This year’s NFL Draft saw a record-tying six quarterbacks drafted in the first round, so it’s no surprise to see a few experience early success. Jayden Daniels has the Washington Commanders in contention for the NFC East crown thanks to a historic dual-threat start, while Caleb Williams has the Chicago Bears at .500 through four weeks with a win on Sunday versus the Los Angeles Rams.
How rare would it be to see a rookie quarterback like Daniels or Williams lead his team to a division title? According to Stathead, eight rookie QBs have started eight or more games for a division title winner. Below are summaries of those eight seasons, as well as a few honorable mentions who fell below that threshold but were still integral to their team’s season.
C.J. Stroud Broke Records on the 2023 Texans
It’s hard to make a better first impression than C.J. Stroud on the 2023 Houston Texans. Drafted second overall by a team that had won 11 games the previous three seasons combined, Stroud led the Texans to a 10-7 record and AFC South title after a Week 18 win at Indianapolis.
LET IT FLY 🚀 pic.twitter.com/AFIdqfxJRx
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 7, 2024
Stroud passed for 4,108 yards, third-most by a rookie behind Andrew Luck (4,374) and Justin Herbert (4,336). He also led the NFL in pass yards per game (273.9) while posting the lowest interception rate (1.0%) that season.
Dak Prescott Led 2016 Cowboys to NFC’s Best Record
It’s easy to forget now, but the 2016 Dallas Cowboys were supposed to be helmed by Tony Romo. But Romo suffered a back injury in a preseason game at Seattle, leaving fourth-round rookie Dak Prescott to lead America’s Team.
Prescott started all 16 games and was spectacular, throwing 23 TDs with just four interceptions. The Cowboys went 13-3, their best record since 2007, earning Prescott Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
In the span of less than one year, Dak Prescott has gone from the 135th pick to Offensive Rookie of the Year.
📝: https://t.co/lSj6NeAouZ pic.twitter.com/jPhOQslgEW
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) February 5, 2017
Dallas went on to fall in its playoff opener against the Green Bay Packers in an instant classic, but Prescott wasn’t to blame. The Cowboys’ rookie passed for 302 yards and three TDs, joining Sammy Baugh as the only rookies to pass for 300+ yards and 3+ TDs in NFL playoff history (Brock Purdy has since joined the list).
Robert Griffin III Was Sensational for Washington in 2012
Daniels’ spectacular start to his career has Washington fans flashing back to 12 years earlier, when Robert Griffin III did the same for the franchise. RG3 put together one of the best rookie dual threat seasons ever, as he remains the only rookie in NFL history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 800 yards.
Rookie-year @RGIII was an absolute cheat code. 🎮
76 yards to the house with 76 days until #NFL100! (via @nflthrowback) #fbf pic.twitter.com/RGIxIQz2PQ
— NFL (@NFL) June 21, 2019
Unfortunately, Griffin’s career was forever altered by a torn ACL suffered in Washington’s Wild Card loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He returned to start 13 games the next season, but he never started more than seven games in a season after that nor did he return to the playoffs.
Kyle Orton Rode Great Defense of 2005 Bears
A fourth-round pick, Kyle Orton started 15 out of 16 games for the Chicago Bears, going 10-5 as Chicago earned a first-round bye. However, he wasn’t necessarily the driving reason for that success, throwing nine TDs to 13 interceptions.
The 2005 Bears had the best scoring defense in the NFL (12.6 PPG), holding opponents to single digits in half of their regular season games. In fact, he was benched for Rex Grossman by season’s end, with Grossman starting the Bears’ playoff loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Orton was demoted to third-string for 2006, as he did not appear in a game while the Bears reached the Super Bowl behind more inconsistent quarterback play from Grossman and Brian Griese. However, Orton went on to start 82 games in his career, posting a respectable 42-40 record but never appearing in the playoffs.
