After Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, the NFL draft’s QB board could go quiet fast

Don't expect a run of quarterbacks to go off the board in the first round of this year's NFL draft like what happened in 2021 and 2024.

There figures to be a long gap between Fernando Mendoza's coronation as the expected No. 1 pick by the Las Vegas Raiders and when the second quarterback on most public big boards, Ty Simpson, is expected to go.

Oddsmakers have Simpson as a slight favorite to be picked in round one with the over/under of his selection spot at 24 1/2. But if he falls even a little bit, this could be the rare first round with only one quarterback.

There have been only two drafts in the past 24 years with only one first-round quarterback, with Kenny Pickett the lone selection in 2022 at pick 20 and EJ Manuel at No. 16 in 2013.

There have been an average of 3.3 quarterbacks taken in the first round over the last 12 drafts, including a record-tying six in 2024 and five each in 2021 and 2018. One quarterback who likely would have gone high in the first round this year if he left college was Oregon's Dante Moore, who opted to stay in school for another year in a decision made easier because of NIL.

There have been four drafts since 2000 with only one first-round quarterback and in all of those the most successful QB went off the board later than round one. Brock Purdy was the final pick in 2022 after Pickett went to Pittsburgh, and Geno Smith went in round two in 2013 after Manuel. Two of the greatest quarterbacks ever also were picked after a lone first-rounder with Drew Brees going in the second round in 2001 after Michael Vick went No. 1 overall and Tom Brady being a sixth-rounder the previous year after Chad Pennington went in round one.

Assuming the Raiders pick Mendoza, it will be their first time taking a QB in round one since 2007, when they took JaMarcus Russell first overall before he became one of the biggest draft busts ever.

Only three teams have gone longer without taking a quarterback in round one of the common draft with Seattle's last coming in 1993 with Rick Mirer, Dallas in 1989 with Troy Aikman and New Orleans in 1971 with Archie Manning.

One year after every team entered the draft with a first-round pick for the first time since the start of the common draft in 1967, there has been plenty of picks moving with the latest coming when Cincinnati sent the 10th pick to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence.

There have been only times in the common draft era that at least six teams made multiple first-round picks in the same draft with the record being set in 2022 when nine teams did it. There were six in 2020, 1989, 1974 and 1973.

The teams other than the Giants with multiple first-rounders are the New York Jets, Cleveland, Kansas City, Miami and Dallas. The teams without a first-rounder are Cincinnati, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Green Bay, Jacksonville and Denver.

Barring a trade, the Jaguars won't make a pick in the first round for the first time since entering the NFL in 1995 thanks to the deal during last year's draft to move up to pick Travis Hunter second overall.

The 31 straight drafts with at least one first-rounder for Jacksonville is the fourth-longest streak in the common draft era, according to Sportradar. The second-longest streak will also end without a trade as the Bengals last sat out the first round in 1989.

Pittsburgh holds the record for the most consecutive years with a first-round pick with 52 from 1968-2019, while Detroit could take over the longest active streak at 33 years if the Lions make a pick in round one.

The Giants now have the rare opportunity to make two picks in the top 10 with their own at No. 5 and the 10th pick from the Bengals. New York did that in 2022 when the team took Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth pick and Evan Neal at No. 7 with a pick acquired from Chicago in a 2021 draft-day trade.

There have been four other times in the previous 25 drafts that a team made two top-10 picks with all of them happening since 2018 when Cleveland took Baker Mayfield first and Denzel Ward fourth.

The Jets got AP Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner in 2022, Houston took C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson in 2023 and Chicago got Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze two years ago.

Ohio State could dominate the start of the draft with Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs and Carnell Tate all having a chance to go in the top 10.

The last time a school had four top-10 picks came in the first year of the common draft when Michigan State had Bubba Smith go first, Clint Jones second, George Webster fifth and Gene Washington eighth.

There have been seven other times in the common draft era with a school having three top-10 picks with the Buckeyes doing it in 2016 with Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott and Eli Apple.

The last time it happened was in 2021, when Alabama had Jaylen Waddle, Patrick Surtain II and DeVonta Smith taken. The others schools to do it were Oklahoma in 2010, Auburn in 2005, Penn State in 1995, Miami in 1987 and USC in 1977.

Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love has a chance to end a seven-year drought of running backs going in the top five of the draft.

Oddsmakers have the over/under of Love's draft spot set at 4 1/2, which means he has a good shot of being the first running back to go in the top five since the Giants took Saquon Barkley fifth overall in 2018.

