Before the pitfalls and resurgence, Baker Mayfield was a No. 1 overall draft pick dazzling crowds in Ohio. A historic first season with the Cleveland Brown began with Baker throwing for over 200 yards after coming in off the bench, and leading them to a 14-point comeback. From there, there was no looking back for Mayfield as he led them to a 7-8-1 record, while throwing for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns, the latter setting the rookie record at the time.
The result of the Suck for Luck campaign, Andrew Luck went to the Indianapolis Colts and delivered on almost every promise. Setting the rookie record for passing yards in a game(433) and season(4,183), as he led the Colts to 11 wins after a 2-14 season the previous year, a record for No. 1 overall quarterbacks.
Before the historic career, there was the record-breaking first season. Dan Marino was an anomaly from his first season in the league, posting a 96.0 passer rating, leading the Conference in passing, and finishing with the highest completion percentage at 58.45. As a result, the Dolphins were a 12-4 playoff team and Marino earned a Pro Bowl selection for his troubles.
A historic first season saw Ben Roethlishberger start off his career 13-0 in the regular season, before going 1-1 in the playoffs. It was the best single-season mark for wins by a rookie, for which he won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. During that season, he broke the New England Patriots' 21-game winning streak, before defeating the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles as well. He led a game-winning drive in Overtime of the Divisional Round, before finally bowing out in the AFC Championship Game.
A historic first season not only saw Justin Herbert set the all-time record for touchdowns by a rookie at 31, he also threw for 4,336 yards in a season that saw him win Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year. His season was a statistical anomaly and he immediately joined the conversation among the league's elite.
Injuries may have derailed his career, but Robert Griffin III came sprinting out of the gates. In his rookie season, he set the record for highest passer rating and touchdown-interception ratio, while leading Washington to their first division title in 13 seasons. His efforts earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl honors. He totaled 3,200 passing, while rushing for an additional 815 yards, scoring 27 total touchdowns.
A 75th overall pick, Russell Wilson wasn't supposed to scale the heights he did. But, in his rookie season, he set the rookie passer rating record with 1000, while adding 3,118 yards and 26 touchdowns, the latter tying Peyton Manning for most as a rookie. Leading the Seahawks to the playoffs, he rallied them to a 24-14 comeback victory in the Wild Card Round, before falling to the Atlanta Falcons on a last-second field goal.
He might be the butt of all jokes right now, but Dak Prescott came out firing on all cylinders in his rookie season. Earning a Pro Bowl selection and the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, Prescott finished sixth in MVP voting for a 13-3 Dallas squad. On the year, he set the rookie record for passing rating, completion percentage, and wins.
CJ Stroud didn't just put up incredible numbers and late-game drives, he changed the entire trajectory of the Houston Texans franchise. He led the league in passing yards per game, tallied over 4,000 yards, and had a TD/INT ratio of 4.6. As Houston made a return to the postseason, he became the youngest quarterback in history to win a playoff game, with a passer rating of 157.2 fueling a 45-14 victory for the Texans.
Very rarely does a rookie come in and change an entire franchise seemingly overnight. But that is exactly what Jayden Daniels did for the Washington Commanders. Turning a four-win team into a 12-win playoff team, Daniels led five game-winning drives in the season, becoming one of the most reliable players in the clutch in the entire league. But he paired that composure with some incredible statistics, tallying 3,568 passing yards alongside 891 rushing yards, as he added 31 total touchdowns against just 9 interceptions. However, his real heroics came in the playoffs when he led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game, after upsetting Tampa Bay in the Wild Card Round and beating the NFC 1-seed and Super Bowl favorites Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round.
