The argument was made by Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. for Kenny Pickett to go to the Carolinas with the sixth pick. (0:51) It is almost unthinkable now. The stuff of football legend, a Sasquatch story people with gray around the temples tell once in a while and they swear it is true no matter what you have heard before. In 1996, no quarterback was selected in the first round. It was the fifth time since the 1970 merger that it has happened. Broncos general manager George Paton does not think that will happen again. There are too many quarterbacks who are too sophisticated in that regard compared to a couple of decades ago. The position has become more important than ever. It is not a question of if a quarterback will be selected in the first round, but how many will be selected in the first 10 picks. Five quarterbacks went in the first round of the draft in 2021, and three went in the first three picks. In 2020, four quarterbacks were picked in the first round, and Joe Burrow was the first pick. Three quarterbacks went in the first round in 2019. The financial penalty for failure is less expensive than it used to be, thanks to the fact that the position is so important. A quarterback has not been the top pick in the last 25 drafts. Tony Banks was selected with the 42nd pick in the 1996 draft. The Rams are from Louis. Banks, Kanell and Hoying were the three quarterbacks selected before the fourth round. No quarterback went in the first round, but how many of those guys went on to start for a team? Johnson is correct. Banks had 78 career starts with St. Louis, Baltimore and Houston. Kanell started at least 24 games. Four of the quarterbacks selected that year never attempted a pass in a regular-season game. McShay and Kiper have the same rank.
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• More coverage » | Full rankings »So what happened in 1996?
There were no quarterbacks who were worthy of a first-round pick, none of them were doing the things that myself, Jonathan Ogden, Kevin Hardy, and Simeon Rice were doing and were able to do.
Three Hall of Famers were selected in the first round that year. Rice would go on to win the defensive rookies of the year, while George would win the offensive rookies of the year.
None of the quarterbacks from 1996 were selected in the first round. The zeal to find a quarterback has grown so much since 1996 that teams will not let it happen in the first round.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said at the scouting combine that the position is so critical that everything goes into it. There are a lot of things that go into it. Just like every other position. The importance of that position makes your decision critical.
Three quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the playoffs. The only one who has been selected to the Pro Bowl is the one taken with the last pick of the first round. Only one quarterback from that draft has thrown for more than 18,000 yards, and that is Carr.
The 1997 and 2007 drafts had only one quarterback selected in the opening round, and the only quarterback selected in the first round was Jim Druckenmiller.
Since the merger, only five drafts have gone without a first-round quarterback.
| Year | No. 1 pick | 1st QB taken |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Keyshawn Johnson | Tony Banks, No. No. 42, St. Louis Rams |
| 1988 | Aundray Bruce | Tom Tupa, No. 64, Phoenix Cardinals |
| 1985 | Bruce Smith | Randall Cunningham, No. 37, Philadelphia Eagles |
| 1984 | Irving Fryar | Boomer Esiason, No. 38, Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1974 | Ed "Too Tall" Jones | Danny White, No. 53, Dallas Cowboys |
This year's class was initially labeled a down year for quarterbacks, but in their latest mock drafts, three of them will be selected in the first round.
Paton said the quarterback class is like the quarterback class this year. They perform well at the Senior Bowl and pro days. They have passed every test other than the hype test.
The demand for a franchise passer is higher than ever and the supply hasn't increased at the same pace. Teams will often reach on a quarterback early in the first round in order to get a passer graded so they can win the thrower lottery.
It has grown in importance, but if you can't throw it under pressure, you won't be successful. If you draft a quarterback in the first round because you need one, and you don't think he's a first-round pick, you're probably going to get fired. It isn't going to make the guy better just because you took him in the first round.
Pro day throws against no defenders are the stuff of fire that is sent coast-to-coast and quarterback workouts at the scouting combine are televised in prime time. It's unlikely that a first round will be without a quarterback.
Paton said that it would be an outlier year. Too many teams need one every year and they will not sit it out.
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