Believe it or not, the top of the NFL draft wasn’t always owned by quarterbacks, even though that era now seems like ancient history. But long before the 1983, 1999 and 2004 draft classes were celebrated for the supply of arms they gifted the league, the NFL’s 1971 draft was the one to famously blaze that QB trail, billed as “The Year of the Quarterback” in the months leading up to the draft. Not only did quarterbacks get picked 1-2-3 for the first time in history, but the opening 99 selections that year included six passers who went on to have long and accomplished NFL careers.
Oral history of the 1971 NFL draft: The original Year of the Quarterback
