NFL: Best and Worst First Round QB Classes 2014 to 2023

By: Jonathan Howard, Staff Writer
September 30, 2025

There is no position in American team sports more important than a quarterback. A baseball team can work around bad pitching. A hockey or soccer team can work around a weak goalie. A basketball team can reasonably function without a great point guard. A football team, however, is absolutely lost without a competent quarterback. It’s why franchises are willing to tank seasons for a higher draft pick and willing to overdraft the position to give themselves a chance at finding the next great gun slinger.

But, as you might imagine, not all quarterback classes are created equal. Today we’ll review and rank 10 years of first round pick quarterback classes from worst to best. We’re shifting the data set back a couple years, as ranking the 2024 and 2025 classes is simply unfair at this point.

10) 2022 – Kenny Pickett

With so many quarterbacks eligible for the 2021 draft, the 2022 quarterback class was expected to be weak and a landing spot for guys who weren’t going to be drafted high the previous year. That’s exactly what ended up happening. Kenny Pickett was the only quarterback taken in the first round of the draft, and he lasted until the 20th pick. Pickett’s first four years at the University of Pittsburgh showed promise, but were pretty unremarkable. But as a fifth-year senior he hit a completely different gear, passing for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. There were several questions leading up to the draft about the quarterback’s hand size, leading some to wonder if he’d be turnover prone against the rush in the NFL and in bad weather. In two years, Pickett started 24 games for the Steelers and accumulated a 14-10 record, but threw the same number of touchdowns (13) as interceptions. He spent last season as a backup for Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia and was part of a quarterback battle in Cleveland before getting traded to Las Vegas to backup Geno Smith. The most successful quarterback in this class is San Francisco’s Brock Purdy – who you might remember was the last pick of the draft.

9) 2014: Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater

If nothing else, the 2014 quarterback class left us with a lot of stories. Most of them come from Johnny Manziel, who we’ll address briefly. The first quarterback off the board was Blake Bortles, who was taken by Jacksonville with the third overall pick. The 6-foot-5-inch, 240-pound Bortles compared favorably in stature and style of play to Ben Roethlisberger, and the Jaguars hoped he could bring them similar success that Big Ben had in Pittsburgh. But while Bortles showed flashes – like throwing for 4,428 yards, 35 touchdowns (both franchise records) and leading four game-winning drives in 2015 (a season in which the Jaguars finished 5-11), he also took 106 sacks in his first two seasons combined, and fumbled an NFL-high 14 times in 2015. He took the Jaguars to the playoffs in 2017, but was benched multiple times for poor play in 2018 and was released after the season. He bounced around a few teams as a backup and practice squad player before officially retiring in 2022.

Manziel left the NFL in the same fashion he entered it – loudly. Manziel’s antics at Texas A&M caused him to slip down the draft board until Cleveland picked him at 22. He vowed to “wreck the league” with the Browns in retaliation for being passed over. But Manziel’s dedication to actually learning NFL defenses and taking training seriously was never high on his list of priorities. He struggled with mental health and substance abuse and found himself in trouble with his team and the league multiple times. After two seasons and just eight starts, Manziel was cut by the Browns and never returned to the league. He finished his career with seven touchdowns, seven interceptions and 1,675 passing yards. Manziel’s story is told from his point of view in Netflix’s Untold: Johnny Football.

On the other end of the spectrum from Manziel is Teddy Bridgewater, who was recently fired from his job as a high school football coach in Miami for basically being a good human being. Bridgewater was taken with the final pick of the first round by the Minnesota Vikings, who were looking to upgrade from the depth chart of Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder. When Cassel broke his foot early in the season, Bridgewater stepped in as the starter and threw for 2,919 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games. The next season he made the Pro Bowl after throwing for 3,231 yards and 14 touchdowns and taking the Vikings to the playoffs. But a gruesome knee injury during the 2016 preseason effectively took Bridgewater out for two whole seasons. With his career in question, Minnesota released him after the 2017 season. The Louisville alum made one-year stints as the starting quarterback in Carolina and Denver, but has primarily served as a backup in New Orleans, Miami, Detroit and Tampa Bay.

