Honestly, looking back at the 2018 NFL Draft 1st round feels like looking at a high school yearbook where the "Least Likely to Succeed" ended up being billionaires and the Prom King is now trying to find himself in a mid-level sales job. It’s been eight years. In NFL time, that’s an eternity. Most players from that night are either grizzled veterans, "what-if" stories, or completely out of the league.
We all remember the hype. Five quarterbacks. It was supposed to be the class that redefined the league for a decade. And it did—just not in the way anyone predicted when Roger Goodell walked onto that stage in Arlington.
👉 See also: Is Spring River Golf Course Still the Best Value in Roswell?
The Quarterback Chaos: Winners, Losers, and the Great Revivals
If you told a Browns fan on draft night that Baker Mayfield would eventually be the "steady veteran" leading a deep playoff run for the Buccaneers while Josh Allen became a perennial MVP candidate in Buffalo, they would have called you crazy. Baker was the spark. He was the guy who was supposed to "wake up feeling dangerous" in Cleveland forever.
Instead, the 2018 QB class became a masterclass in how much "situation" matters.
- Baker Mayfield (Pick 1): He didn't bust. He just got Cleveland-ed. After a carousel of coaches and a messy exit, he found a second life. He’s basically the poster child for the "second act" career now.
- Sam Darnold (Pick 3): The "seeing ghosts" game against the Patriots almost killed his career. For years, he was the ultimate cautionary tale of a bad environment (sorry, Jets fans). But seeing him find relevance again later in his career shows that the talent was always there; it was just buried under bad coaching.
- Josh Allen (Pick 7): The ultimate "I told you so." Critics called him "inaccurate" and "raw." Now? He’s the gold standard for development. He’s the reason GMs keep drafting guys with big arms and shaky stats, hoping they can "pull a Josh Allen."
- Josh Rosen (Pick 10): The "nine mistakes" guy. Ouch. Rosen is the clear-cut bust of the group, but even that is nuanced. Getting dumped by Arizona after one year for Kyler Murray was a move that looked cold at the time but proved to be a ruthless, brilliant business decision.
- Lamar Jackson (Pick 32): The Ravens waited until the very last pick of the first round to grab a two-time MVP. Every team that passed on him—some twice—still looks silly.
Beyond the Pocket: The Real Stars of the 2018 NFL Draft 1st Round
It wasn't just about the guys throwing the ball. Some of the most dominant players of the 2020s came from this group. Take Quenton Nelson (Pick 6). People groaned about a guard going that high. Then he proceeded to play like a Hall of Famer from day one. He made offensive line highlights cool, which is a feat in itself.
Then there’s Saquon Barkley (Pick 2). The "generational" tag is heavy. While injuries slowed him down in the middle of his career, his 2024 Offensive Player of the Year honors proved that he was exactly who we thought he was. The debate about "positional value" (RB vs. QB) still rages, but you can't argue with the sheer talent.
The Defensive Anchors
The defensive side of the 2018 NFL Draft 1st round gave us some absolute monsters. Roquan Smith (Pick 8) and Minkah Fitzpatrick (Pick 11) became the brains of their respective defenses. Minkah’s trade from Miami to Pittsburgh is still one of the most lopsided "we don't know what we have" situations in recent memory.
- Denzel Ward (Pick 4): Still one of the premier lock-down corners when healthy.
- Bradley Chubb (Pick 5): A sack machine who has dealt with the injury bug but remains a game-changer.
- Derwin James (Pick 17): When he's on the field, he's the best safety in football. Period.
Why 2018 Still Matters in 2026
We are seeing the ripple effects of this draft right now in the 2026 season. Teams are still trying to find "their Josh Allen." The Raiders and Jets, currently sitting at the top of the 2026 draft order, are haunted by the ghosts of 2018. They are desperate to avoid the mistakes of the past while chasing the ceiling that Allen and Jackson provided.
The league has changed. The "project" QB is no longer a dirty word; it's a blueprint. But 2018 also taught us that the "safe" pick (like Rosen or Darnold in certain eyes) can be the riskiest move of all.
The Draft List: Round 1 Recap
The sheer volume of talent in the top 20 was staggering. Vital Vea (Pick 12) transformed the Bucs' interior defense. Da'Ron Payne (Pick 13) became a foundational piece for Washington. Even further down, D.J. Moore (Pick 24) and Calvin Ridley (Pick 26) proved to be perennial 1,000-yard threats.
Of course, there were the misses. Rashaad Penny (Pick 27) and Sony Michel (Pick 31) showed why taking running backs late in the first is a gamble that rarely pays off long-term, even if Michel did help the Patriots win a Super Bowl.
Actionable Insights: Lessons for the Modern Fan
If you're looking at current mock drafts or trying to evaluate your team's future, keep these 2018 lessons in mind:
- Trust the traits, but verify the situation. A great player in a bad system (like Darnold) is a wasted pick.
- Don't overvalue "readiness." Josh Allen was the least "pro-ready" and became the best.
- The end of the first round is for the bold. The Ravens got an MVP at 32 because they were willing to be different.
- Watch the trades. The Bills moving up for Allen and the Cardinals moving up for Rosen show that being aggressive can either build a dynasty or cost people their jobs.
Re-evaluating the 2018 NFL Draft 1st round isn't just a nostalgia trip. It’s a roadmap. It shows us that even the "experts" get it wrong, and that "busts" can sometimes just be players waiting for the right home. As we head toward the 2026 draft, remember that the guy everyone is laughing at today might be the one holding the MVP trophy in five years.
To get a better sense of how these players compare now, you should look at their career Pro Bowl nods versus their initial draft position. It’s a wild way to see who actually provided the most value. You might also want to check out the current 2026 NFL Draft order to see which teams are still trying to fix the holes left by their 2018 misses.