Well, all good things must come to an end, and we saved the best for last. We are now T-minus three weeks away from the 2019 NFL Draft, and closer to having all of our predictions, our anticipation, our worst fears come to life regarding some of our team’s quarterback situations. We reviewed these situations beginning with the bottom 12 teams last week, followed by the mid-tier teams a few days ago.
As we look at rosters across the team, there are many teams with fluid situations at the most key position to their franchise. Many depth charts will drastically change over the next few month’s before the first preseason games of 2019 come in August. Who will take the draft’s cream of the crop in Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins, or Drew Lock? Who will take a chance on a late-round option like Tyree Jackson or Kyle Shurmur? Who will wait for next year’s class? I evaluated each NFL team’s quarterback situation, and speculate answers to these questions.
Now we have arrived at our third and final part, revealing the top 10 quarterback situations and depth charts in the NFL right now. These teams are mostly good in terms of their arms, with not as many issues of the previous 22 teams with more dismal leagues, so most of these teams won’t be in the market for quarterbacks unless they’re looking for third-stringers or practice squad members. So, without further ado, here are the top 10 pre-draft quarterback situations:
Bold players are the presumed team starter, and bold draft picks are first rounders.
Ranking Every Team’s Pre-Draft Quarterback Situation, Part Three
- Division: NFC South
- 2018 Record: 7-9
- Quarterbacks on roster: Cam Newton, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke
- First three 2019 draft picks: First round, pick 16; Second round, pick 47; Third round, pick 77
While the injuries are climbing up on Newton and he is also straying further and further away from his MVP season, he’s still an elite talent and has Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore. We didn’t see much of Allen or Heinicke to deem them to be a worthy backup, but it still appears a long shot that Carolina goes fishing for a quarterback in the draft.
- Division: NFC North
- 2018 Record: 12-4
- Quarterbacks on roster: Mitchell Trubisky, Tyler Bray, Chase Daniel
- First three 2019 draft picks: Third round, pick 87; Fourth round, pick 126; Fifth round, pick 162
Mitch Trubisky has the grit, execution, and decision making required to be a stellar starting quarterback, and Chase Daniel has the experience to hold his own, too.
- Division: NFC West
- 2018 Record: 10-6
- Quarterbacks on roster: Russell Wilson, Paxton Lynch
- First three 2019 draft picks: First round, pick 21; Third round, pick 84; Fourth round, pick 124
The Seahawks only have two picks in the first three rounds and only four overall (a fifth round, 159th pick is the other), so if they wanted a better backup option than Paxton Lynch, or thinking about replacing Russell Wilson, they haven’t got the assets at this point to do it in the draft. I doubt that they’re really worried about this position, though.
- Division: NFC North
- 2018 Record: 6-9-1
- Quarterbacks on roster: Aaron Rodgers, Tim Boyle, DeShone Kizer
- First three 2019 draft picks: First round, pick 12; First round, pick 30; Second round, pick 44
Analysis: If we were just evaluating starting quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers would be higher up on this list, but when one of your backups has an 0-15 starting record and a below 30 quarterback rating, and the other hasn’t seen an NFL field yet, that doesn’t spell confidence. While Rodgers seems indestructible, he needs a capable backup behind him, and even though Kizer won out in camp last year against Brett Hundley, I wouldn’t trust him on this roster. Green Bay may go shopping for a low-end prospect.
- Division: AFC South
- 2018 Record: 10-6
- Quarterbacks on roster: Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissett
- First three 2019 draft picks: First round, pick 26; Second round, pick 34; Second round, pick 59
Although he’s entering the eighth season of his injury-filled career, Luck isn’t getting replaced anytime soon. Jacoby Brissett is a great backup option, so this is one of the few situations that should remain steady.
- Division: NFC West
- 2018 Record: 13-3
- Quarterbacks on roster: Jared Goff, Sean Mannion (Free Agent), Blake Bortles
- First three 2019 draft picks: First round, pick 31; Third round, pick 94; Third round, pick 99
Goff was shaky in the playoffs and fell flat on his face at the Super Bowl, but he’ll be able come back and put together another strong campaign, especially if Cooper Kupp returns and can stay healthy. If Goff slumps or gets hurt, the Rams will hand the football to Blake Bortles, who we all know isn’t a stud anymore, but at least he has playoff experience and a superior team here than he had in Jacksonville.
- Division: AFC East
- 2018 Record: 11-5
- Quarterbacks on roster: Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer
- First three 2019 draft picks: Round 1, Pick 32; Round 2, Pick 56; Round 2, Pick 64
Obviously, Tom Brady will be playing as long as he says he can, and we haven’t seen anything to make us think otherwise. I don’t see Belichick going for any of the arms in this draft class, but I know finding another quarterback option other than Brian Hoyer is on his mind, but I won’t pretend to know what he’ll do. As long as Brady is under center, they’ll be good regardless.
- Division: AFC West
- 2018 Record: 12-4
- Quarterbacks on roster: Philip Rivers, Geno Smith (Free Agent), Tyrod Taylor
- First three 2019 draft picks: First round, pick 28; Second round, pick 60; Third round, pick 91
The Chargers decided this draft class wasn’t the best place to get a future quarterback, so they acquired an experienced starter – in this case, Tyrod Taylor – to be an insurance policy for Phillip Rivers next season. This may spell the end of Geno Smith’s time in Los Angeles, but that wouldn’t be concerning for anyone, anyway.
- Division: AFC West
- 2018 Record: 12-4
- Quarterbacks on roster: Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne, Chase Litton
- First three 2019 draft Picks: First round, pick 29; Second round, pick 61; Second round, pick 63
Patrick Mahomes. Need I say more? I mean, Chad Henne isn’t the greatest backup option, but I’m not that concerned with that. There are a number of secondary free agent options out there if they become in need a better backup.
- Division: NFC South
- 2018 Record: 13-3
- QBs on Roster: Drew Brees, J.T. Barrett, Teddy Bridgewater, Taysom Hill
- First three 2019 draft Picks: Second round, pick 62; Fifth round, pick 168; Sixth round, pick 177
Sean Payton has mastered surrounding Drew Brees with the best talent and supporting cast, while also keeping potential future franchise quarterbacks on the roster. He convinced Teddy Bridgewater, who was surely going to get a nice contract and a starting job, to stay in New Orleans and back up Brees for another year and for less money while keeping his hopes on becoming their starter in the near future if Brees retires soon. Even if Bridgewater doesn’t work out or live up to expectations, they have multifaceted Taysom Hill watching, learning, and still actively participating in their success. With six picks and recent Ohio St. product J.T. Barrett on the roster as well, they could have more moves up their sleeves as well. This is the best quarterback situation across the NFL.
What were your thoughts? Were you surprised by who came out #1? Would you change anyone’s place in the order? Let us know.