8) 2021: Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones

The quarterback class of 2021, led by Trevor Lawrence, was expected to be one of the strongest in memory. But, the class very quickly fizzled out. While Lawrence, the first overall pick in the draft, has been the starter for Jacksonville since day one, no other quarterback taken in the first round remains with their original team. Despite his longevity, Lawrence hasn’t been able to get the Jaguars over the hump. After a rough rookie season in which he threw more interceptions than touchdowns, Lawrence bounced back to throw for 4,113 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2022. He also helped deliver the Jaguars their first playoff win since 2017 and was named to the Pro Bowl. Since then, Jacksonville hasn’t returned to the playoffs and Lawrence’s statistics have placed him middle of the pack at best among NFL quarterbacks.

Zach Wilson, the second overall pick to the Jets, was a disaster from the start. Wilson threw for more interceptions (25) than touchdowns (23) and never completed more than 60 percent of his passes in three seasons in New York. He’s since served as a backup in Denver and Miami. He’s more famous for rumors around his dating life … and his mom … than he is for his play on the field.

Trey Lance was taken third overall by San Francisco and drew comparisons to former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He played well in limited action behind starter Jimmy Garoppolo and won the starting job the following year. However a season-ending ankle injury in week two ultimately led to the rise of Brock Purdy. Lance was traded to the Cowboys the following season, and now backs up Justin Herbert in Los Angeles.

Justin Fields was drafted 11th overall by Chicago to be the replacement for Mitch Trubisky and started 38 games over three seasons for the Bears. He proved to be an electric dual threat, accounting for over 2,200 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns in his three seasons. However, his passing was often inconsistent, throwing 30 interceptions to go with his 40 touchdowns, and a completion percentage below the league average. When the Bears moved on in favor of drafting Caleb Williams, Fields signed with Pittsburgh, where he was given the chance to start. Last season he led the Steelers to a 4-2 record and accounted for 10 total touchdowns before head coach Mike Tomlin decided to replace him with Russell Wilson. Fields is now the starting quarterback for the Jets, but has already faced injury issues.

Lastly, Mac Jones was drafted 15th overall by New England and looked to be effective right out of the gate. Head coach Bill Belichick was comfortable enough with Jones to make former starter Cam Newton one of the final cuts from the roster before the season opened. Jones became the first rookie starting quarterback in New England since Drew Bledsoe did it nearly 30 years before him. Jones was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie after throwing for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns and leading the Patriots to the playoffs. However, back and ankle injuries limited Jones’ abilities and games played and his statistics suffered. The 2023 season was an even worse drop off for the Patriots and for Jones. Jones threw for 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while the Patriots sputtered to a 2-9 record through 11 games. The Patriots lost 10-7 to the Giants in week 12, the franchise’s first loss at New York since 1987, and Mac Jones was replaced at starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. Jones threw eight touchdowns and eight interceptions for the Jaguars last season while making seven starts in place of Lawrence, who had suffered a season-ending concussion. He’s made multiple starts in San Francisco this season while Brock Purdy heals from shoulder and foot injuries.

7) 2015: Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota

Winners of the 2013 and 2014 Heisman Trophies respectively, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were considered top prospects in the class of 2015 and taken with picks one and two to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans. The quarterbacks had a combined record of 61-4 at Florida State and Oregon. But in the pros, it was a different story. Winston’s career started relatively high – he passed for over 4,000 yards, 22 touchdowns and was a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie. In year two, he increased his passing yardage and touchdowns (but also his interceptions) and nearly took the Bucs to the playoffs. But the next three years were a constant struggle for Winston and the team. It was exemplified in his final season in Tampa, 2019, where he threw for a league-high 5,109 yards and threw 33 touchdowns … but also threw a league high 30 interceptions. He also had double-digit fumbles in three of his five seasons in Tampa Bay and never made the playoffs. Tampa chose not to re-sign Winston at the end of his contract and instead signed Tom Brady. Winston signed with New Orleans, where he’d back up Drew Brees for a season before taking the reins as the starter. When given the chance to start again, Winston appeared to be a new man. He led the Saints to a 5-2 record, passed for 1,170 yards and had a 4.6-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio before injuries sustained during a week eight game against his former team cost him the rest of his season. Winston never regained form and spent the majority of the next two years backing up Andy Dalton and Derek Carr before moving on to Cleveland where his touchdown or interception and nothing in between style came back to life.