Ben Roethlisberger Had a Historic Start With ’04 Steelers
The gold standard for winning at the start of a career belongs to Ben Roethlisberger. Following an injury to Tommy Maddox in Week 2, Roethlisberger took over and promptly led the Pittsburgh Steelers to 15 consecutive wins, including the playoffs. That remains the longest win streak to begin a starting QB’s career in NFL history.
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Roethlisberger certainly benefited from a spectacularly talented Steelers team, as Pittsburgh was the No. 1 ranked scoring defense in 2004. But Roethlisberger also led the NFL with four fourth-quarter comebacks and five game-winning drives, excelling in high leverage situations to keep the win streak going.
Pittsburgh’s win streak ended with an AFC Championship loss to the eventual champion New England Patriots. Of course, Big Ben bounced back with a Super Bowl title the next season and in 2008, and he will go in to the Hall of Fame having played all 18 of his seasons with Pittsburgh.
Kyle Boller Started but Didn’t Finish Season on the 2003 Ravens
The 19th overall pick in 2003, Kyle Boller started the first nine games of the season and went 5-4, just barely qualifying for this list. Boller injured his knee in Week 10 against the St. Louis Rams, and though he returned to the active roster, Anthony Wright and Chris Redman started the remainder of the season for Baltimore. Boller completed just 51.8% of his passes while throwing seven touchdowns to nine interceptions during his rookie season.
He never lived up to his draft status, throwing 45 TDs and 44 interceptions in five seasons with the Ravens. He went on to continue his career through 2011 as a backup for the Rams and Raiders but never started more than four games in a season after departing Baltimore.
Bernie Kosar Took Over Down the Stretch for 1985 Browns
Bernie Kosar was the rare No. 1 overall pick in the NFL’s supplemental draft, announcing that he was forgoing his final two years of eligibility at Miami. The Cleveland Browns underwent a convoluted and controversial process to bring Kosar to Cleveland, his preferred destination.
MORE: List of Most Super Bowl Wins By Team
Kosar and the Browns survived a four-game midseason losing streak to win a mediocre AFC Central division with an 8-8 record. The Browns lost their playoff opener to the Miami Dolphins but went on to win the next two division titles. Unfortunately for Kosar and Browns fans, those seasons ended with heartbreaking AFC Championship losses at the hands of the Denver Broncos.
Dan Marino Provided Preview of What Was To Come on 1983 Dolphins
Dan Marino was the sixth and final QB selected in the first round of the legendary 1983 NFL Draft. He quickly justified the Dolphins’ investment in him, winning seven of his final eight starts to lead the Dolphins to the playoffs after former Super Bowl starter David Woodley struggled to begin the season.
@DanMarino to @MarkDuper 63 yard touchdown pic.twitter.com/S8vFKnKvkj
— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) October 3, 2021
Although Marino and the Dolphins would go one-and-done, losing to the Seahawks in the Divisional Round, the 1983 season was the start of a legendary career. The following season, Marino set single-season records in passing TDs (48) and passing yards (5,084) in what remains one of the greatest individual seasons in NFL history.
Honorable Mentions
As mentioned at the start of this article, none of these rookies met the games started minimum but still played big roles in helping their teams reach the playoffs.
Brock Purdy Won Right Away for 2022 49ers
Mr. Irrelevant has turned out to be the best quarterback from an otherwise woeful 2022 NFL Draft quarterback class. With Jimmy Garoppolo going down for the season in Week 13, Purdy started the final five games of the season and won all of them. He ran his win streak to seven straight before suffering an elbow injury on the opening drive of the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia, torpedoing the 49ers’ Super Bowl chances.
Lamar Jackson Electrified on 2018 Ravens
Lamar Jackson was a change-of-pace option for most of his rookie season, throwing 12 passes over the Ravens’ first nine games of the season combined. But he supplanted Joe Flacco as the starter in Week 11 and led Baltimore to a 6-1 finish down the stretch, snatching the AFC North title away from the Steelers.
Jackson and the Ravens lost in the Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Chargers but have been a playoff fixture since. Jackson won his first of two MVPs the following season.