A History of Next Year’s Quarterback Class

It is an annual rite of passage. Fans talk about the next year’s Draft class at the quarterback position. It begins before the season starts. It carries into the season.

In many cases, something happens along the way to make that quarterback who is sure to go at with the top pick fall lower.

Take a year ago. This time last year, Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated told us to prepare for number one overall pick Brad Kaaya. Kaaya only went second in Todd McShay’s 2017 mock from eleven months ago.

As we now know, Burke’s and McShay’s projections about where Kaaya would end up are probably going to be way off. To his credit, McShay did have a quarterback named Mitch going in the first round. It wasn’t Mitch Trubisky, though. He thought Mitch Leidner was a first round prospect around this time a year ago.

Well all get some wrong occasionally. Was McShay just off that one time? What was he saying about the 2016 class one year before? Well that year he had Cardale Jones going to the Jets in the top ten. Jones was actually the third quarterback off the board. Connor Cook was the second. A guy named Christian Hackenberg was supposed to be the top overall pick. Jones and Cook ultimately went in the fourth round. I’m not sure what happened to that Hackenberg fellow.

One of the great things about this site as it ages is that you can go back and see what people said at various points in time.

Back in 2013, here were some comments you saw on this site.

We’re tanking for Teddy Bridgewater!

I have a fear that we will sign just enough talent this year to put us out of contention for Manziel / Bridgewater next year.

But if we hold the Number 1 pick and Johnny Football, Teddy Bridgewater, or David Fales (or whoever the front office deems franchise QB worthy) is on the board, you have to take that QB.

Also, if Manziel and Bridgewater declare, we’d need a top 3 pick to secure either one depending on what happens with Clowney.

You forgot the mention Teddy Bridgewater, the 1st QB to be taken in next year’s draft.

Of course Bridgewater fell all the way to the last pick of the first round. Manziel was taken in the middle of the first round. Fales fell to the late rounds.

Here were a few of the comments through 2012.

We'd have to bomb next season to land Barkley or Jones

Barkley will likely be out of our reach and maybe Landry Jones

I think the Jets should purposely suck. They can get a high pick and get Matt Barkley.

at least if we keep playing like this we have a good shot at getting Barkley

Matt Barkley and Landry Jones both fell all the way to the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

There’s a lesson here. A lot can happen in a year (or less) to change a player’s Draft stock.

I’m not a big fan of this year’s quarterback class. I’m inclined to hope the Jets don’t take any signal callers early.

I can give you one thing that should not factor into their decision-making. That is how next year’s class looks at this point in time. Just because you assume a player will be the top pick in 2018 today doesn’t necessarily mean he will be by the time that Draft comes around.