Super Bowl winner Jalen Hurts is one of only two QBs taken outside the first round in the last five drafts to be starting, and winning.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Whether the Browns take a quarterback with the second overall pick in the April draft or postpone it for another round, the decision on the next QB will be an unprecedented one for GM Andrew Berry.
Only one time in Berry’s five Browns drafts, consisting of 37 players total, has Berry selected a quarterback. That was Dorian Thompson-Robinson of UCLA in the fifth round of the 2023 draft.
Now, even if Berry chooses to use the No. 2 overall pick on a non-QB, it is extremely doubtful he would wait until the fifth round to pick the next Browns quarterback hopeful.
So it’s likely that this will be the highest pick Berry has devoted to a quarterback in his executive career.
I wondered if any other team has had such little activity with drafted quarterbacks in the last five drafts. So I went down a rabbit hole and this is what I found.
Over the last five NFL drafts …
* Only three teams have not drafted a quarterback. They are the Chiefs, Giants and Seahawks.
* Eleven teams, including the Browns, have drafted one quarterback.
* Eleven teams have drafted two quarterbacks.
* Four teams have drafted three quarterbacks.
* Three teams have drafted four quarterbacks. They are the Vikings, Patriots and Saints.
Of 57 quarterbacks taken in the last five drafts …
* Sixteen are listed as starters on current unofficial depth charts. This includes J.J. McCarthy of the Vikings, although the team is contemplating signing Aaron Rodgers to be the starter in 2025.
* Fourteen of the 16 current starters (87.5%) were taken in the first round.
* The only starters not taken in the first round were Jalen Hurts (second round) of the Eagles and Brock Purdy (seventh) of the 49ers.
* Thirty-one (54.3%) are no longer with the team that drafted them.
Rounds in which quarterbacks were taken in the last five drafts …
First round: 19. Still with same team: 14.
Second round: 3. Still with same team: 2.
Third round: 6. Still with same team: 1.
Fourth round: 7. Still with same team: 3.
Fifth round: 8. Still with same team: 3.
Sixth round: 5. Still with same team: 2.
Seventh round: 9. Still with same team: 1.
Lowest-picked starting quarterback in the last five drafts …
Brock Purdy, 49ers, seventh round, 2022.
Best quarterbacks by round in the last five drafts …
First round: Josh Allen (Bills), Joe Burrow (Bengals), Lamar Jackson (Ravens).
Second round: Jalen Hurts (Eagles).
Third round. Davis Mills (Texans).
Fourth round: Aiden O’Connell (Raiders).
Fifth round: Sam Howell (Seahawks).
Sixth round: Tanner McKee (Eagles), Joe Milton (Patriots).
Seventh round: Brock Purdy (49ers).
Eight quarterbacks (14%) taken in the last five drafts have been traded …
1. Mac Jones: Traded from Patriots to Jaguars for 2024 sixth-round pick.
2. Justin Fields: Traded from Bears to Steelers for 2025 sixth-round pick.
3. Zach Wilson: Traded from Jets to Broncos for 2024 sixth-round pick.
4. Trey Lance: Traded from 49ers to Cowboys for 2024 fourth-round pick.
5. Sam Howell: Traded from Commanders with fourth- and sixth-round picks to Seahawks for 2024 third- and fifth-round picks.
6. Malik Willis: Traded from Titans to Packers for 2025 seventh-round pick.
7. Desmond Ridder: Traded from Falcons to Cardinals for wide receiver Rondale Moore.
8a. Kenny Pickett: Traded from Steelers with fourth-round pick to Eagles for 2024 third-round pick and two 2025 seventh-round picks.
8b. Kenny Pickett: Traded from Eagles to Browns for 2025 fifth-round pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.