Two of the top three picks from the 2018 NFL draft are now members of the Carolina Panthers.
At least, in a sense, the New York Jets were trailblazers.
On Wednesday, the Cleveland Browns traded the 2018 No. 1 overall pick in quarterback Baker Mayfield to Carolina. That comes after the Jets previously traded their QB to the Panthers: 2018’s third-overall selection in Sam Darnold.
The two are now teammates vying for playing time against each other.
The Jets received three picks, including a Round 2 selection, for Darnold. Cleveland is getting a fifth rounder and splitting Mayfield’s salary with Carolina.
The Browns decision to trade Mayfield highlights how overlooked quarterbacks were back in 2018. That year’s draft was hyped as one that might be one of the best first round QB classes ever.
Hindsight is 20/20 and of the five quarterback selected in Round 1, only two remain with the team that selected them: Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
Allen was taken No. 7 overall and signed a long-term extension with his team, the Buffalo Bills. Jackson is still working on an extension of his own, but he does have a league MVP in his pocket. Jackson was taken with the final pick of Round 1 by the Baltimore Ravens.
All things considered, many teams in the league overlooked the likes of Allen and Jackson. But the Jets were not alone in getting it wrong as the Browns just showed us… not to mention the Arizona Cardinals who have long moved on from Josh Rosen, the No. 10 pick in 2018.
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