#1 Drafted Quarterbacks: Six Fun Facts

And why so few are special

“NFL” by jonathan_moreau is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970 to form the larger NFL, 25 quarterbacks have been taken with the first overall pick pick in the draft. Eight were selected from 1970 to 1997. 17 were taken in the last 23 drafts.

But I was curious how beneficial it’s been to draft a quarterback #1 overall. I’m looking at the 22 quarterbacks drafted up through 2016’s Jared Goff because Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Joe Burrow haven’t played enough for a proper evaluation.

I’m also looking at the years in which the quarterbacks played for the team that drafted them (or, in cases like John Elway and Eli Manning, played for the team that traded for them prior to their rookie seasons). Carson Palmer’s Pro Bowl years with the Cardinals did nothing for the Bengals, the team that drafted him. Those years don’t count. The Patriots drafted Jim Plunkett and saw him finally succeed with the Raiders a decade later. Plunkett’s two rings with the Raiders don’t count.

Here’s what I’ve learned.

1. The 22 quarterbacks played a combined 184 seasons for their first team. That’s 8 seasons on average. They’ve won 19 conference titles and 12 Super Bowls, and went to 53 Pro Bowls.
2. On the other hand, the 22 quarterbacks accounted for just 80 winning seasons…