There is no more important position in the NFL than quarterback, which is why so many teams gamble in the draft in the hopes of finding that elusive franchise QB. While some of these signal-callers didn't fulfill their potential with the teams that drafted them, they all eventually proved worthy of their draft status.
Namath was drafted by both the AFL's New York Jets and NFL's St. Louis Cardinals in 1965. Of course, he opted to sign with the Jets and went on to have a Hall of Fame career.
Oh, what could have been. The Falcons drafted Favre 33rd overall out of Southern Miss in 1991, only to trade him one year later to Green Bay for a first-round pick. Favre went on to have a Hall of Fame career, winning three MVPs and going to 11 Pro Bowls. Other notable of Atlanta's drafted quarterbacks include Steve Bartkowski, Michael Vick and Matt Ryan.
2008 first-round pick Joe Flacco won a Super Bowl MVP with the Ravens, but his career with the team ended in disappointment. Replaced by first-round pick Lamar Jackson in 2018, the Ravens have found another franchise player. Jackson is arguably the league's most exciting and multi-dimensional quarterback since Michael Vick, going 6-1 in his rookie campaign as a starter and 13-2 en route to the NFL MVP in 2019. He had a staggering 36 touchdown passes to go along with 1,206 yards rushing in 2019, and Jackson's career is just getting started.
Kelly was drafted 14th overall in 1983 and notoriously said he wasn't going to Buffalo after spending his college years at Miami. Instead, he went to the USFL but ended up with the Bills in 1986. Over 11 seasons in Buffalo, Kelly led the Bills to four Super Bowl losses and went to five Pro Bowls. He's now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Panthers have drafted eight quarterbacks in their brief history, and Newton has been far and away their best in only seven seasons. He had a career 68-55-1 record before the Panthers released him in 2020, and he won MVP honors in 2015 while leading the team to the Super Bowl. Kerry Collins, drafted fifth overall in 1995, is clearly the team's second-best quarterback ever drafted.
The Bears drafted Bobby Layne and Blanda in consecutive years, and they are both Hall of Famers. Blanda won the 1961 AFL MVP and the 1970 NFL MVP playing with Chicago, Houston and Oakland. Layne appeared in only 11 games with the Bears and was a three-time NFL champion with the Lions. More recent notable Bears draftees are Jim McMahon (1982), Jim Harbaugh (1987) and Mitchell Trubisky (2017).
Anderson edges out Boomer Esiason and Carson Palmer in a close race. Anderson made four Pro Bowls and won the NFL MVP in 1981. He's the organization's all-time leader in wins, passing yards and passing touchdowns. He was taken in the third round in 1971.
Have Browns quarterbacks always been cursed? You could say so. Sipe edges out Milt Plum as the best draftee ever, as he won the 1980 NFL MVP after going in the 13th round in 1972. Recent Browns draft disasters include Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel. Fans are hoping 2018 first -rounder Baker Mayfield bucks the trend.
Drafted in the 10th round out of Navy, Staubach went on to win one NFL MVP, make six Pro Bowls and have his number retired. Troy Aikman isn't far behind Staubach as another Pro Football Hall of Famer, drafted by Dallas in 1989.
For all the success the Broncos have had over the last 20-plus years, they can point to Cutler as their best quarterback ever drafted. He played only three seasons with the Broncos before getting traded to Chicago but leads all Denver quarterback draftees in nearly every category.
Tittle edges out 1944 fourth overall pick Otto Graham as the Lions' best quarterback ever drafted. Tittle never actually played for the Lions, starting his pro career with the Baltimore Colts. He won four NFL MVP Awards and had his number retired by the Giants.
With apologies to Bart Starr, Aaron Rodgers is the best Packers quarterback ever drafted. He fell to the Packers at 24th overall in 2005, and since then he has won two MVP Awards and appeared in eight Pro Bowls.
Houston spent its first draft choice ever on David Carr, yet Watson's success has already surpassed Carr's. He took the league by storm in his rookie season before injuring his knee but had a great second year with 4,165 yards passing and 26 touchdowns, along with 551 yards rushing. Watson didn't quite match those numbers in his third year but still went 10-5 as a starter during the 2019 regular season.
Manning ironically beats out John Elway as the best quarterback ever drafted by the Colts and arguably the best quarterback to ever play. The future Hall of Famer shattered records during his 18-year NFL career, winning five MVPs, making 14 Pro Bowls and claiming two Super Bowl wins. He finished his career working under Broncos general manager John Elway in Denver.
Garrard had a solid yet brief career. He went 39-37 as a starter with the Jags after being drafted in the fourth round, and he passed for more than 16,000 yards over his career. 2014 first-round pick Blake Bortles failed to find as much success, going 24-49 as a starter in five seasons.
