An NFL team is far more likely to make a mistake when preparing a quarterback than they have to make the right choice.

And often, Team makes an equally bad mistake when they pass on a quarterback, and let him fall and be taken by rivals, who then dominate the teams that went on to him for many seasons ahead.

The last eight drafts have shown an annual madness of these mistakes that cost general leaders their jobs and many passionate fans their sleep.

These errors are among the most consequences moments that have shaped the current NFL hierarchy.

Get Full 2025 NFL draft coverage with real-time choices, expert analysis and can’t miss moments

2017 – draft – 10 teams passes Patrick Mahomes, Bears Pick Mitch Trubisky

The seeds of the NFL’s current and prominent dynasty, Kansas City Chiefs, were planted in 2017 when 10 teams advanced to Patrick Mahomes.

Browns, Bears, 49ers, Jaguars, Titans, Jets, Chargers, Panthers and Bengals all decided that Mahomes was not worthy of their first round until he fell to the bills at. 10.

The bills also made the decision not to make Mahomes, but to make things worse for themselves for the next eight years, they agreed to trade their choices for the bosses. The bills would get their franchise -quarterback a year later, but sending Mahomes to Kansas City created Chiefs to beat Bills in four straight playoffs since then.

But at least the bills got something out of it in the trade. The bears were the only other team that was bold enough to take a quarterback in the top 10, but used their choices at Mitchell Trubisky, who was out of Chicago after only four seasons.

Meanwhile, none of the other eight teams moving on to Mahomes currently have a quarterback with a single MVP prize or Super Bowl ring, so much less something comparable to Mahomes’ two MVPs and three championship rings.

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2018 draft – 2 QBs taken before Josh Allen; 4 QBS, 31 Options taken before Lamar Jackson

The current generation of large NFL -Quarterbacks began to take shape in 2018 when Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson joined Mahomes in the NFL.

But before one of these two MVPs was taken, a number of franchise -policing errors had to happen first.

Browns used No. 1 selection that year at Baker Mayfield, who came as a surprise to many. Mayfield did not end up being the biggest mistake of this draft that led Cleveland to his first playoff victory. But in the rearview mirror left the transition to Allen and Jackson Browns with lots of other guessing since then, especially now with Mayfield Gone and their quarterback situation uncertain.

Jets may have become even less out of their decision to pass on Allen and Jackson with the decision to take Sam Darnold. Darnold never came close to sniffing the playoffs in just three seasons with jets, and he was more remembered for the notorious “to see ghosts” in a bad performance in 2019.

On top of that, letting Allen end in Buffalo gave Jets their next big bully as soon as they got to the end of having to deal with Tom Brady in New England.

But the team with the biggest Quarterback bomb from 2018 was Arizona Cardinals, who made the decision to act up to No. 10 choices to take Josh Rosen. Allen was already gone at the time after the bills acted up to No. 7 to get him, but the Cardinal’s decision to admit that the rose gave one of the lowest returns of any trade for a quarterback in recent history.

The rose lasted in a season in Arizona, where he went 3-10 as a starter before being removed and had to settle for backup and exercise groups until 2022.

Meanwhile, lots of other teams made the mistake of not taking Jackson after that, and he fell all the way to the last choice of the first round before the Ravens acted back into the round to secure their future MVP.

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2019 Draft – Giants Pick Daniel Jones, then Redskins Take Dwayne Haskins

The Cardinals were rewarded for Josh Rosen -Bommert with the worst record in the NFL in 2018 and the No. 1 election in the 2019 draft.

They took Kyler Murray and they really couldn’t have done better with regard to quarterbacks for that year’s draft. Still, Murray has not come close to being the type of quarterback that Jackson is, they had chosen Jackson over the rose a year earlier.

With Murray from the board, the other teams were left picking from the remains of a very poor draft class for QBs that the story has shown.

Giants took Daniel Jones at No. 6. In 2018, Giants was one of the many teams that made the mistake of passing on Allen and Jackson to build around Eli Manning for at least one more year.

At the draft of 2019, they had to give up this vision and encrypted to find a replacement. So they ended up with Jones. And to be fair, Giants couldn’t have done much better in that year’s class.

Many critics initially believed that Giants had made the mistake of the year’s QB choice by taking Jones over the late Dwayne Haskins.

But the Redskins’ selection of Haskins turned out to be an even minor gain when the Ohio State star lasted only two seasons in Washington. Haskins died in April 2022 after being hit by a vehicle on the road.