Mariota had a five-season stint in Tennessee in which he led the Titans to the playoffs only one time. He was never bad, per se, but he did little to elevate himself as more than a game manager. He passed for a career-high 3,426 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2016, but a broken leg towards the end of the season started an avalanche of injuries that would follow him throughout his career. By 2019 the Titans coaching staff thought a change was necessary, and he was benched after six games in favor of Ryan Tannehill. After two years as a backup for the Raiders, Mariota once again had the chance to start with Atlanta, but after 13 games was replaced by Desmond Ridder. He’s since served as a backup to Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia and Jaylen Daniels in Washington.

6) 2019: Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones, Dwayne Haskins

In 2019 the Arizona Cardinals were looking to move on from its one-year experiment with Josh Rosen and find a quarterback to fit first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive system. With the first pick the Cardinals took Kyler Murray, who passed for 4,361 yards, rushed for 1,001, accounted for 54 touchdowns and won the Heisman Trophy in his only season as a starter at Oklahoma. The pick proved to be valid as Murray collected Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after accumulating over 4,200 yards of total offense and 24 touchdowns. He continued to improve statistically over the next two seasons, both of which ended in a Pro Bowl selection, and appearance in the 2021 playoffs. However, the following season was poor for the Cardinals and only got worse when Murray tore his ACL in the 11th game of the season. The injury caused him to miss the first half of the 2023 season as well. He returned to form last year, totaling 4,423 yards of offense and 26 total touchdowns in an 8-9 campaign.

It’s easy to look at Daniel Jones’ time in New York and label him as a bust – but I’m not sure how many quarterbacks could survive the myriad of issues the Giants have had over the last several seasons. Nonetheless, Jones was drafted in 2019 to bring the organization back to the Super Bowl winning seasons Eli Manning helped provide just a few years before. Jones threw for over 3,000 yards and 24 touchdowns as a rookie, but the team as a whole was weak over his first two seasons. After a neck injury sidelined Jones for the back half of the 2021 season, he returned in 2022 to throw for a career-high 3,205 yards and added another 708 on the ground while accounting for 22 total touchdowns. The Giants finished the year 9-6-1 and won a playoff game in their first appearance since 2016. However, an ACL tear cut Jones’ 2023 season short and 2024 proved to be a disaster. His reputation on the way out of New York was not stellar, but he is possibly on the same sort of career redemption arc as Sam Darnold (more on that later). After signing with Indianapolis, Jones has taken hold of the starting quarterback position and thrown for 816 yards while completing 71 percent of his passes through three games.

The career arc of Dwayne Haskins is sad. When Alex Smith went down with a gruesome leg injury in 2018, Washington was in need of a quarterback. Then owner Dan Snyder made the call to draft Haskins with the 15th pick, allegedly against the wishes of head coach Jay Gruden. There were rumors of Haskins being unprepared … but also rumors of the coaching staff doing little to get him prepared. He started 13 games over two seasons, throwing for 2,804 yards and 12 touchdowns against 14 interceptions before being cut. He signed with the Steelers as a backup quarterback in 2021, but his life was tragically cut short in 2022 when he was fatally struck by a truck while walking on a highway.

5) 2023: Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson

If we are to revisit this list in five years, this class could go up or down by two spots. The first overall pick will have a lot to do with it. The Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young at the top spot to bring stability to a position that had eight different players start between 2018 and 2022. But as the Panthers have struggled, so too has Young. Carolina finished 2-14 in his rookie campaign while the quarterback threw for 2,877 yards and just 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Young continued to struggle last season and was benched early on in favor of Andy Dalton. However, he showed promise after regaining the starting position, finishing with 2,403 yards and 15 touchdowns. So far 2025 has been feast or famine. Young threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns in a close loss to Arizona in week two, but opened the season with two interceptions in a loss to Jacksonville. He completed 67 percent of his passes in a stunning 30-0 win over Atlanta in week three.

While Young struggled, C.J. Stroud gave Houston a reason to believe another star quarterback had made his way to Texas. The second overall pick threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns against just five interceptions, leading to a Pro Bowl selection and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Stroud led the Texans back to the playoffs after a three-year absence. He repeated the feat last season, but individually, his production took a downward turn. He threw for fewer yards, fewer touchdowns, doubled his interception count and was sacked 52 times. This season hasn’t started out much better with three losses and more interceptions than touchdowns.

