but two other quarterbacks besides Brady had really good careers.
Let's start with the first quarterback taken in the draft this season. Chad Pennington was one of the most interesting quarterbacks of this era. He did not have power in his throws. He's probably one of the weaker starting QBs of the era in terms of pure arm strength, but he also might be top five in terms of accuracy. He led the league in accuracy twice and was named Comeback Player of the Year twice. He's also probably the best quarterback drafted by the Jets this century.
Marc Bulger was a really good quarterback taking over for the Greatest Show on Turf. He replaced Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, and he put up wild numbers. His career was really short, but it was impactful in its time. He made two Pro Bowls with the Rams, and he decided to retire in his early 30s despite multiple teams vying for his services.
But this is about Brady. He's the greatest draft pick in the history of sports. He has seven Super Bowls as a quarterback, and of those, he won MVP in five of them. What might be just as impressive is his 10 Super Bowl appearances. He made it to the Big Dance in 10 of his 23 seasons. It's really 21 seasons since he didn't start in his rookie year and missed all of 2008 with a knee injury. Brady has thrown for just under 90,000 yards and 649 touchdowns. If you add the playoffs, he breaks 100,000 yards in his career. That's mind boggling.
8. 2005 NFL Draft
Notable picks:
- Alex Smith, 1st overall, San Francisco 49ers
- Aaron Rodgers, 24th overall, Green Bay Packers
- Jason Campbell, 25th overall, Washington
- Kyle Orton, 106th overall, Chicago Bears
- Derek Anderson, 213th overall, Baltimore Ravens
- Matt Cassel, 230th overall, New England Patriots
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, 250th overall, St. Louis Rams
This is an interesting draft because it might not have many of the top-level stars outside of Aaron Rodgers, but there are multiple amazing starters who had long careers in the NFL. This includes two seventh-round picks who had long runs as starters. However, let's start with the first round. It was an intense situation for Rodgers, who likely thought he was going first overall but became the story of the draft as he fell 23 picks. He eventually went 24th overall to the Green Bay Packers, who famously already had a starting QB in Brett Favre. Rodgers would have to wait a few years, but when he eventually got the starting job, he became one of the greats. He won four MVPs with Green Bay before moving on to the New York Jets.
Alex Smith had a really good career despite always being compared to Rodgers. He made three Pro Bowls and even won Comeback Player of the Year in his final year. He came back from a gnarly leg injury while playing with Washington, but in 2020, he worked his way back to become their starter again before hanging up his cleats.
Matt Cassel was famously never a starter in college, playing behind Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. Yet, he took over for Tom Brady one year, and he played well enough to become the starter for the Chiefs. The Harvard man Ryan Fitzpatrick kept getting starting gigs for nine different franchises. He finished his career with just under 35,000 yards and 223 touchdowns.
7. 2018 NFL Draft
Notable picks:
- Baker Mayfield, 1st overall, Cleveland Browns
- Sam Darnold, 3rd overall, New York Jets
- Josh Allen, 7th overall, Buffalo Bills,
- Lamar Jackson, 32nd overall, Baltimore Ravens
- Mason Rudolph, 76th overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
The case for the 2018 NFL Draft on this list is an interesting one. Prior to this past season, it might not have made it on this list at all. The top pick, Baker Mayfield, established himself as an excellent starter. Sam Darnold removed the bust moniker, even temporarily, after an amazing season with the Minnesota Vikings. Josh Allen won his first MVP, and Lamar Jackson was the runner-up.
Let’s start with the massive hits. Allen and Jackson are two of the best quarterbacks in the league on a yearly basis. Allen has been top five in MVP voting in four of his seven seasons, winning one. Jackson has been top two three times, winning twice. They are two of the most impactful players at any position in the sport.
Mayfield has had a journey, but he’s finally living up to his draft position in Tampa Bay. He was sent away after some decent success in Cleveland because they wanted to send the farm for Deshaun Watson (lol). He failed completely in Carolina before getting a breath of fresh air in Los Angeles. He won the starting job in Tampa, succeeding Tom Brady, and he’s been able to make the Bucs a constant playoff contender.
Darnold was supposed to be a star for the Jets. He failed in New York. They sent him to Carolina after they had a chance to draft Zach Wilson (lol), and he failed there, too. He took a year to re-evaluate things in Kyle Shanahan’s system. He took those learnings to Minnesota, got an opportunity to start, and he was one of the better QBs this past season. Now, he has a chance to continue his success in Seattle.
