NFL Draft Quarterback Blunders That Redefined the League in 2025

If there’s one thing the NFL Draft guarantees, it’s that quarterback picks will keep general managers up at night—for all the wrong reasons. Teams are just as likely to whiff on a hyped QB as they are to regret passing on the next superstar, setting up years of "what-ifs" and some seriously awkward highlight reels.

Look no further than the 2017 draft, when ten teams—including the Browns, Bears, Jets, and 49ers—decided Patrick Mahomes wasn’t their guy. The Bills even traded their pick to the Chiefs, who then proceeded to haunt Buffalo in four straight playoff clashes. The Bears, meanwhile, grabbed Mitchell Trubisky, who was out of Chicago after just four seasons—hardly the franchise savior they hoped for.

Fast forward to 2018, when the Browns used their top pick on Baker Mayfield. Sure, he snapped Cleveland’s playoff drought, but the real sting came from passing on Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson—two MVPs who have become cornerstones elsewhere. The Jets went with Sam Darnold, who’s mostly remembered for his "seeing ghosts" moment rather than any highlight reel throws. And the Cardinals traded up for Josh Rosen, who lasted just one season before bouncing around as a backup. Meanwhile, Jackson slid to the Ravens at the tail end of the first round and promptly started rewriting Baltimore’s history books.

This carousel kept spinning in 2019. After the Cardinals’ Rosen experiment, they landed the top pick and went with Kyler Murray—probably the best option that year, but still not the game-changer Jackson turned out to be. The Giants, sticking with Eli Manning too long, finally picked Daniel Jones, who managed a playoff win but never blossomed into a star. Washington’s pick, Dwayne Haskins, lasted only two seasons before tragedy struck.

2020 brought a rare moment of clarity: the Bengals made the obvious call with Joe Burrow. But the Dolphins and Chargers, while landing Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, watched as Jalen Hurts—picked later by the Eagles—outperformed them both on the biggest stage. Sometimes the best value really does come in round two.

Then came 2021, a year where only the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence can claim to be a reliable starter, and even he hasn’t quite matched the hype. Zach Wilson fizzled with the Jets, Trey Lance was practically invisible for the 49ers, and Justin Fields’ time in Chicago ended abruptly. Mac Jones had a brief run as a starter in New England, but no one from that class (besides Lawrence) has stuck.

The 2022 draft’s only real QB winner was Brock Purdy, who transformed from Mr. Irrelevant to the 49ers’ main man after being picked 262nd overall. It’s not quite Tom Brady-level fairytale, but give it time—Purdy could be the next "how did everyone miss him?" story.

2023 saw the Panthers trade up for Bryce Young, only to watch him struggle while C.J. Stroud, whom they passed on, shined for the Texans. Their gamble backfired so spectacularly that the pick they traded away turned into the following year’s No. 1 pick—for the Bears.

Now, in 2024 and beyond, rookie Caleb Williams flashes promise for Chicago, but it’s Jaden Daniels in Washington who’s already led his team to the NFC title game. If Daniels keeps it up, he could join the league’s elite—leaving the Bears and others to do some serious soul-searching over their draft-day calls.

One thing’s for sure: as history keeps proving, the NFL Draft is a quarterback minefield. For every Mahomes or Burrow, there’s a Trubisky, Rosen, or Wilson waiting to remind teams that finding a franchise QB is as much luck as it is scouting.