Joe Burrow came off the board with the No. 1 pick. OK, that was expected.
And then it went Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert with the fifth and sixth picks. That order was up for debate leading all the way up to the NFL Draft, but those two quarterbacks were expected to go early.
It was a slight surprise that Utah State’s Jordan Love went to the Green Bay Packers, but he was also expected to go in the first round.
All the while, former five-star quarterbacks Jacob Eason, Jake Fromm and Shea Patterson sat patiently waiting for their names to be called.
They had a long time to wait and in Patterson’s case, his name was never called.
After the first-round run on quarterbacks, only Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts was selected in the second round. No QBs were picked in the third round at all.
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The ESPN family of networks kept showing Eason in his home, surrounded by family, first sitting and watching intently, then sprawled out on a chaise lounge as some draft analysts questioned his maturity, his leadership and his declining passing stats later in games. It seemed like an excruciating experience just hearing other names called.
When it came to Fromm, the only thing that analysts questioned was his arm strength after what many believed to be a poor performance at the NFL Scouting Combine. Patterson was hardly mentioned at all during the broadcast.
Finally, with the No. 16 pick in Round 4, the Indianapolis Colts selected Eason. FIU quarterback James Morgan was also a fourth-round pick. And then Fromm went in the fifth round to the Buffalo Bills. Patterson was expected to sign as an undrafted free agent.
As far as rankings, Patterson was the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2016 class. Eason was seventh in that recruiting class. And Fromm was No. 20 overall in the 2017 class.
FARRELL'S TAKE
We ask Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell whether NFL teams got it right with Eason, Fromm and Patterson or whether one - or maybe more - will surprise and back up their five-star ranking once they get to the pros?
"That’s three five-star quarterbacks all faring much worse in the NFL Draft than we expected.
"I was never truly on board with Fromm as a five-star, but the majority rules in situations like this. He was a good leader and made some tough throws under pressure, but he didn’t wow you physically. That being said, he can still be a solid starter in the NFL.
"I felt like Eason was a surefire first-rounder and if he hadn’t been hurt at Georgia, which allowed Fromm to step in, he might have been. He didn’t live up to the hype at Washington, but the fourth round seems low to me. He can eventually be an above average starter in the NFL.
"As for Patterson, I was all-in when it came to his five-star ranking and can’t really explain why he didn’t pan out. He had everything but size. I believe Patterson will catch on someplace, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be much more than a Jimmy Clausen-type."
