Head Coaches Beware Drafting a Quarterback in the First Round—Your Job is at Stake
By Chris Malumphy
Drafting a quarterback in the first round does not bode well for the head coach's job security. Of the 13 quarterbacks drafted in the first round since 2015, only five enter 2019 with their original coach, with five of the teams now on their third coach, if you include the Broncos who moved on from Paxton Lynch but are now on their third coach since drafting him. Of the seven quarterbacks drafted in the top three picks during those years, only Carson Wentz is still with his original coach.
Quarterbacks Drafted in the First Round Since 2015 | |||||||
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Year | Team | Name | Round | Pick | Player | College | Coaches |
2015 | Buccaneers | Jameis Winston | 1 | 1 | 1 | Florida State | Lovie Smith, Dirk Koetter, Brian Flores |
2015 | Titans | Marcus Mariota | 1 | 2 | 2 | Oregon | Ken Whisenhunt, Mike Mularkey, Mike Vrabel |
2016 | Rams | Jared Goff | 1 | 1 | 1 | California | Jeff Fisher, John Fassel, Sean McVay |
2016 | Eagles | Carson Wentz | 1 | 2 | 2 | North Dakota State | Doug Pederson |
2016 | Broncos | Paxton Lynch | 1 | 26 | 26 | Memphis | Gary Kubiak, Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio (with Lynch long gone) |
2017 | Bears | Mitchell Trubisky | 1 | 2 | 2 | North Carolina | John Fox, Matt Nagy |
2017 | Chiefs | Patrick Mahomes | 1 | 10 | 10 | Texas Tech | Andy Reid |
2017 | Texans | Deshaun Watson | 1 | 12 | 12 | Clemson | Bill O'Brien |
2018 | Browns | Baker Mayfield | 1 | 1 | 1 | Oklahoma | Hue Jackson, Gregg Williams, Freddie Kitchens |
2018 | Jets | Sam Darnold | 1 | 3 | 3 | USC | Todd Bowles, Adam Gase |
2018 | Bills | Josh Allen | 1 | 7 | 7 | Wyoming | Sean McDermott |
2018 | Cardinals | Josh Rosen | 1 | 10 | 10 | UCLA | Steve Wilks, Kliff Kingsbury |
2018 | Ravens | Lamar Jackson | 1 | 32 | 32 | Louisville | John Harbaugh |