When the Los Angeles Rams chose Cal QB Jared Goff No. 1 overall in Thursday’s NFL draft and the Philadelphia Eagles followed by selecting North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz No. 2, it marked the seventh time since 1967 (defined as the start of the common draft era) that two QBs have gone 1-2 in the draft. In previous years, one of those QBs has tended to rise above the other. Here is a look back at the history:
| No. 1 overall pick, team and comment | Year | No. 2 overall pick, team and comment |
| Jim Plunkett, Patriots: Sputtered with New England, posting a 23-38 record as the starting QB while throwing 87 interceptions (to just 62 touchdowns) in five seasons there. He didn’t blossom until later in his career, when he won a pair of Super Bowls with the Raiders. 
| 1971 | Archie Manning, Saints: Had the misfortune of playing for lousy teams throughout his career, mostly in New Orleans but also in the end with the 1984 Vikings. He started 139 career games and won just 35 of them. |
| Drew Bledsoe, Patriots: Enjoyed a 14-year NFL career, including nine mostly productive seasons in New England. Bledsoe threw for 44,611 career yards (10th all-time) and quarterbacked the Patriots to the Super Bowl after the 1996 season, where they lost to the Packers. | 1993 | Rick Mirer, Seahawks: After four nondescript years with Seattle, where Mirer compiled a 20-31 record as a starter, he became a journeyman. Mirer finished his career with 50 TD passes and 76 interceptions. |
| Peyton Manning, Colts: One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and the owner of several records — including 71,940 passing yards, a mark he reached at the end of his final season with Denver in 2015 before retiring. Oh, did I mention he also won the Super Bowl on his way out after also winning one with the Colts? | 1998 | Ryan Leaf, Chargers: And, well, the opposite side of the spectrum in the extreme case of QB opposites. Leaf started just 21 NFL games, going 4-17 and finished with 14 TD passes to go with 36 interceptions. He’s on pretty much every list of all-time draft busts. |
| Tim Couch, Browns: Things never clicked for Couch, who never played in another NFL game after five mediocre seasons with the Browns. | 1999 | Donovan McNabb, Eagles: Vikings fans remember McNabb none-too-fondly, but let’s not forget that he was awfully good with the Eagles. He finished his career with more than 37,000 yards passing. |
| Andrew Luck, Colts: Took the Colts to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons before an injury-marred 2015 slowed his ascent. Still, Luck is considered a franchise QB and one of the best in the NFL. | 2012 | Robert Griffin III, Redskins: He was dynamite as a rookie, but injuries and ineffectiveness have followed him ever since then. Now he’s trying to resurrect his career in Cleveland. |
| Jameis Winston, Buccaneers: Threw for 4,042 yards in a promising rookie season. | 2015 | Marcus Mariota, Titans: Had a similarly encouraging rookie year. Is this an occasion when both teams got it right? Time will tell. |
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