What’s the record for most NFL rookie quarterbacks starting in Week 1?
This year’s NFL Draft was one of the most quarterback heavy draft classes in the history of the league, but will these rookies break the Week 1 record?
The preseason came to an end last night in the nation’s capital and the finale featured two teams that drafted quarterbacks in with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks of this spring’s NFL Draft. Not all teams across the league have announced their starting quarterbacks, but it looks like this draft class come just short of making history.
Nix the latest QB to be named starter
Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels were just two of the six quarterbacks taken in the first round. That in itself ties a record with the 1983 Draft in which John Elway, Todd Blackledge, Jim Kelley, Tony Eason, Ken O’Brien and Dan Marino were drafted. Caleb Williams was taken a pick before Daniels, and two picks before Maye, making this spring’s draft the fourth selection show in which the top three picks were quarterbacks.
After Williams, Daniels and Maye were taken, there were a few surprises still in store for the first round. Michael Penix Jr. went 8th, J.J. McCarthy went 10th and Bo Nix went 12th to tie the 1983 draft that had three eventual Hall of Famers.
Just two of the six quarterbacks drafted in 1983 (Elway and Kelly) would go on to start in Week 1. Things are different now. We have a week and a half until the season opener from Kansas City, and we already have three quarterbacks who have been named the starter after their preseason slate.
Drake Maye not be the starer Week 1
Caleb Williams was a shoe in for the starting job from the second he was drafted by Chicago. Daniels started each of the first two preseason games before being named QB1 in Washington, and Bo Nix earned his spot under center after a couple of great performances in his two preseason games. J.J. McCarthy was on track to be named the starter in Minnesota, but a torn meniscus is going to sideline him for his rookie season.
Michael Penix Jr. is stuck in a bit of strange situation down in Atlanta. The Falcons spent big money to bring in Kirk Cousins, who is 36 yards old and coming off an achilles injury. The Falcons drafted Penix to groom him under Cousins, but then they kept him out of the final two preseason games. He won’t be starting for Raheem Morris, and if everything goes according to plan in Atlanta, Penix won’t see the field this year.
Drake Maye is the only rookie quarterback who’s status is still up in the air. If we look at the numbers, it would be hard to say Maye doesn’t deserve to start for New England on opening day. He’s played more and he’s played better than Jacoby Brissett, but first year coach Jarod Mayo said that Maye is the “second best quarterback on the roster” after the Patriots third and final preseason game. It’s a tricky proposition for Mayo who knows the team may not be in the best form to start the season, and to throw a rookie into the fire could give some fans Deja vu of the horrible Mac Jones experience.
Record for starting QBs in Week 1
The three rookie starters ties last year’s rookie starter amount as Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Witherspoon were all under center to start last year. Even if Maye were to start against the Bengals in a couple weeks time this year’s draft class would still fall short of the record for most rookie QB starters in Week 1. That distinction belongs to the 2012 rookie class that saw five rookie quarterbacks start on opening day. That year four first rounders, and a third rounder were all under center to kickoff the season.
The only one of the five QBs to succeed in Week 1 was Robert Griffin III with the Washington Commanders. He passed for over 300 yards and 2 TDs, while Ryan Tannehill, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson (the 3rd rounder) and Brandon Weeden combined for 11 interceptions and just two touchdowns in their debuts.
The 2021 draft class was the last time we saw three QBs taken with the first three picks of the draft before this year, and that season kicked off with five of the of the rookie QBs playing in Week 1, but only three of them got the start. Justin Fields and Trey Lance saw limited action while top three picks Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Mac Jones were all under center from the very first snap.
It rare to see a performance like RGIII’s or even C.J Stroud who kept that level up for his entire rookie season, but this class of QBs is said to be one of the deepest and most talented. We will get a first glimpse in two Sunday’s time, but we really won’t know just how ready these QB’s were until the end of the season.