Will six quarterbacks be taken in the first round for the first time since 1983? Well, seven of the top 13 teams might hope to draft one.
The Bears are in first (Caleb Williams is a given), the Commanders are in second (presumably Jayden Daniels, but they may have too many cooks in the kitchen to do the obvious thing), the Patriots are in third, the Giants are believed to be in sixth, and the Vikings are in 11th, the Broncos at 12th, and the Raiders at 13th are all considering a quarterback.
For the Bears and Leaders, it's a no-brainer because they have no obvious alternatives to start. The Patriots have Jacoby Brissett, who could theoretically handle the job. The Vikings have Sam Darnold, the Broncos have Jarrett Stidham, and the Raiders have Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell.
The only team that stands out is the Giants. They have Daniel Jones, a top-10 pick in 2019 who signed his second contract. The Giants also have no impact players at any of the offensive skill positions. It would be strange, to say the least, for them to take a quarterback now.
In years past, taking the highest-level quarterback in the draft could provide insurance of sorts for the head coach and/or general manager. And they won't be fired until the new quarterback gets a chance to show what he can do.
But that didn't save former Giants coach Pat Shurmur, who was fired a year after Jones was drafted. It also didn't help the likes of Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace in Chicago, who were fired one year after trading to select quarterback Justin Fields.
This is the balance that the five teams other than the Bears and Leaders must consider. Can they make it work with who they have, and how much better would the team be if a first-round pick was used on a different player? It's an especially important question for teams that may have to trade up to get the guy they want.
Regardless, there are currently seven teams considering quarterbacks. And six from the first round. Someone won't get one. How many people would definitely choose not to try?
We'll find out in nine days.
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