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NFL Rankings: Top 10 seasons by a rookie QB

By Phil Watson

Dan Marino might have been the last of the first round picks in the famous 1983 quarterback draft, but he was the first to shine in the NFL.
Dan Marino might have been the last of the first round picks in the famous 1983 quarterback draft, but he was the first to shine in the NFL. /
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Jim Plunkett ended up a bust with the New England Patriots, but the 1971 No. 1 overall pick got off to a pretty solid start.
Jim Plunkett ended up a bust with the New England Patriots, but the 1971 No. 1 overall pick got off to a pretty solid start. /

7. Jim Plunkett, New England Patriots, 1971

Jim Plunkett is generally regarded as a bust after being the No. 1 overall pick by the Patriots out of Stanford in 1971, but the former Heisman Trophy winner actually didn’t have a bad rookie campaign.

He just never got much better during five years in New England.

Plunkett started all 14 games for the Patriots in 1971, leading them to a 6-8 record—a four-win improvement over 1970’s 2-12 disaster.

He completed 48.2 percent of his passes for 2,158 yards and 19 touchdowns while throwing 16 interceptions. Plunkett also gained 210 yards on the ground.

The rookie also led the Patriots to one fourth-quarter comeback and had one game-winning drive.

Plunkett was 16-for-29 for a season-high 228 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception, in a 44-21 loss at Dallas on Oct. 24.

His best game was a 21-17 win at Baltimore on Dec. 19—the regular-season finale—during which he was 10-for-17 for 170 yards and two touchdowns.

Plunkett only posted a 68.6 passer rating, but bear in mind that this was a very different time in the NFL—the collective rating in 1971 was 62.0.

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