This weekend marked the eighth week of action in the NFL. It's time to check-in on all of the quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft.
Throughout the history of the NFL, there has been a long debate on how soon -- and how ready -- rookie quarterbacks should make their debut. Even for the most talented of passers, with the rare exception, the prevailing thought has been to have the rookies sit a year or two while learning the ins and outs of the pro game.
This year has been different, with four of the five quarterbacks selected in the 2018 NFL draft already earning multiple starts for their respective teams. And the fifth, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, has seen game action in certain packages.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs is a good example of having a quarterback sit a year before starting. Mahomes has thrown for 300 yards or more in seven games and four or more touchdowns in four straight games. In the process, Mahomes has led the Chiefs to a 7-1 start.
The quartet of rookie quarterbacks making starts in 2018 -- Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen -- have been thrown into the fire. The results have been mixed through eight weeks.
Bright spots have occurred, but as expected, individually the rookie quarterbacks have been inconsistent. Win-loss records have been helped along by strong defenses for three of the four teams. And while it appears none of these teams represented by starting rookie quarterbacks will reach the playoffs this season, the foundation is being laid for a bright future for all five of the quarterbacks. (Jackson and the Ravens probably have the best chance of reaching the playoffs, though one wouldn't guess by today's loss to the Carolina Panthers.)
Baker Mayfield
Mayfield, the first pick of the draft, sat for the first few games of the season for the Cleveland Browns. Since replacing an injured Tyrod Taylor in game three and leading the Browns to a victory over the New York Jets, Mayfield has kept a firm grasp as number one on the depth chart.
The Browns (2-5-1) have been a fixture in close games this season, with a lot of the credit going to Mayfield on the offensive side of the ball. Mayfield is 2-4 in games he's played and currently mired in a three-game losing streak.
Mayfield has often looked like the most veteran of the first-round picks, proving why he was selected first overall. At other times, he's struggled to get rid of the ball in a timely manner, taking sacks when not needed.
Cleveland's rookie quarterback has completed 58.3 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,471 yards. Mayfield has eight touchdown passes and six interceptions. His best game was a 12-9 overtime win over the Ravens in which he threw for 342 yards.
Sam Darnold
Darnold is the only one of the group to play in all of their team's games thus far and the New York Jets have gone 3-5 in the process.
The rookie has thrown for 1,705 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Darnold has completed 55.2 percent of his passes, completing under 50 percent in four of the eight games. In those four games, the Jets won once.
Darnold has thrown a touchdown pass in five straight games. This has occurred with New York's top two receivers, Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson missing time.
Darnold had his best performance so far in week 6. The Jets defeated the Indianapolis Colts 42-34 and Darnold was nearly flawless. He was 24-30 for 280 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Darnold also averaged 9.3 yards per attempt, his second-highest average of the season.
Josh Allen
Allen and the Buffalo Bills (2-5) have struggled on offense for most of 2018. To top it off, Allen will miss his second-straight game when the Bills take on the New England Patriots on Monday night.
Allen injured his elbow in a week 6 loss to the Houston Texans. He was 10-17 for 84 yards before leaving that game. With very little in the downfield threat department, Allen averaged under five yards per attempt in his last three games. His completion percentage is at 54 percent, but in only one start did it fall below 50.
He's thrown for 832 yards and two touchdowns, but has thrown five interceptions and fumbled four times. Allen's best game was a victory over the Minnesota Vikings, in which he completed 68% of his passes in leading the Bills to a win.
Josh Rosen
Rosen and the Arizona Cardinals (2-6) probably wish they could play the San Francisco 49ers every game.
Arizona defeated the Niners 18-15 on Sunday, giving them and Rosen a 2-0 record versus them in 2018.
He's 0-3 in his other starts and has struggled for the majority of the time. Firing offensive coordinator Mike McCoy might be a blessing for the former UCLA quarterback.
Rosen had his best game, going 23-40 for 252 yards and two touchdowns (with one pick) in the victory. His completion percentage (55.6) is similar to the other first-round picks. Rosen has thrown for 1,072 yards, five touchdowns, and tossed six interceptions.
Lamar Jackson
Jackson continues to get playing time for the Ravens (4-4). He even scored his first touchdown, running the ball in for a score in last week's loss to the New Orleans Saints.
He's 2-6 for 29 yards in 2018 and also carried the ball 20 times for 103 yards.
Be sure to check back in after week 12 to see how the progress of the first-round rookie quarterbacks has continued.
photo credit: flickr.com
To learn more about Jason: jason-haskins.com
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