One of the biggest challenges in predicting what will happen in this year's draft involves the quarterback position. Who will be the first QB off the board? That's a question we've been debating for months. However, here's a question that has me even more intrigued, especially with Tony Romo no longer a potential option for teams: How many quarterbacks will go in the first round? Will we see as few as 2? Could we see as many as 5? I reached out to 5 NFL personnel executives to get their opinion on the topic. Here are their answers.
Executive 1: 3 QBs
"I'll say 3. (Deshaun) Watson and (Mitchell) Trubisky go in some order early with a team coming back up into the late 20s to take either (Patrick) Mahomes or (Davis) Webb."
Executive 2: 4 QBs
"I'll say at least 4. I just think people will trade back into Round 1 because they're scared (of missing out)."
Executive 3: 2 QBs
"Two. Watson and Webb. I am sticking to my Webb guns. He's the second-best QB in this class. I have read the Trubisky and Mahomes buzz. Not sure if I believe it."
Executive 4: 2 QBs
"I think we're going to see 2 (QBs) go in the first -- Trubisky and Mahomes."
Executive 5: 3 QBs
"I think 3 guys will go in the first: Watson, Trubisky and Mahomes."
Summary: That's 2 votes apiece for 2 QBs and 3 QBs, and 1 vote for 4 QBs.
Conclusion: As you can see, there is very little consensus on how many quarterbacks we should expect to land in Round 1. I have 2 quarterbacks coming off the board in the first round in my latest mock draft. By the time the draft gets here, I believe we'll end up with 3 or possibly 4 quarterbacks fighting their way into the first round. The extra year on the contract for first-round picks is a big deal for teams and it makes sense for at least one of them to trade into the back end of the opening round to secure that fifth contract year.
Follow Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter *@MoveTheSticks.*