Yes, Staubach was drafted by both the NFL's Cowboys and AFL's Chiefs. He opted to sign with the Cowboys when he started his career in 1969 after serving in the Navy and went on to have a Hall of Fame career. Of course, an argument can be made for 2017 first-round pick Patrick Mahomes already, as he won NFL MVP in 2018 and led the franchise to its second Super Bowl victory in 2019.
Marino is the second Hall of Fame quarterback the Dolphins ever drafted, with Bob Griese the first. His stats are some of the most impressive ever, throwing for more than 61,000 yards with 420 touchdown passes over his career. He went to nine Pro Bowls and won the NFL MVP in 1984. Joe Theismann was another notable Dolphins draftee.
Sorry, Brad Johnson, but there's no debating this one. Tarkenton is a Pro Football Hall of Famer after throwing for more than 47,000 yards over his career, winning the 1975 MVP and being named to nine Pro Bowls.
Fran Tarkenton was drafted by the Pats in the fifth round in 1961 before signing with the Vikings. That was the organization's best quarterback ever drafted until Tom Brady came along. The future Hall of Famer has won six Super Bowls and three MVPs and has been named to 14 Pro Bowls.
Selected second overall in 1971, Manning's Saints were never good, but that wasn't all his fault. He went 35-101-3 as a starter but still threw for nearly 24,000 yards over his career. Of course, he's now better known as Peyton and Eli's father. The team doesn't have a rich history with quarterback drafting, with Marc Bulger being the only other one it's drafted with significant time as a starter.
Rivers was drafted fourth overall in 2004 before getting traded to the Chargers for Eli Manning. He's had a steady career, going 123-101 as a starter and being named to eight Pro Bowls before leaving for Indianapolis in 2020. He has the most passing yards of any Giants quarterback ever drafted, easily beating out Phil Simms.
Going first overall in 1965, Namath is the only Hall of Fame quarterback the Jets have ever drafted. Even though he played in a long-ago era, he still leads all Jets quarterback draftees in career passing yards.
Stabler had an excellent career after going in the second round, with four Pro Bowls and an NFL MVP Award in 1974. He won Super Bowl XI and retired with nearly 28,000 career passing yards. Fellow Raiders draftees Roman Gabriel and Craig Morton are awfully close to Stabler in accomplishments, and Raiders fans hope Derek Carr is in the discussion as his career develops.
The Eagles have had some solid quarterbacks drafted in their history, but Jurgensen is clearly their best. The Hall of Famer led the NFL in passing yards five times and was a First-Team All-Pro twice. He retired with more than 32,000 passing yards, playing more years in Washington than Philly.
Believe it or not, Unitas was released by the Steelers after they drafted him in the ninth round in 1955. He joined the Colts the following year, and the rest is history. He won four MVPs, made 10 Pro Bowls, was a three-time NFL champion and won Super Bowl V. Hall of Famers Jim Finks, Len Dawson and Terry Bradshaw were also drafted by the Steelers, while Ben Roethlisberger is also likely to be enshrined in Canton one day.
Brees was selected 32nd overall in 2001 after the Chargers selected LaDainian Tomlinson in the first round. He spent five years with San Diego before hurting his shoulder and signing with the Saints in free agency, where he's done most of his damage. He's led the NFL in passing yards seven times and passing touchdowns four times, and he made 13 Pro Bowls. He also led the Saints to a win in Super Bowl XLIV. John Hadl, Hall of Famer Dan Fouts, Trent Green and Eli Manning are other notable quarterbacks drafted by the Chargers.
Montana is the only Hall of Fame quarterback the 49ers ever drafted. Going in the third round, Montana went on to win four Super Bowls and two MVPs, and he made eight Pro Bowls.
Eight seasons into his career, Wilson is clearly the best Seahawks quarterback ever drafted. He's gone 86-41-1 so far, leading the team to two NFC championship wins and a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII. He's also been to six Pro Bowls.
The Rams selected both Hall of Famers Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield (1944). Van Brocklin went 61-36-4 during his NFL career, won two NFL championships and the 1960 MVP and made nine Pro Bowls. He has a long way to go, but 2016 first overall draft choice, Jared Goff, is off to a nice start with two Pro Bowls in four years.
The Bucs organization has lost more than it's won during its history, and Testaverde is the team's most accomplished quarterback. He went first overall in 1987 and started 214 games in his career, making two Pro Bowls. Other notable Bucs draftees include Doug Williams and Trent Dilfer, but 2015 first overall draft choice Jameis Winston didn't pan out for the franchise.
Air McNair went third overall out of Alcorn State. He went to three Pro Bowls during his career and was the 2003 MVP. McNair went 91-62 during his career as a starter.
Baugh was the Washington organization's first quarterback ever drafted, going sixth overall. He's also the organization's only Hall of Fame quarterback ever drafted after winning two NFL championships and two NFL Player of the Year Awards.
Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. He doesn't often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto.
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