Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love’s dueling contract extensions on July 26, 2024, inspired us to determine where the 2020 NFL Draft quarterback class — which also featured Joe Burrow, Justin Hebert, and Jalen Hurts — ranked among the league’s best quarterback crops.
This week’s NFL news sparked a similar idea, albeit with a more negative tone.
The 2022 NFL Draft quarterback class has only been in the league for two years, but that’s already given us enough time to make a judgment.
With so many members of the 2022 QB crop having been involved in offseason moves and roster cutdown transactions, it’s time to figure out how that year’s class stacks up with the NFL’s other disappointing quarterback classes.
Where does the 2022 NFL Draft QB class rank among this century’s worst? Here are the five worst quarterback draft classes since 2000.
The Worst NFL QB Draft Classes This Century
Honorable mentions: 2015, 2014, 2014, 2009
5) 2022 NFL Draft
Notable QBs: Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, Matt Corral, Bailey Zappe, Sam Howell, Brock Purdy
Only one quarterback from the 2021 draft class earned an extension, and it was the No. 1 overall choice, Trevor Lawrence.
Only one quarterback from the 2022 draft class is on pace to sign a long-term contract, and it’s Mr. Irrevelant.
Purdy saves this QB class. Fellow seventh-rounder Skylar Thompson, now installed as the Miami Dolphins’ backup, is the only other member of the 2022 crop who’s still with the team that drafted him.
Pickett, Ridder, Willis, and Howell were each traded this offseason, and none of them brought back more than the equivalent of a mid-round pick. The New England Patriots gave up on Zappe at this week’s roster cutdowns.
Several QB classes we’ve ranked as worse than 2022 also have one passer who stood above the rest. Purdy is on track to outperform all of those lone bright spots. He’s helped lead the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC title game in consecutive seasons, and in 2023, Purdy led the league in yards per attempt, QBR, and touchdown rate.
4) 2002 NFL Draft
Notable QBs: David Carr, Joey Harrington, Patrick Ramsey, Josh McCown, David Garrard
Hall of Fame defensive end Julius Peppers went to the Carolina Panthers with the second overall pick in the 2002 draft. Carr and Harrington — the quarterbacks chosen on either side of Peppers — never came close to reaching Canton.
To be fair, Carr and Harrington were surrounded by terrible offensive environments with the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions.
Carr led the league in sacks in three of his first four campaigns. No quarterback in NFL history was sacked as many times as Carr (208) over their first four years as a pro.
Harrington might’ve been a bust wherever he landed, but he never stood a chance under head coach Marty Mornhinweg, whose .156 winning percentage is tied for third-worst in NFL history (min. 30 games).
Garrard started 76 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars, even though he didn’t enter the lineup full-time until 2006.
McCown appeared in more games (102) than any QB from 2002. He’s now the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterbacks coach.
3) 2010 NFL Draft
Notable QBs: Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, Mike Kafka
Speaking of coaches, the 2010 draft featured two current NFL offensive coordinators: Kafka, who went to the Philadelphia Eagles in Round 4, and seventh-round Patriots choice Zac Robinson.
Kafka will call plays for the New York Giants in 2024, while Robinson is the Atlanta Falcons’ first-year OC. Neither offered much during their NFL playing days. Kafka appeared in four games and completed 11 passes, while Robinson never attempted a throw.
Bradford was far and away the best quarterback to emerge from the 2010 class. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors for the St. Louis Rams in 2010 and led the NFL in completion rate with the Vikings in 2016, but Bradford never took a team to the playoffs.
While Tebow is one of college football’s all-time great players and led the Denver Broncos on a memorable playoff run in his rookie campaign, he never turned into an NFL-caliber passer and was out of the league by 2013.
McCoy, who formally announced his retirement last week, was probably the second-best member of the 2010 class after Bradford. The Texas product started 13 games for the Cleveland Browns in 2011, then attempted 535 passes as a backup over the next 10 seasons.
2) 2013 NFL Draft
Notable QBs: EJ Manuel, Geno Smith, Mike Glennon, Matt Barkley, Landry Jones
The 2022 and 2013 drafts were the only classes since 2001 to feature just one first-round quarterback.
In 2013, that was Manuel, who went to the Buffalo Bills at No. 16 overall. He started 10 games his rookie season and threw more touchdowns than interceptions but ranked 35th among 37 qualifying passers in QBR. The Bills benched Manuel after four starts in 2014; he made four more starts before exiting the NFL.
But here’s the thing — Manuel was still the second-most accomplished quarterback from the 2013 class by Pro Football Reference’s approximate value metric. Eleven QBs were selected in 2013, but only the five we listed above attempted more than 10 career NFL passes.
Among that subgroup, Smith is the only standout — and he would’ve been considered a bust until his late-career breakout with the Seattle Seahawks.
1) 2007 NFL Draft
Notable QBs: JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn, Kevin Kolb, John Beck, Drew Stanton
This is about as bad as it can get.
Russell is widely considered the biggest bust in NFL Draft history. The Oakland Raiders picked him No. 1 overall after his first-team All-SEC 2006 campaign at LSU. Russell’s rookie contract holdout — which improbably extended until mid-September — led to him barely playing in his first NFL season.
He started 15 games in 2008 before being benched after nine starts in 2009. Russell repeatedly struggled with his weight, while the Raiders questioned his commitment to football. Oakland cut him in March 2010, and Russell never signed another NFL contract.
Russell kicked off the 2007 draft’s ineptitude at No. 1, but this class didn’t feature a single standout. Every other class we’ve discussed had at least one quarterback who did something in the NFL — but not 2007.
Sure, Kolb’s brief run with the Eagles eventually led to a $63.5 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals, but he never started more than nine games in a season.
Edwards started more games (33) than any QB from the 2007 class, but he wasn’t productive. Among 122 quarterbacks with at least 900 attempts since 2000, Edwards ranks 110th in adjusted yards per attempt and 120th in touchdown rate.
The 2007 class was, at least, interesting.
Quinn was a collegiate star at Notre Dame and is now a broadcaster. Fifth-round pick Troy Smith had just won the Heisman Trophy before going to the Baltimore Ravens. Beck and sixth-rounder Jordan Palmer are both personal quarterback coaches.
However, in terms of on-field production, the 2007 NFL Draft quarterback class was the worst this century.