6. 2020 NFL Draft
Notable picks:
- Joe Burrow, 1st overall, Cincinnati Bengals
- Tua Tagovailoa, 5th overall, Miami Dolphins
- Justin Herbert, 6th overall, Los Angeles Chargers
- Jordan Love, 26th overall, Green Bay Packers
- Jalen Hurts, 53rd overall, Philadelphia Eagles
The top of the 2020 NFL Draft can go one of two ways. It can literally make its way to the top three of this list, or it could theoretically get to the top with a few Super Bowl championships. The first five quarterbacks taken are not only starters, but they are all superstars when healthy. Joe Burrow is one of the top guys in the sport, regularly in the conversation with Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen as the best at that position. His connection with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will continue to provide him with opportunities to put up 5,000-yard seasons.
Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert are interesting cases. They both put up insane statistics when the situation provides opportunity, but that doesn’t always work out that way. Tagovailoa has a scary history with concussions, and Herbert has had shoulder issues. Yet, they both can be at the top of the game when healthy.
Jordan Love ironically had to wait his turn as Aaron Rodgers decided what was next for him, but he hit the ground running. Love is a budding star, and his connection with an offense that is missing top talent shows he’s able to make something out of what he’s given.
Jalen Hurts is the reigning Super Bowl MVP. He had an incredible run in the playoffs, taking the Eagles to their second Super Bowl title in franchise history. This was the second time Hurts made it to the Super Bowl, finally taking down the mighty Kansas City Chiefs.
5. 2012 NFL Draft
Notable picks:
- Andrew Luck, 1st overall, Indianapolis Colts
- Robert Griffin III, 2nd overall, Washington
- Ryan Tannehill, 8th overall, Miami Dolphins
- Russell Wilson, 75th overall, Seattle Seahawks
- Nick Foles, 88th overall, Philadelphia Eagles
- Kirk Cousins, 102nd overall, Washington
The story of the 2012 NFL Draft is a fun mixture of success stories and the most insane “what if” in the history of the league. This should have been the greatest QB class in the history of the sport, but a litany of issues changed the course at the top of the draft. Andrew Luck was considered the best QB prospect since John Elway, but he might have been even better. The Colts were able to succeed Peyton Manning with a prospect teams were tanking for. He was such a lockdown superstar, and he was when he played. He was in the league for seven seasons and made four Pro Bowls.
Yet, Luck retired before he turned 30 years old. He said injuries just made it too hard to keep going, and he left 10s of millions of dollars and his entire legacy behind to walk away. The guy who took the Rookie of the Year from Luck, Robert Griffin III, looked like the most electric player in the league in his rookie season. However, a knee injury suffered in the playoffs and a rushed recovery ruined his career. He lost his starting job two years later, and he never got another real chance.
Russell Wilson is the prize of this draft. A third-round pick took Seattle on his shoulders, along with Marshawn Lynch and the Legion of Boom, and took them to a Super Bowl championship. He was a top-five quarterback for a full decade, and he’s a borderline Hall of Famer.
The depth of this class is there, too. Ryan Tannehill had multiple years where he was really good in Miami and Tennessee. Kirk Cousins is one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the history of the league, constantly getting the bag from Washington, Minnesota, and now Atlanta. Nick Foles won a Super Bowl MVP and went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady in the Super Bowl and won. Heck, even undrafted Case Keenum had a really good career.
4. 1971 NFL Draft
Notable picks:
- Jim Plunkett, 1st overall, Boston Patriots
- Archie Manning, 2nd overall, New Orleans Saints
- Dan Pastorini, 3rd overall, Houston Oilers
- Lynn Dickey, 56th overall, Houston Oilers
- Ken Anderson, 67th overall, Cincinnati Bengals
- Joe Theismann, 99th overall, Miami Dolphins
The 1971 NFL Draft is unique in that most of the quarterbacks selected were great, but they weren’t great with the teams that drafted them. Jim Plunkett was mostly a failure with the Patriots, but he put together two Super Bowl runs with the Oakland Raiders. Joe Theismann was one of the great players of his era (before Lawrence Taylor got a hold of him), but he did most of his damage in Washington D.C., not in Miami. Lynn Dickey was a Packers’ great who made the franchise’s Hall of Fame.
Possibly the most famous name on this list is Archie Manning, who stuck it out in New Orleans despite possibly the worst supporting cast for a superstar quarterback over a prolonged period of time in history. He was lifting up a franchise that was used to putting bags on their heads as fans. Manning was sacked 337 times in his 10-year career, and he had nine losing seasons. He was still one of the most respected players in the league.
Ken Anderson had the most interesting career. He won the NFL MVP in 1981, and he finished his career seventh all-time in passing yards at the time (which is 46th all-time now), showing that he was one of the best of his era. He held multiple records at the time of his retirement, including consecutive passing completions (20), single-game completion percentage (90.9), and Super Bowl completions (25).
Dan Pastroni might not be a household name, but he was a long-time starter for the Oilers and made the 1975 Pro Bowl. Honestly, this entire class is probably underrated. Nobody made the Hall of Fame, but looking back, there are multiple players who could have.
