All five of the quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft made at least seven starts last season. As starters, the Browns' Baker Mayfield and Ravens' Lamar Jackson led the rookie QBs with six wins apiece, followed by the Bills' Josh Allen with five, the Jets' Sam Darnold with four and Josh Rosen (then with the Cardinals) with three.
The experience these players gained in Year 1, as well as the offseason acquisitions made by their respective teams, play a big role in the increased expectations for the QBs, including Rosen, who will compete for the starting job after being traded to the Dolphins.
So, which 2018 first-round quarterback will win the most games in 2019?
New York is an entirely different team than it was last year at this time. First-year
Jets head coach Adam Gase will elevate Darnold's game. The addition of running back
Le'Veon Bell and improvements made on the offensive line will help the young QB, as well. Bell was the best back in the league two seasons ago, and I think people forget just how good he is because he sat out the 2018 campaign. The defense also got major boosts this offseason with the signing of
C.J. Mosley and selection of third overall pick
Quinnen Williams.
The
Browns have an extremely tough out-of-division schedule, but I think Mayfield can lead this group to 10 wins. Even nine wins could put him at the top of this quarterback class in 2019.
Lamar Jackson will be second to Mayfield in wins this season, followed by
Sam Darnold,
Josh Allen and finally
Josh Rosen.
I really like how GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have built this team from the trenches out, adding center
Mitch Morse, guard
Quinton Spain and rookie guard/tackle
Cody Ford on offense, as well as an aggressive pass rusher in first-round draft pick
Ed Oliver. The
Bills' big offseason additions will allow them to play a physical brand of football. Buffalo won't be flashy but will surprise a lot of teams this season.
I will say, the quarterback with the highest win-total floor will be Lamar Jackson. He led the Ravens to a 6-1 regular-season record as a starter last year, with the lone loss coming at Kansas City after Patrick Mahomes completed a miracle fourth-down pass that never should have happened. The Ravens crushed the draft and brought in Mark Ingram to surround Jackson with a lot of talent heading into 2019.