It is dangerous to try to make any judgments on an NFL draft class until at least five years have elapsed, especially for quarterbacks where some always take time to develop. The 2011 NFL Draft was top heavy with quarterbacks, and several have already worked their way into the starting rotation drawing some comparisons to the famous “Class of ’83.”
Obviously, it is way too early to say that this year’s class measures up to the famous class from 27 years ago, but it is interesting to look back on that class for comparison.
The Class of ’83 was famous for the depth and quality of the quarterbacks available early in the draft. Six quarterbacks were taken in the first round, three of which turned into Hall of Famers. This past year, six quarterbacks were taken in the top 36 picks. Only time will tell how well they can stack up against the famous class of ’83.
John Elway was taken with the first overall pick by the Baltimore Colts, but was traded to Denver where he turned in a Hall of Fame career, guiding the Broncos to five Super Bowl appearances and two back-to-back Super Bowl titles, one in which he was named MVP (Super Bowl XXXIII).
Elway was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, 1987 NFL MVP, and threw for 300 touchdowns and over 51,000 yards in his career.
As the first round progressed, the second quarterback off the board was taken by the Chiefs, who went with Todd Blackledge with the seventh overall pick. Blackledge never became a starter, but played in 46 games and threw for over 5,000 yards.
The third quarterback off the board was Jim Kelly, taken by the Buffalo Bills with a trade from the Cleveland Browns at the 14th pick overall. Kelly initially went to play for the Houston Gamblers of the USFL, but finally joined the Bills in 1986 when the USFL folded. Kelly went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Bills, guiding them to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances and throwing for over 35,000 yards in his career.
The fourth quarterback came one pick later, when the Patriots selected Tony Eason. Eason had a respectable career, appearing in 72 games, 49 as a starter. He guided the Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1985, becoming the first team to win 3 road games to reach the Super Bowl.
After Eason, the Jets were the next to grab a passer, taking Ken O’Brien with the 24th pick. O’Brien had a solid career, passing for over 25,000 yards and going to two Pro Bowls in his 11 year career.
Finally, near the end of the first round, the Miami Dolphins also needed a quarterback and fortunately, there was still one worthy of first round consideration. The Dolphins took Dan Marino with the 27th overall pick in the first round. Marino had a stellar 17 year career with the Dolphins, becoming one of the top quarterbacks of all time.
Marino passed for over 61,000 yards in his career, and 420 touchdowns. He was a nine time Pro Bowl selection, NFL MVP, and set numerous records in the NFL. He still holds the record for most passing yards in a season with 5,084 which he set in his second season in 1984.
With three Hall of Famers, the Class of 1983 included an exceptional group of quarterbacks. Marino and Elway were both ranked in the top 25 NFL Players of all time by NFL.com. The three Hall of Famers (Elway, Marino and Kelly) combined for over 147,000 passing yards – that’s over 83 miles.
Starting with the 1984 season, teams led by Class of ’83 quarterbacks made 11 Super Bowl appearances over the next 15 years. It could have easily been more, but all six were taken by AFC teams, so there was never a head-to-head Super Bowl matchup involving two C83 QBs.
As for this year’s class – the potential is certainly there. Cam Newton, who went first overall, has started four games for the Panthers and already shown flashes of brilliance. He has thrown for 1,386 yards in his first four games – including two 400-yard games and one 374-yard game. Although his team is 1-3, he has started faster than any rookie quarterback ever has.
Andy Dalton and Jake Locker have also had the starting job from day one in Cincinnati and Tennessee. Blaine Gabbert has already earned the starting job in Jacksonville after a couple of games. Christian Ponder and Colin Kaepernick are still waiting for their shot in Minnesota and San Francisco.
Only time will tell if there are any Hall of Famers in this group and, more importantly, who is the John Elway and who is the Todd Blackledge, but there certainly seems to be enough potential in this group to be excited watching their development.
