Will the 2021 NFL Draft set new records for QBs selected in the first round?

“Year of the quarterback” is always a popular catch-phrase of the year.

When it comes to the 2021 NFL Draft, however, it applies. Sporting News’ latest mock draft has five quarterbacks in the top 10 picks.

Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Zach Wilson of BYU, Mac Jones of Alabama, Justin Fields of Ohio State and Trey Lance of North Dakota State are expected to be picked in the first round, a record-setting pick in Round 1 of Round 1 Will be one of six QBs. 1983 NFL Draft. Florida’s Kyle Truss, Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond and Stanford’s Davis Mills are Day 2 wild cards that could have been swept in Round 1 if a team loved them enough.

So how does the QB class of the 2021 NFL Draft compare to 1983 and other quarterback-rich first rounds? Sporting news takes a closer look:

MORE NFL DRAFT: Complete 7-Round Mock | Top 100 Big Boards

Which QB will go in the first round?

Winnie Iyer of SN projects five QBs in the first round of our 2021 NFL Mock Draft. That talented group includes Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Zak Wilson of BYU, Justin Fields of Ohio State, Mac Jones of Alabama and Trey Lance of North Dakota.

Here’s a look at those QBs and their approximate landing spots.

Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

Lawrence finished with 10,098 yards, 90 TDs and 17 interceptions at Clemson. He won the national championship in 2018 and was the runner up Heiman last season. He is projected to move to No. 1 in the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Zach Wilson, BYU

Wilson passed for 7,652 yards, 56 TDs and 15 ints BYU over the last three seasons. He finished eighth in the Heiman poll last season. He is projected to move to No. 2 in the New York Jets.

Mac Jones, Alabama

Jones led Alabama to a perfect season and national championship in his first full season as a starter. He finished his career with 6,126 passing yards, 56 TDs and seven INTs. Jones Heisman finished third in the voting. He is projected to be No. 3 in the San Francisco 49ers.

Trey Lance, North Dakota State

Lance led North Dakota State to an undefeated season and FCS Championship in 2019. He passed for 2,786 yards, 28 TDs and no interceptions that season and rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 TDs. He is projected to move to No. 4 in the Atlanta Falcons.

Justin Fields, Ohio State

Fields, who passed for 5,373 yards, 63 TDs and nine interceptions at Ohio State during the back-to-back college football playoffs, has run for the past two seasons. He finished second in Hisman voting in 2019 and seventh in the previous season. He is projected to move to No. 9 in the Denver Broncos.

MORE: Top 10 QBs Ranked in 2021 NFL Draft

NFL Draft Record for QBs taken in Round 1

Six. In 1983, a record six quarterbacks were taken in the first round. That group consisted of three quarterbacks who finished in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in John Elway (No. 1), Jim Kelly (No. 14) and Dan Marino (No. 27).

Other first-round quarterbacks of that year included Todd Blackledge (No. 7), Tony Ezone (No. 15) and Ken O’Brien (No. 24).

If there ever was a “Year of the Quarterback”, it was.

How many times did five QBs go in the first round?

Twice. There were five first-round quarterbacks in the 1999 NFL Draft. That group included Tim Cauch (No. 1), Donovan McNab (No. 2), Akeeli Smith (No. 3), Denton Culpepper (No. 11) and Cade McNaw (No. 12). McNab was the only quarterback among the five who debuted in the Super Bowl.

There were also five first-round quarterbacks in the 2018 NFL Draft. That group included Baker Mayfield (No. 1), Sam Darnold (No. 3), Josh Allen (No. 7), Josh Rosen (No. 10) and Lamar Jackson (No. 32). Allen led the Bills in the AFC Championship Game last season, and Mayfield and Jackson advanced to the AFC Divisional Round.

How many times have QBs 1-3 been selected?

Twice. Kauch, McNab and Smith were taken in 1999 with the first three picks.

The other year was 1971, when Jim Plunkett (No. 1), Archie Manning (No. 2) and Dan Pastorini (No. 3) were the three first-round quarterbacks selected.

The Common Draft era has not come in the first round where four quarterbacks were selected with the first four picks.

What is the record for the most QBs in the top 10?

Mayfield, Darnold, Allen and Rosen each had four top-10 picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. Three quarterbacks were in the top 10 in 1971, 1999, 2011 and 2020.

This record could at least be tied, if not broken, in 2021.

Is this a trend?

The number of first-round quarterbacks continues to grow. Here is a decade-by-decade pick in the first quarter.

Four quarterbacks were taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft in Joe Burrow (No. 1), Tua Tagovelloa (No. 5), Justin Herbert (No. 6) and Jordan Love (No. 26).

If five QBs are taken in the first round in 2021, it would break the two-year record of nine sets in 1983–84.

Can the sixth QB be taken in the first round?

it is unlikely. Florida’s Kyle Tusk is projected as a second-round late pick by SN, and Jamie Newman, Kellen Monds and Davis Mills are considered Day 3 picks.