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Jones lasted five and a half season in New York, won an playoffs and signed another contract. But his often lost and wounded trends and lack of a Pro Bowl was not enough to cut it much longer than that. His stint with Giants ended halfway through the 2024 season when he and the team mutually agreed to share ways.

In short, both Washington and Giants may have been better at not taking a quarterback at all in 2019.

2020 draft – Jalen hurts the debate

One of the rarer drafts of recent times when the top quarterback was taken can be recognized when the best choice came in 2020.

The Bengals took Joe Burrow after one of the most decorated college careers of all time. And after a injurious rookie year, Burrow joined the company with this generation’s leading quarterbacks right away.

But the real second best quarterback of this draft is still ready for debate.

The chargers ‘choice of Justin Herbert and Dolphins’ choice of Tua Tagovailoa gave each franchise their current star -quarterbacks, and both have made the final game.

But these teams also distinguish between passing on Jalen Hurts, who has won a Super Bowl and the game in another with Eagles, while Herbert and Tagovailoa have not yet won a single playoff game.

However, both Tagovailoa and especially Herbert have a better average passing number than evil and generally have a greater role in offense.

Thus, Chargers ‘and Dolphins’ decision to pass on Herbert can be considered questionable rather than a full -blown error.

Still, the Eagles won the value struggle by getting hurt in the second round. Philadelphia has managed its resources to build a core that has surpassed any other team that chose a quarterback in 2020, even Burrows Bengals.

2021 Draft – 49ers, Jets, Bears, Patriots get backup quality with premium selection

Like 2020, the 2021 draft is also one, where the top quarterback taken can be considered the best. But by 2021, the standard for this title was much, much lower.

And like in 2019, all the teams that chose quarterbacks after # 1 overall would probably have been better at just taking a position player instead.

After Jaguars took Trevor Lawrence, which has panned to be a decent franchise quarterback, but shortly after the generational glossy experts promised, there is no QB selection that can be considered successful starters.

Zach Wilson did not even achieve average quality games with Jets and somehow delivered more as a backup to Aaron Rodgers than a full -time starter.

Trey Lance hardly played for the 49s at all. In fact, the 49ers’ choice of Lance may have had the greatest influence on the recent NFL story for any quarterback in 2021 because it cost them a chance to work out a player who may have changed the result of their deep playoffs in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The bears gave up a possible top-10 election to shop up to No. 11 and take Justin Fields, but Fields’ mandate period in Chicago ended after only three seasons when they suddenly got the chance to get a better view.

The Patriots’ choice of Mac Jones at No. 15 was at least one choice of higher value where he got a Pro Bowl-Nikk and a playoff quay out of it. But his days starting after less than three seasons as well.

2022 Draft – Brock Purdy -Debatten

The only quarterback worth mentioning that came out of the 2022 draft was the last election, Brock Purdy.

After whipping with Lance a year earlier, the 49s took a low-risk chance at Purdy with No. 262 elections. And after a series of injuries to Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy appeared as the principal of a 49ers team with realistic Super Bowl ambitions and then a Super Bowl performance in 2023.

The comparisons with Tom Brady began immediately. Still, no one seems to talk about the pain of passing Brock Purdy, in the same way they do to Brady … at least not yet.

2023 Draft – Panthers passes CJ Stroud, Victims More Appreciate No. 1 Election To Get Bryce Young

Scouts said Bryce Young may have been too small coming out of college. And Young proved them right through the first year and a half of his NFL career.

Young played so badly for Panthers as a rookie that the first round pick they traded to move up to # 1 and make him become No. 1 election the year after the bears.

The bears then used the choice to take a much more sought after view in Caleb Williams.

It was an aggressive trade that Panthers had the chance to pay, but they decided to pass on CJ Stroud for Young.

Panthers fans had to see Stroud Excel as a rookie of the year all, while their own loss would simply benefit the bears.

To be fair, Young turned things around a bit at the end of his second season. But so far, Panthers’ decision is on the way to potentially one of the larger QB drafts of tabs in the league’s history.

2024 draft – too early to call but so far the Washington wins

Williams showed blinks of his generational luster as a rookie in 2024, but ultimately pale in comparison with Quarterback, there were two choices after him in Jaden Daniels.

After Daniels led Washington all the way to the NFC title game as the Rookie of the Year, Williams has much to live up to to justify being taken in front of him.

Now Washington is ready to potentially be one of the most transcendent teams of 2025, and Daniels could soon put his own mark on the NFL story, such as Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, Burrow and Hurts.

And if another year as 2024 goes by Washington and Chicago, the conversation around Williams and Daniels could soon be very similar to what has been about young and stroud.