The seven straight drafts without a top five running back mark the longest stretch ever in the common draft era, topping the four straight seasons from 1970-73. From 1974-95 there was an average of one running back taken in the top five each year, but the shift to a passing league has lessened the impact of running backs in recent years.

Love's college teammate Jadarian Price has a chance at being the second running back taken which would mark the first time ever that the first two running backs drafted came from the same school.

Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, streaks and trends each week. For more Inside the Numbers, head here.

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FILE - Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza holds the trophy after Indiana defeated Miami in a College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami Gardens, Fla., Jan. 19, 2026, (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

When Marlin Klein left Germany to play football in the United States, he entered a whole new world.

The teenager walked away from the sports he loved as a youngster — soccer and basketball — and opted to work in the Georgia mountains with a high school coach who held Klein to the same standards as everyone else on the team. And because the relative football newcomer wasn't fluent in English, just learning the proper terminology was challenging, too.

Yet, Klein managed to overcome those initial hardships, earn a college scholarship at Michigan and appears to be on the cusp of achieving his ultimate dream — playing in the NFL.

“I think it was harder on my family than it was for me," he said during the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. “I was looking forward to something. I was getting myself into something new and chasing my dream of playing football. But, obviously, having your son at 15 years old come up to you and say, ‘I want to come to the U.S.,’ it was tough. I left my entire life behind, my entire family, my friends to chase this dream.”

Klein is likely to find out his next stop Friday or Saturday when he's expected to become the third Wolverines tight end drafted in three years. A.J. Barner was a fourth-round pick in 2024 and Colston Loveland went at No. 10 overall last year. Klein would be the unlikeliest of the three given his trek to this point and his numbers — 12 career starts, 38 career receptions, 364 career yards and just one touchdown catch in college.

While the long, arduous journey from international prospect to professional player seems increasingly more plausible today than previous years thanks to the success of players such as Australian offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, the European recruitment efforts of former NFL players such as Bjorn Werner and the league's International Player Pathway Program, it's still not easy.

Just ask Klein.

“It was my best friend for the first year,” he said when asked about relying on Google Translate to help him overcome the language barrier. ”It was quite the relationship."

The NFL's investment in finding international players makes sense, given its desire to continue growing its overseas fan base. The Indianapolis Colts, who drafted Werner, have played in Germany twice in the past three seasons and next season's schedule features three games in London along with games in Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Munich, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

So having players who can serve as de facto ambassadors and help sell tickets in those locales certainly makes sense. Not surprisingly, this year's draft class, like others in recent years, includes a group of intriguing prospects who crisscrossed the planet.

Defensive tackle Uar Bernard and edge rusher Joshua Weru both turned heads with their strong performances at this year's HBCU Showcase. Bernard grew up in a Nigerian village hoping to dabble in real estate. Weru is from Kenya. Both now hope to hear their names called, likely on Day 3 of the draft.

Kicker Kansei Matsuzawa was born in Ichikawa, Japan, and earned three letters in soccer before playing two seasons at tiny Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, and then landing at Hawaii and emerging as a Lou Groza Award finalist.

Brett Thorson of Georgia looks like the next in the long line of Australian punters who attended ProKick Australia, where he was rated the top positional prospect in the nation. He won last season's Ray Guy Award and is a two-time second team Associated Press All-American.

And although former Stanford tight end Sam Roush is an American with deep athletic roots, including a family tie to Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, his family moved seven times during his childhood.

Roush lived in cities ranging from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta to Atlanta and Nashville, and his storyline sounds remarkably similar to so many international hopefuls — right down to his introduction to rugby and the early morning wakeup calls to watch pro and college football games.

“I would wake up at like three in the morning to watch Duke football and basketball games," Roush said, noting his father was a safety for the Blue Devils. “I played rugby, basketball, a little bit of soccer and baseball. I think the physicality of rugby helped me prepare when I was younger to just kind of step into that role as a physical football player. Those are memories I’ll never forget.”

The weekend could provide Roush — and the others — with a moment they won't forget.

But to Klein, it would also prove he did the right thing by leaving Europe to pursue a goal many thought may not be possible.

“The main thing for me is that if you have a dream, you should full on pursue it, no matter what anybody tells you,” Klein said. “I mean so many people told me, from Germany, how many American kids are out there, they can play tight end, they can run fast, catch balls. But if you believe in yourself that’s all you need.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

FILE - Michigan tight end Marlin Klein (14) runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

FILE - Michigan tight end Marlin Klein (14) runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)