NFL Draft 2018: Where are the quarterbacks now? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The 2018 NFL Draft seemed like a class full of quarterbacks — one that could rival the famous 1983 draft that featured future Hall of Famers John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino.
Although not equaling the record of six quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft, it tied the 1999 record with five: Baker Mayfield was the overall pick, followed by Sam Donald in third, Josh Allen in seventh, and Josh Rosen on the 10th and Lamar Jackson on the 32nd.
But four years later, a class with so much promise hasn’t lived up to the bill. Following Baker Mayfield’s trade From the Cleveland Browns to the Carolina Panthers, three of those five quarterbacks are no longer on the team that drafted them.
With 13 quarterbacks from 2018, let’s take a look at where they all stand now:
Baker Mayfield – Carolina Panthers
The 2018 No. 1 overall is now heading south. Although Mayfield lifted the Browns’ quarterback and playoff curse in 2020 — which included a wild card win — his run with the Dawg Pound ended a year later after a poor season. The Browns moved quickly to land Deshaun Watson through trades from the Houston Texans, who have pending civil suits, making Mayfield’s departure inevitable. Now the Panthers need to see if there is untapped potential in Mayfield in a new setting.
Sam Darnold- Carolina Panthers
Well, would you look at that — the Panthers have two of the top 3 picks of 2018. But it’s not exactly a threat to the rest of the league. While Mayfield still has a question mark over his talent, Darnold has a red flag. He has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns over the past two seasons, including missing 10 touchdowns in both campaigns. Perhaps this quarterback competition will take Darnold’s game to another level, but his days as a starter seem to be ending.
Josh AllenBuffalo Bills
Buffalo drafted Allen in 7th place and he has performed very well. Allen has established himself as one of the most impressive double threat quarterbacks we’ve seen. Its 6-foot-5, 237-pound frame wreaked havoc on defense, and its production resulted in a six-year, $258 million contract extension. Allen won’t be short of bills anytime soon as he hopes to lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl.
Josh Rosen- Free agent
The Arizona Cardinals picked Rosen 10th overall, but that was the beginning of the end for the UCLA product. After a rookie season with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, the Cardinals wasted no time nabbing Kyler Murray as the No. 1 overall pick in the following draft. From there roses bounced between the Miami DolphinsTampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons until becoming a free agent.
Lamar Jackson-Baltimore Ravens
Jackson is the other quarterback from the first round who is still with his original team. The Louisville product had no trouble transferring its college hype to the NFL, and was named MVP in 2019. He is the second youngest player to do so after Jim Brown. Next up is a new contract for the two-way runabout.
Mason Rudolph Pittsburgh Steelers
Rudolph went to Pittsburgh in the third round for 76th overall and had an encouraging debut campaign in 2019, leading the team for 10 games. He threw for 1,765 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 62.2% completion rate, but he never built on it. The soon-to-be 27-year-old is set to be an unrestricted free agent next March.
Kyle Lauletta-USFL
Lauletta was a fourth-round pick (108th overall). New York Giants, but his career never really took off. He was arrested on October 30, 2018 on charges Dodging police, resisting arrest, reckless driving, disobeying an officer’s instructions, making a wrong turn in a marked lane, and ignoring a marked lane while driving to a crew training session. He played two games for the Giants but was a permanent roster cut in 2019. From there, four teams included him in their practice squad, Cleveland twice. Although his future NFL career is uncertain, he currently plays for the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League.
Mike White—New York Jets
White was a fifth-round selection (171st overall). Dallas Cowboys but never performed with the team. As a rookie, he was the third-string quarterback and contested for Dak Prescott’s backup job the following year, but the Cowboys chose to roll on the 53-man roster with only two signal callers and White off the depth chart to delete. White signed with that New York Jets this year and debuted last season. He threw a touchdown on his first drive and re-signed to a one-year contract to be Zach Wilson’s backup for the upcoming season.
Lukas Falk – Free agent
The Tennessee Titans drafted Falk with a 199th overall pick in the sixth round. However, he was waived in September. The Dolphins signed him to their practice team a day later, but waived him in May after placing him on injured reserve for the entire season with a wrist injury. Falk made his NFL debut with the Jets in 2019 as a midgame replacement for Trevor Siemian, but was fired a few weeks later. He had a tryout with the 49ers in 2020 but hasn’t been in the league since.
Tanner Lee – Free agent
Lee went off the board to the Jacksonville Jaguars three picks after Falk, but he never played in a game. The Jaguars waived him in August 2019 and he was not picked up elsewhere.
Danny Etling- Green Bay Packers
Etling was the first pick in the seventh round and went into the New England Patriots. He never appeared in a game and was released in August 2019. He has been on the practice squad for six different teams, with the Seattle Seahawks and Packers picking him up twice. On Jan. 25, 2022, the Packers snapped him to a reserve/future contract for a second time.
Alex McGough—USFL
McGough passed a pick to the Seahawks after Etling. He never made the roster and the Jaguars and Texans put him on their practice squads, but he was released before he saw the NFL field. However, he moved to the USFL field, where he recently helped the Birmingham Stallions win the title that year.
Logan Woodside – Tennessee Titans
Woodside was the last QB off the board and went to the Cincinnati Bengals with the 249th pick. He was waived in September and signed by the Titans, but was waived again later in the month. He served with the Alliance of American Football in 2018 before it ceased operations and returned to the Titans in 2020 on a reserve/future contract.
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