Though one name may stand out above the rest, the 2017 NFL Draft was a deep, productive group. The draft class boasted 39 different Pro Bowlers, including at least one in each of the first five rounds, four who went undrafted, and three different Pro Bowl quarterbacks.
Which quarterbacks were drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft, and how have they panned out?
Which Quarterbacks Were Drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft?
Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina | Chicago Bears
Round 1, Pick 2
While Mitch Trubisky’s emergence in the 2016-17 college football season wasn’t enough to jump Myles Garrett as the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, it was enough to convince the Chicago Bears to offload a strong haul of assets to the San Francisco 49ers to get the Windy City’s new man under center.
The Bears had just moved on from long-time starter Jay Cutler, but Trubisky entered the season as the QB2 behind Mike Glennon. After a 1-3 start, though, Trubisky took over, going 4-8 down the stretch.
In Year 2, the former UNC QB showed promise of an ascension, throwing for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with another 421 yards and three scores coming on the ground. He won 11 games and earned a Pro Bowl nod.
However, Trubisky’s 2018 season held a lot of peaks to which he never returned. He had a 33-18 TD-INT ratio in his final two seasons and was benched for Nick Foles in 2020. He joined the Buffalo Bills in 2021 to back up Josh Allen, and then he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 to play alongside first-rounder Kenny Pickett.
Trubisky has started five games as a Steeler, but while playing in relief of an injured Pickett in 2023, he was benched in favor of Mason Rudolph. The 29-year-old signal-caller has two years left on his deal with Pittsburgh thanks to an extension he signed in the 2023 offseason, but he could be a cap casualty before the 2024 season begins.
Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech | Kansas City Chiefs
Round 1, Pick 10
During an era defined by quarterbacks, the Chiefs maintained aggression at the position, trading up to draft the toolsy, creative Patrick Mahomes. The Texas Tech product showed off an unorthodox, out-of-structure playing style that invited many believers, but even his biggest truthers could not have predicted his early-career eruption.
Mahomes had the benefit of sitting behind a three-time Pro Bowler, veteran Alex Smith, on a team that won 10 games in his rookie year. He was able to hone his talent under the tutelage of Andy Reid and had one of the strongest starts ever to an NFL career.
The young star had a 5,000-yard, 50-TD season in his first season as a full-time starter, winning MVP. Since then, he has won another MVP and two Super Bowl MVPs, earned three All-Pro nods, and made six Pro Bowls in six seasons.
Mahomes currently stacks among the best quarterbacks in the NFL, likely as the league’s best to most fans, and he has made his mark as the potential QB1 of his generation. Mahomes has played in 96 games, throwing for 28,424 yards and 219 touchdowns.
Deshaun Watson, Clemson | Houston Texans
Round 1, Pick 12
Like Mahomes and Trubisky, Deshaun Watson was drafted by an aggressive front office looking for a franchise QB for a team that had lacked one for years. But while Mahomes was biding his time on the bench in his rookie year, Watson quickly made his mark as the early favorite to be the best signal-caller in the class.
Watson, who spent his college years as a regular national championship contender with the Clemson Tigers, immediately made an impact in the NFL. He took over for an injured Tom Savage in Week 1 and then started the team’s next six games, going 3-3. Watson tore his ACL in Week 7, but not before throwing 18 touchdowns and showing early promise.
The young quarterback led the Texans to consecutive playoff appearances in his next two seasons but won just four games in his fourth season. Watson’s time in Houston ended unceremoniously when a contract dispute turned into an elongated standoff between the two parties as legal allegations against Watson stacked up, complicating his future.
Watson was ultimately traded to the Cleveland Browns, where his first two seasons have been marred by injury and suspension, though he is expected to remain the starter — especially when considering his contract. He has played in 66 games, throwing for 16,756 yards and 118 touchdowns.
DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame | Cleveland Browns
Round 2, Pick 52
The next quarterback off the board wasn’t taken until the latter half of the second round when the Browns — who swapped first-round picks with the Texans — took Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer.
Kizer won over the QB room over the newly acquired Brock Osweiler, Cody Kessler, and Kevin Hogan, but nothing got easier after that. Kizer lost all 15 games he started in his rookie year and was briefly benched in favor of Hogan. The Browns went 0-16 that season, and looking to start anew, they traded Kizer to Green Bay.
After his rookie year struggles, where he threw for 2,894 yards and 11 touchdowns to 22 interceptions, Kizer never started another NFL game. He appeared in three games with the Packers and had backup roles with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans. He has been out of the NFL since 2021 and most recently was the owner of a company in the crypto space.
Davis Webb, California | New York Giants
Round 3, Pick 87
After a college career that began alongside Baker Mayfield at Texas Tech, Davis Webb finished his collegiate tenure as a graduate transfer with Cal. He was drafted to provide depth behind New York Giants legend Eli Manning and to compete with Geno Smith for the backup role.
When Manning was benched in late November in Webb’s rookie season, it looked as though he and Smith would get to split opportunities down the stretch. However, after Smith started one game in Manning’s stead, breaking a historic consecutive starts streak, both head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese were fired, and Manning was given his role back.
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Webb never got to play and was waived in 2018. After brief roles with the New York Jets and the Bills, he returned to the Giants for a second stint. He appeared in his first NFL game in 2021 and started his first in 2022 — a late-season spot-start to preserve the health of starter Daniel Jones as they prepared for a playoff berth.
After his first NFL action, Webb retired following the Giants’ postseason run. He had been asked while with the Bills to become the team’s quarterbacks coach, but he declined. Years later, he finally took that role but with the Denver Broncos under Sean Payton in the 2023 season.
