Recent NFL Draft history shows trading up for a quarterback is a path to ruin

The right quarterback can change a football team's fortune. Investing wisely can set a team up for years of success, but what if the investment goes wrong?

Also what if you mortgage the future to make such an investment and it goes wrong. The short answer is: it's crippling. The NFL Draft is a prime example of it, specifically when teams trade up into the top five to select a top college quarterback.

Picking in the Top 5 does not automatically mean success or instant failure. It's a crapshoot, and you just hope the player you land on is the one that turns around your franchise. However, since 1998, 10 times has a team moved up into the Top five of the draft or even within the top five have moved up to select a quarterback. The results? Largely mixed, and far more misses than hits.

Trading into the Top 5 for a QB has high risks, and recent history shows it usually ends up in disappointment.

That list alone is enough to say ouch. Ryan Leaf is a clear example. Though he has rehabilitated and become a better man now from his past, his tenure with the Chargers is one of the worst in NFL History since eclipsed by Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell. Michael Vick was electric in Atlanta before the dogfighting scandal wrecked everything.

RGIII was a star as a rookie for the team once known as the Redskins now Commanders, but injuries and a poor culture in Washington proved to be detrimental. Goff did take the Rams to the Super Bowl and is now with the Lions. Wentz was on his way to becoming MVP in 2017 before tearing an ACL and watching Nick Foles lead the Birds to their first-ever Super Bowl title. However, neither of the 2016 QBs can be considered elite, notably Wentz who is now a backup in KC after stops with two other spots in Washington and Indianapolis.

Mark Sanchez had two trips to the AFC Title Game, but the Butt Fumble and several other instances of erratic play doomed the Big Apple. Bears fans cringe at Mitchell Trubisky and rightfully so. Passing on Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson? No need to go any further. Trey Lance was extremely disappointing, playing in only four games for the 49ers before being traded to Dallas.

The last being Bryce Young and his rookie season was enough for the Bears to get the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight year, likely to be used on Caleb Williams with the hope of erasing the Trubisky memories for eternity.

There is a lesson to be learned from all of this, and hopefully, the Jets read this. The draft is by no means a guarantee for success, it's just an opportunity to improve your team, and it is on the team to do their research and make the right picks. Other positions have worked out just fine, but in this day and age, the quarterback takes precedence. Maybe 2024 will provide another instance to this list?