NFL Draft: Remember the Last Time a Quarterback Wasn’t Selected First?

It doesn’t appear likely that a quarterback will have his name called with the first pick during the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas on April 28.

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A long time ago in this same galaxy, drafting a quarterback with the first overall pick in the NFL draft was far from a frequent occurrence.

Let’s go back more than half a century. The first NFL draft was in 1936. The Common Draft Era began in 1967 after seven years of the National Football League and American Football League conducting separate selection processes (1960-66). The first player taken in ’67 was Michigan State University defensive tackle Bubba Smith. A year later it was USC tackle Ron Yary, who wound up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And in 1969, another Southern Cal Trojan was tabbed again in running back OJ Simpson, who also has a bust in Canton, Ohio.

So the first quarterback taken No. 1 overall in the common draft era was Louisiana Tech signal-caller Terry Bradshaw. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers. All told, there were just eight quarterbacks picked first in the first 31 years of the common draft. The other seven? Jim Plunkett (1971), Steve Bartkowski (1975), John Elway (1983), Vinny Testaverde (1987), Troy Aikman (1989), Jeff George (1990) and Drew Bledsoe (1993).

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The Quarterback Turning Point

Things changed in 1998 with the Indianapolis Colts’ decision to take University of Tennessee product Peyton Manning. Hence, in the last 24 drafts, a quarterback has been selected first 18 times. That includes the last four years in Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns), Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals), Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals), and Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars), respectively.

So who is the answer to the original question? That would be talented defensive end Myles Garrett, selected by the Cleveland Browns with the first overall pick in 2017. And the former Texas A&M product has had quite the career to date. The three-time Pro Bowler has been named All-Pro the last two years. In 68 regular-season contests, Garrett has totaled an imposing 58.5 sacks and 11 forced fumbles.

As for 2022, the two names you hear the most in terms of the first pick are both defensive ends. There’s University of Georgia’s Travon Walker and University of Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson. And it wouldn’t be a shock if a quarterback doesn’t crack the Top 10 selections. As usual, it figures to be an interesting few days – this time in Las Vegas.