While Young and Stroud were looked at as talents with high floors, Anthony Richardson was seen as a quarterback with an extremely high ceiling. The Florida product was drafted fourth by the Indianapolis Colts, who loved his big arm and athleticism. He made four starts during his rookie campaign before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the season. Richardson totaled just over 700 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns before the injury. Any good feelings from those four games didn’t carry over to 2024. Injuries sidelined Richardson for four games last season and he was benched for ineffective play twice. His passing was wildly inaccurate, as he completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (80). He added nearly 500 yards on the ground, but also fumbled nine times. He lost his starting position to Daniel Jones before the start of the 2025 season.

4) 2016: Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Paxton Lynch

When Jared Goff replaced Case Keenum as the L.A. Rams’ starting quarterback midway through the 2016 season, the draft’s first overall pick was thrown into a dumpster fire. The franchise hadn’t had a winning season since 2003 or a playoff appearance since 2004. Goff and the rest of the Rams generally looked poor as the clock ran out on Steve Fisher’s time as head coach. But when Sean McVay was hired the following season, the team – and Goff’s career – got a serious boost. Goff made the Pro Bowl in each of his next two seasons and combined to throw for 8,492 yards and 60 touchdowns while the Rams returned to the playoffs and made a Super Bowl appearance. But the following two seasons provided a downturn for Goff. While his combined yardage total between 2019 and 2020 was similar to that of the previous two seasons, his touchdowns dropped, his interceptions went up and his quarterback rating plummeted. Los Angeles needed a change at quarterback, and as it turned out, so did Detroit, where Matthew Stafford’s effectiveness and health were in question. The teams swapped quarterbacks, and it’s worked out well for both. Stafford took the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2021. Goff struggled in his first year under center for the Lions, but has since made two Pro Bowls and led the team to its highest win total in franchise history (15) last season. His passing yardage and touchdown total has increased every year in Detroit. Last season he completed 72.4 percent of his passes and had a QBR of 65.4.

Throughout his career, Carson Wentz has shown flashes of greatness. After an inconsistent rookie season, Wentz had the 2017 Eagles out to an 11-2 start, had thrown for nearly 3,300 yards and 33 touchdowns and led the NFL with a 78.6 QBR before torn ligaments in his knee cost him the remainder of the season. Nick Foles famously went on to lead that team to a Super Bowl win over Tom Brady and the Patriots. When Wentz returned in 2018, his completion percentage went up nearly 10 points, but the team struggled to regain its form from the year before. He once again missed the back half of the season due to a back injury. He returned the next season to throw for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. But by 2020, things had gone seriously wrong. In 12 games Wentz had thrown a league-high 15 interceptions and was sacked a league-worst 50 times. His completion percentage dipped below 60 percent and his quarterback rating a career-worst (at the time) 41.9. He was eventually benched for then rookie Jalen Hurts and traded to Indianapolis in the offseason, where he was a one-year starter. He’s since made stops, primarily as a backup/emergency starter in Washington, Los Angeles, Kansas City and Minnesota.

Finally, there’s Paxton Lynch. The 26th pick in the draft out of Memphis was just another case of having the athletic tools to be an NFL football player, but the inability to put it all together. Denver took Lynch after the quarterback threw for 3,776 yards and 28 touchdowns during his senior season at Memphis. The 6-foot-7-inch, 240-pound Lynch seemed to never fully grasp what the Broncos needed from him and was unable to Trevor Siemian or Brock Osweiler. By 2018 Case Keenum had been named the Broncos’ starting quarterback and Lynch was demoted to third string in favor or Chad Kelly. He was later cut before the season started and never appeared in an NFL game again. In five career games (four starts), Lynch threw for 792 yards, four touchdowns, four interceptions and was sacked nine times.

3) 2017: Mitch Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson

Patrick Mahomes is currently doing an awful lot of lifting here, and he likely won’t get help anytime soon. With three Super Bowl wins, two AP MVP awards, three Super Bowl MVPs, six Pro Bowls and two All-Pro nods, the 10th pick will be in the Hall of Fame donning a Kansas City Chiefs jersey one day. He led the NFL with 5,250 passing yards and 41 touchdowns in 2022 and also led the league wtih 50 passing scores in 2018. He’s on to pace to break into the top 30 of career yardage and top 20 of touchdown passes this season and is ahead of the pace set by Hall of Fame quarterbacks at the same age.

