2016 NFL Draft: Quarterbacks picked first since turn of century

A quarterback will be selected with the No 1 pick of the 2016 Draft.

Whether it will be North Dakota State's Carson Wentz or University of California's Jared Goff, we as yet don't know, but Los Angeles Rams have traded up from the 15th pick to top spot for the privilege of picking their franchise quarterback of the future.

For every success story like Peyton Manning - taken with the top pick in the 1998 Draft - there is a cautionary tale like JaMarcus Russell, taken No 1 in 2007.

Here we take a closer look at the quarterbacks taken with the first pick since the turn of the century…

Jameis Winston (2015)

Much like this year, there was little separating the top two quarterbacks in the 2015 Draft, with much speculation as to whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would pick Winston, or Marcus Mariota.

They ultimately plumped for Winston, who rewarded them with 4,042 passing yards - the third-most by a rookie in NFL history - in his first year. Mariota didn't fare too badly either mind, becoming the first rookie QB to record two games with at least four touchdown passes, for the Tennessee Titans.

Andrew Luck (2012)

Once again, quarterbacks were taken with the first and second picks, although this time Luck was predicted to be the top pick by many over Robert Griffin III, and so it proved.

There had even been a 'Suck for Luck' campaign the previous year, with many hoping their team would lose, get the top pick of the draft and pick Luck. He was seen as the surest QB prospect coming out of college since Manning in 1998, and as 'luck' would have it, that's who he'd end up replacing at Indianapolis Colts.

Cam Newton (2011)

Arguably, Newton is the one on our list to have tasted the most pro success, with 'SuperCam' proving an unstoppable force both in the air, and on the ground.

His rookie season saw him throw for an astonishing 4,051 yards and rush for 14 touchdowns. A couple of quieter years - by his standards - followed, but he was back to his best last year, leading Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl with 35 touchdown passes, and 10 scores on the ground. Sadly, the season would end in defeat to Denver Broncos.

Sam Bradford (2010)

Bradford is the toughest of the No 1 picks to grade. Is he an overrated player, afforded more opportunities - like the one he was given but failed to grasp with Philadelphia Eagles last year - than his talent deserves? Or is he endlessly unlucky, troubled constantly by injuries or coaching/system changes?

After four such seasons with St Louis Rams, the Eagles traded for Bradford, looking to build Chip Kelly's explosive offence around him. But after a poor 7-9 season, Kelly is gone and Philadelphia have traded up to the second pick of the 2016 Draft, where they will take a quarterback.

Matthew Stafford (2009)

The bullet-armed Stafford arguably possesses the strongest throw of all the names on our list, but has been plagued by inconsistency during his pro career.

Stafford's peak was undoubtedly in 2011 when he threw for 5,038 yards and an incredible 41 touchdowns. He has passed the 30-mark only once since, when notching 32 scores last year, but that belies a woeful start to the year as Detroit Lions went 0-5 with Stafford benched after three interceptions in a blowout loss to Arizona Cardinals.

JaMarcus Russell (2007)

Undoubtedly the biggest draft bust on our list, and maybe of all time. Russell posted a 7-18 record during his three years with the Oakland Raiders, tallying 18 touchdowns to 23 interceptions.

After ultimately burning out of the NFL due to weight and drug issues, Russell attempted a comeback in 2013 but was not signed. To make matters worse for 'Raider Nation', they passed on such talent as Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch taken later in the draft.

Alex Smith (2005)

Once again, the debate ahead of the 2005 Draft was which of two quarterbacks would be selected No 1 overall by San Francisco 49ers. They picked Smith, but the biggest surprise was to then see future NFL Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers slide all the way to the 24th pick, where Green Bay Packers gleefully snapped him up.

Smith took a long time to settle in comparison to Rodgers, but has ultimately carved out a decent NFL resume, first with San Francisco and now with Kansas City Chiefs.

Eli Manning (2004)

Another QB tussle for the top two picks, although this one was more personal. San Diego Chargers selected Manning, but there was a problem: he didn't want to play for them. He wanted to go to New York and play for the Giants, which he ultimately did after the two teams agreed a trade - Philip Rivers in turn heading for the sunshine coast of California.

Eli hasn't matched his older brother Peyton's career in terms of stats, but did for some time hold the Super Bowl advantage, with two wins to one until Peyton evened things up with Denver's win in Super Bowl 50 before retirement.

Carson Palmer (2003)

Much like Bradford and Luck have been since, Palmer was the first to be touted as 'the best college QB since Peyton'. He didn't disappoint, throwing 32 touchdowns in only his second season with the Cincinnati Bengals and then topping the 4,000-yard mark in his next two.

A torn elbow disrupted his 2008 season and he failed to reach the same stratospheric heights following surgery. An unsuccessful trade to the Raiders followed and Palmer's career appeared to be drifting until Arizona Cardinals picked him up. Personal bests of 4,671 yards and 35 touchdowns last year have seen him return to the top tier of NFL QBs.

David Carr (2002)

Houston Texans came into the NFL as an expansion franchise in 2002, and chose Carr as their first draft pick. Sadly though, the burden of that tag weighed heavily on Carr, as did multiple defensive lineman, with the quarterback sacked a staggering 76 times in his rookie season behind a woefully put together Texans team.

Carr never really recovered from the experience, suffering a further 68 sacks in the 2005 season and spent much of the rest of his career as a back-up. His brother Derek is at least faring a little better as a Raider, picked in the second round in 2014.

Michael Vick (2001)

Commonplace in the NFL now with the likes of Newton, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick etc, but Vick was a true pioneer as a 'duel threat' quarterback, astonishing the league with his passing and running ability in his first few years with the Atlanta Falcons.

Just as he should have been peaking, Vick was jailed for 21 months for his involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring. He had moderate success with the Eagles upon release, but is now serving as a back-up with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's a case of 'what could have been' for his NFL career.

Follow the 2016 NFL Draft on Sky Sports 1 from midnight on Thursday and via our live blog here at www.skysports.com/nfl