C.J. Beathard, Iowa | San Francisco 49ers
Round 3, Pick 104
After five seasons at Iowa, C.J. Beathard was drafted in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers. Initially slated as the team’s backup, he took over starting duties in his rookie season after replacing Brian Hoyer. He started five games before suffering a leg and hip injury, ushering in the age of trade acquisition Jimmy Garoppolo.
Though the injury was not significant, Garoppolo played in favor of Beathard. Heading into Beathard’s sophomore 2018 season, though, Garoppolo suffered a torn ACL, opening the door once more. But in Week 8, Beathard suffered a wrist injury, paving the way for Nick Mullens to finish the season for the Niners.
Over the next two seasons, Beathard backed up Garoppolo, starting two games and making six appearances. The former Hawkeye departed to join the Jacksonville Jaguars, signing a two-year deal and later an extension. He has made 13 appearances in relief of Trevor Lawrence and started one game in 2023, a win over the Carolina Panthers.
Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee | Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 4, Pick 135
Among the most peculiar of the 2017 quarterbacks’ stories is Joshua Dobbs, whose journey began as a rather unremarkable one. The fourth-round pick out of Tennessee never started a game for his original team, the Steelers, serving behind NFL legend Ben Roethlisberger and QB2 Landry Jones.
Dobbs was traded to Jacksonville but didn’t play despite an early-season injury to the team’s starter, Foles. Dobbs was waived and had brief stints with Pittsburgh again, Cleveland amid Watson’s suspension, and the Detroit Lions. He signed with the Titans in December 2022 and started two games late in the season, throwing for a combined 411 yards.
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He went back to the Browns in 2023 who subsequently traded him to an Arizona Cardinals team sans Kyler Murray to become the team’s starter, leading eight games in the desert. Dobbs was traded for a third time to the Minnesota Vikings. In Minnesota, Dobbs created a media storm after being thrust into action with only days’ worth of preparation.
Dobbs led the Vikings to a win after rookie QB Jaren Hall suffered a first-quarter injury a week after Kirk Cousins’ Achilles tear. After captaining consecutive wins, Dobbs’ stardom died down as his production came to a halt. He is now set to be a free agent in 2024 following a season where he played in 13 games and threw for 2,464 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh | Buffalo Bills
Round 5, Pick 171
After five college seasons split between Tennessee (where he spent time alongside Dobbs) and Pittsburgh, Nathan Peterman was the eighth quarterback taken in the 2017 NFL Draft. He started his career backing up Tyrod Taylor for the Bills team that ended the franchise’s 18-year playoff drought with a 9-7 season, though he started two games and played in four in relief.
Taylor was traded away in 2018 to the Browns, who had moved on from Kizer after their winless campaign. The Bills drafted Josh Allen at No. 7 that year, but Peterman took over the starting spot in training camp for Week 1. However, he didn’t hold that role for long, and he made his way back to the bench.
Despite his well-documented early career struggles as a Bill (1-3 record, 3-12 TD-INT ratio, and 52.3% completion rate in four starts, eight appearances), Peterman has hung around the league. He joined the Raiders in 2019 and spent 2022 and 2023 with the Chicago Bears.
Brad Kaaya, Miami (FL) | Detroit Lions
Round 6, Pick 215
After being a three-year starter at the University of Miami (FL), Brad Kaaya declared for the NFL Draft, foregoing his senior year of eligibility. While in Coral Gables, Fla., Kaaya averaged 3,323 passing yards and 23 touchdowns a season.
However, after being the 215th pick, Kaaya never saw any in-game action at the NFL level. The Lions waived him by September 2017, and he had brief stints with the Panthers, the Lions again, the Indianapolis Colts, and most recently the Cincinnati Bengals (2019).
After football, Kaaya returned to school, earning his Master of Fine Arts from USC. He most recently served as a screenwriter, a job his father had as well.
Chad Kelly, Ole Miss | Denver Broncos
Round 7, Pick 253
Before Brock Purdy made being Mr. Irrelevant cool, Chad Kelly was bestowed the moniker after his four-year college career. Kelly, the nephew of former Buffalo Bill and Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly, began his career with Clemson but transferred shortly to East Mississippi Community College, where he threw for 4,352 total yards and 51 total touchdowns in one season. He then transferred to Ole Miss, where he had 66 total touchdowns in two years.
Injury and discipline concerns lowered his draft stock, but despite his low capital, he stuck around the league for a few years with the Broncos and Colts. However, after being released by the Colts, Kelly left the NFL to join East Mississippi again, this time as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
After one season in the college ranks, Kelly returned to football, signing with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He backed up McLeod Bethel-Thompson during the 2022 season but took over due to injury in the Grey Cup, helping lead Toronto to the win.
He signed a three-year, $1.865 million extension before the 2023 season that made him the highest-paid player in the league and returned as the starter. Kelly went 15-1 with the Argos, throwing for 4,123 yards and scoring 31 total touchdowns, losing in the semifinal round. He earned the CFL’s 2023 Most Outstanding Player Award for his efforts.
How Many Quarterbacks Were Drafted in 2017?
There were 10 QBs drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. While not an insignificant number, it’s fewer than we have become acclimated to in recent years. In 2016, 15 quarterbacks were drafted, and in 2018, 13 were selected.
Since 2000, only the 2022 (nine) and 2015 (seven) draft classes had fewer signal-callers selected. Despite not being taken with any of the 253 picks in 2017, a few notable quarterbacks went undrafted as well.
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Taysom Hill of the New Orleans Saints serves as a backup quarterback/tight end/fullback hybrid, and P.J. Walker has started seven games over the last two seasons with the Bears and Panthers. Cooper Rush has a 5-1 record as a starter with the Dallas Cowboys, and Mullens has started 20 games between the 49ers, Browns, and Vikings.
As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!
