One of the most common criticisms of teams who took quarterbacks in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft is that they should’ve waited until next year.
After all, there was clearly no consensus on which of the top quarterback prospects – Mitch Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer, etc – would be the best of their class in 2017, while 2018 offered, at a minimum, difference choices (many of which were expected to be better alternatives).
The Chicago Bears were one of those teams, of course, and they joined the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans as groups who traded up to take their quarterback-of-the-future type in the first round this year.
But what if they weren’t wrong? What if that franchise-changing quarterback every team covets isn’t available in 2018?
That’s the question posed by Bucky Brooks, who writes that there are no sure-fire franchise quarterbacks in the 2018 draft class. Well, then.
USC’s Sam Darnold, for example, is generally considered to be the top QB prospect for next year (as of now). And although he may look the part (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), Darnold isn’t the most polished passer and will have a tough transition into a pro-style offense. Wyoming’s Josh Allen (6-foot-5, 222 pounds), on the other hand, also has the ideal build and experience running a pro style offense, but accuracy issues (56% completion rate) and a gunslinger mentality could be considered red flags by talent evaluators.
UCLA’s Josh Rosen has been a two-year starter, but he enters his junior year coming off a season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder that required surgery. Brooks also notes that Rosen enters the year needing to answer scouts’ questions surrounding his “prickly personality and leadership skills.”
So, yes, the 2018 class has some talent, but maybe it won’t live up to the hype.
Of course, all of this can change when the season starts up in August. New names will come up as top contenders, others will drop off – it’s just the nature of the beast (and the position at the collegiate level). But as talented as each of these three quarterbacks are, there are definitely still more questions than answers about their future in the NFL. So, who knows? Maybe the Bears made the right call after all.
Michael Cerami contributed to this post.