DeShaun Watson looked like he might be headed in the same direction after being drafted 12th by Houston. Watson was selected to three Pro Bowls as the Texans’ starting quarterback and led the team to the playoffs in 2018 and 2019. Houston took a nose dive in 2020, but Watson still managed to throw for a league-high 4,823 yards and threw for 33 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. But some highly publicized legal trouble cost Watson his 2021 season, and when he eventually signed with Cleveland in 2022, he was suspended for the first 11 games. When he did eventually make it onto the field, the talent that was obvious in Houston simply didn’t show itself. Injuries cost Watson the majority of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, as well as the beginning of 2025. Once he returns, he could potentially start – but will he be able to regain the form he showed in Houston?

Trubisky never flashed that sort of potential, but looked like he might be on the right track to being a solid starter in his second season in Chicago, when he guided the Bears to 11 wins in 14 starts, threw for 3,223 yards and 24 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl. But by his third season, inconsistent play put the former second pick at odds with head coach Matt Nagy. He was officially benched in favor of Nick Foles midway through the 2020 season. While he had an opportunity to be Pittsburgh’s starter in 2022 while Kenny Pickett got adjusted, he never found a groove. He’s been most successful as Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo, where the coaching staff loves him.

2) 2020: Joe Burrow, Tua Tagavailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love

This is a rare class while all members are not only producing – but on a high level and there is still potential to be tapped. Joe Burrow, the first overall pick in the draft, led the NFL with 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns a season ago. He’s twice been named Comeback Player of the Year after injuries cut seasons short, and he led Cincinnati to an appearance in Super Bowl LVI, where the Bengals fell short to the Rams. The injury bug has caught him once again this season, as he was diagnosed with turf toe after being helped off the field during the week two win over Jacksonville. Is Comeback Player of the Year in the cards for a third time?

Tua Tagavailoa was named to the Pro Bowl in 2023 after leading the NFL with 4,624 passing yards. Up until this season, the Dolphins have been a winning franchise when he’s been on the field. Heading into this season, the fifth overall pick had a 38-24 record as a starter in five seasons. The problem is he’s also had an issue with injuries, missing time with a fractured hip as well as multiple concussions.

Justin Herbert hasn’t missed much time for the L.A. Chargers, who selected him sixth overall. Coming into this season, Herbert had played – and started – in 79 games. The Oregon alum won Rookie of the Year in 2020 after throwing for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns. He followed it up in 2021 with a Pro Bowl nod after throwing for over 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns. The last two seasons have seen a drop off from those sorts of numbers, but a lack of true playmakers and a heavier reliance on the running game are more culpable for that than the quarterback. The Chargers brought back Keenan Allen in the offseason and it's helped Herbert immensely. Through three weeks he unexpectedly leads the NFL in passing with 860 yards.

Much like Aaron Rodgers before him, Jordan Love bided his time before becoming the starter in Green Bay, which took him 26th overall. After two years as a backup, Love took the reins as the Packers’ starter in 2023 and has looked every bit the part. In his first two seasons under center Love threw for over 7,500 yards and 57 touchdowns while adding 330 yards rushing and five touchdowns on the ground.

1) 2018: Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson

For a while, it seemed that this class would have more duds than studs. While Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have a combined three MVPs and consistently have the Bills and Ravens in the playoffs, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen were walking in the weeds.

Rosen, the 10th pick in the draft, started 13 games as a rookie for the Arizona Cardinals, but had more turnovers (19) than touchdowns (11). He was cut after just one season and never started more than three games the rest of his career. By 2022 he was out of the league. While Mayfield and Darnold were never in danger of a similar fate, both saw their careers as starters with the team that drafted them – Mayfield with the Browns (1st overall) and Darnold with the Jets (3rd overall) – end unceremoniously.

After four years in Cleveland, Mayfield spent the 2022 season with Carolina and the L.A. Rams before unexpectedly becoming the heir apparent to Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. Last season Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns – both career highs – while taking the Buccaneers to the playoffs.

Darnold spent two years in Carolina and one in San Francisco before being signed by Minnesota to provide a steady hand until first-round pick J.J. McCarthy was ready. But when McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury before week one, Darnold was thrust into the starting position. He then put up the best season of his career, passing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns and took the Vikings to the playoffs. Darnold signed with Seattle in the offseason and has led the team to a 2-1 record to start the season, putting a damper on those that felt the Minnesota receivers, particularly Justin Jefferson, made him look better.

I don’t think I need to sell anyone on Jackson and Allen, whose highlights routinely lead ESPN’s SportsCenter every Monday morning. In all this class ended up with four playoff-caliber quarterbacks, a pair of MVP winners and a likely eventual Super Bowl champion. That’s hard to beat.