The 2018 NFL draft had one of the most promising groups of quarterbacks ever to enter the NFL in one year, with five drafted in the first round. But only one has reached the Super Bowl.
Sam Darnold was the late bloomer of the bunch, but when Darnold starts for the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, he’ll do something the rest of the 2018 quarterback class has failed to do.
The 2018 quarterback class has two league MVPs in Josh Allen (drafted No. 7 overall by the Bills) and Lamar Jackson (drafted No. 32 overall by the Ravens). It also has a quarterback who has led two teams to the playoffs in Baker Mayfield, the first overall pick who led the Browns to the playoffs once and has led the Buccaneers to the playoffs twice. (The draft class also has a certified bust in Josh Rosen.)
What the 2018 class didn’t have until Darnold led the Seahawks to the NFC Championship was a Super Bowl quarterback. Now it does in Darnold, who was viewed as a disappointment in three years with the Jets after they took him third overall but has since proven that it was the Jets who were the problem. Darnold also led the Vikings to a 14-3 season a year ago, showing that even if he couldn’t win with the Jets, he’s a winner. And now he’ll try to win one more game, and replace the “draft bust” label he was once given with a much better label: Super Bowl champion.
