Fifteen quarterbacks were selected in the 2016 NFL Draft. Ten more signal-callers were taken last year and the 2018 NFL Draft, which starts Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, is shaping up to be another passer-heavy affair.
Sam Darnold (pictured above), Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson could all hear their names called in the first round. NFL teams are always searching for a franchise quarterback and are willing to spend the picks to find them. Which NFL teams have used the most draft capital on quarterbacks?
Using Pro-Football-Reference, we pulled every quarterback drafted in the last 10 years and added up the value of the draft picks used to select them, based on Chase Stuart’s draft pick calculator.
Here is each NFL team ranked by draft capital spent on quarterbacks since 2008:
The Jets and Broncos have used the most draft picks (7) on quarterbacks in the last decade. New York acquired the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft from Indianapolis and is expected to take a passer. If the Jets draft a quarterback, it will be their fifth in the last six years (Christian Hackenberg in 2016, Bryce Petty in 2015, Tajh Boyd in 2014 and Geno Smith in 2013).
The Rams (76.6 points) have spent the most draft capital on quarterbacks since 2008. The team took Sam Bradford (2010) and Jared Goff (2016) with the first overall picks. Bradford did not work out, but after a slow start under Jeff Fisher, Goff showed promise in year two with new Rams head coach Sean McVay.
On the other end of the spectrum are the Chargers. Philip Rivers has started every game since 2006, which has helped the team use just two picks on quarterbacks in the last 10 years, the least amount of draft capital (2.2 points) in the league.
Quarterback is the most important position in football. Teams will continue spending large chunks of draft capital in hopes of finding a Pro Bowler. The Browns are considering drafting two quarterbacks with the first and fourth picks on Thursday. Whether you agree or disagree on the strategy, the chart above will look completely different after the 2018 NFL Draft.