3. 1957 NFL Draft
Notable picks:
- John Brodie, 3rd overall, San Francisco 49ers
- Len Dawson, 5th overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Milt Plum, 17th overall, Cleveland Browns
- Sonny Jurgensen, 43rd overall, Philadelphia Eagles
- Jack Kemp, 203rd overall, Detroit Lions
There are only so many NFL Draft classes that have two Hall of Famers, and we had to go all the way back to before the Super Bowl era to find one of them. In 1957, the NFL Draft consisted of 30 rounds, and the league was just 13 teams. This draft overall was legendary, with running back Jim Brown, running back Paul Hornung, and wide receiver Don Maynard among the nine Hall of Famers in this class.
Len Dawson is an interesting pick since he did nothing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After an unsuccessful rookie campaign, the Steelers traded for Bobby Layne, and Dawson was immediately an afterthought. It took him five years after the draft to find his rightful home. He signed with the Dallas Texans of the AFL, who then moved to Kansas City. He was immediately one of the best players in that league, winning MVP in 1962. He helped the Chiefs win their first Super Bowl in 1969.
Sonny Jurgensen was a traditional backup for the first few years of his career, backing up Bobby Thomason and Norm Van Brocklin. He was on the 1960 championship team, but he was just the holder for field goals. He got the starting job in 1962, but like Dawson, he didn’t build his Hall of Fame career in the city that drafted him. Jurgensen was traded to Washington, and he became the most prolific passer of that generation. He broke multiple records during his career, including single-season passing yards, longest pass, completions in a season, and others that have since been broken.
The depth of this draft is good as well. John Brodie had a decent career in San Francisco. Jack Kemp was fantastic for the Buffalo Bills, winning two AFL Championships. Milt Plum made a career of handing the ball off to Jim Brown and getting out of his way, which earned him two Pro Bowl nods.
2. 2004 NFL Draft
Notable picks:
- Eli Manning, 1st overall, San Diego Chargers
- Philip Rivers, 4th overall, New York Giants
- Ben Roethlisberger, 11th overall, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Matt Schaub, 90th overall, Atlanta Falcons
The class most people think of today as a “great” class is the 2004 quarterback class. It’s so interesting to think about the three quarterbacks at the top. Eli Manning is the superstar by name and statistics at Ole Miss. However, the obvious first-overall pick did not want to play in San Diego, and he forced his way to New Jersey to play with the Giants. The Chargers settled for Philip Rivers, who became the best quarterback in their history. Yes, even better than Dan Fouts. Meanwhile, the Steelers sat back, watched the drama unfold, then celebrated as Ben Roethlisberger fell to them at 11.
The three top QBs went on to win four Super Bowls, go to 18 Pro Bowls, and they hold a bevy of NFL records between them, including Manning’s record for most yards passing in one postseason and Big Ben’s record for completions in a game (47).
These three picks changed the trajectory of their franchises. They all seemed to be perfect fits for what the teams needed at the time. The Chargers had Drew Brees, so only a supreme talent could usurp him. Rivers was as talented as any QB in the league. The Giants needed someone with ice in their veins to survive the New York media circus. Manning was that and then some. The Steelers just needed someone who could match their superior defense, and Roethlisberger was happy to oblige.
Matt Schaub even had a stellar career in this class. He was traded to the Houston Texans, and he finally got that franchise out of the doldrums. He even led the league in passing in 2009 for one of his two Pro Bowl appearances.
1. 1983 NFL Draft
Notable picks:
- John Elway, 1st overall, Baltimore Colts
- Jim Kelly, 14th overall, Buffalo Bills
- Ken O'Brien, 24th overall, New York Jets
- Dan Marino, 27th overall, Miami Dolphins
The top of the list hasn’t changed in decades, and we’re still far away from it happening anytime soon. The 1983 NFL Draft produced three Hall of Famers under center. It had the best quarterback prospect of all time in John Elway, the most prolific passer ever in Dan Marino, and probably the toughest QB of his time in Jim Kelly.
Yet, what we don’t talk about is the insane storylines surrounding this draft. John Elway refused to play for the Colts and forced his way to Denver, where he struggled until he finally got the Super Bowl at the very end of his career. Jim Kelly wasn’t ready to trade his Miami swimsuit for Buffalo snowshoes, so he signed with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL. Todd Blackledge said himself was surprised he was picked before Dan Marino. This was a draft that was built for television, although it might work better on the E! Network.
However, the draft is this high because of the greatness involved. Elway is still probably in the top three of best quarterbacks ever. Dan Marino was so ahead of his time, and he’s the best quarterback to never win a Super Bowl.
Heck, even Ken O’Brien was a great quarterback. The two-time Pro Bowler was as good as the Jets should expect for their franchise, but since he was taken ahead of Dan Marino, that became his legacy. Even with the drama, this is by far the best quarterback class in history.