The 2018 quarterback draft class will go down as a historic one for a number of reasons. It produced multiple MVPs, a Super Bowl champion, and a PFWA Rookie of the Year, none of whom were the same person. It was also the start of an interesting trend that's swept through the NFL ever since - the shorter quarterback.
From the AFL-NFL merger announced in 1966 up until the 2018 draft, only one quarterback shorter than 6-foot-3 went No. 1 overall. That quarterback was Michael Vick in 2001, and it's safe to say it wasn't his work as a passer that got him drafted there. Then came the 6-foot-tall Baker Mayfield.
Fresh off a Heisman campaign at Oklahoma, the Browns made Mayfield the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 over the likes of 6-3 Sam Darnold (No. 3 overall), 6-5 Josh Allen (No. 7), 6-4 Josh Rosen (No. 10), and 6-2 Lamar Jackson (No. 32). While not a bad athlete by any means, Mayfield was being coveted purely because of his passing ability in a frame that had never been coveted that highly before. The early returns were gangbusters as he broke the rookie passing touchdown record with 27.
Mayfield's overnight success greenlit the Cardinals to draft his even shorter former Sooners teammate, Kyler Murray, No. 1 overall the very next year, and the floodgates were opened at the position. Then came 6-0 Tua Tagovailoa in 2020, 5-10 Bryce Young in 2023, and 6-1 Caleb Williams in 2024 - the stigma around using premium picks on shorter quarterbacks was gone. That conversation is coming back into the mainstream because the best quarterback in college football through three weeks is the 5-11 ⅞" Ole Miss signal caller, Trinidad Chambliss.
This is nothing new, as Chambliss showed out in relief of Austin Simmons all last season and through the playoffs - only losing to Miami in the semifinal after putting up the most points anyone had scored vs. the Hurricanes all season (27). If Chambliss were 6-foot-4, this wouldn't even be a conversation. It would have been a serious debate for the Raiders on whether to pick Chambliss or Fernando Mendoza last spring - that's how good his tape was against top competition.
Chambliss would be the fourth-shortest quarterback in the NFL if he hadn't gotten clearance for a 6th-season last winter: Brock Purdy, Sam Howell and Baker Mayfield Unfortunately, that's not great company to keep at the position, as that list has not been known for its consistent success in the NFL. In fact, the one common denominator amongst the group seems to be their inconsistency - especially over the past few seasons. I don't think that's a coincidence, but rather part of a larger league-wide trend.
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