5 best first-round selections from the 2018 NFL Draft feat. Josh Allen

Four of the NFL's top quarterbacks from the 2024 season—Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson—were selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Although not all first-round quarterbacks go on to become superstars, the 2018 class certainly appears to be among the best classes of the Super Bowl era.

Here, let's rank the top five players to have emerged from the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Top five players from the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft

1) QB Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)

Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens - Source: Getty

Lamar Jackson has already established himself as one of the league's greatest dual-threat quarterbacks and has won two NFL MVP awards since being selected as the 32nd overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Before that year's draft, NFL evaluators had doubts about Jackson's style of play and whether it would work at the professional level, even though he had two outstanding seasons at Louisville, including a 2016 campaign in which he won the Heisman Trophy. It was clear by Jackson's second season in the league that the scouts made a mistake in allowing him to drop all the way to the No. 32 pick in the draft.

At 28, Jackson still has time to keep improving, and even though he hasn't made his first Super Bowl appearance, his credentials are already looking Hall of Fame-worthy.

2) QB Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen - Source: Imagn

The Buffalo Bills selected Josh Allen with the seventh overall pick in 2018, and he has been a legitimate MVP contender for several seasons since then. In 2024, the standout QB ended with 3,731 passing yards, 531 running yards, and 41 total touchdowns, earning him his first-ever MVP award.

When Allen first joined the league, it was clear that he wasn't the finished or even refined product, but the Buffalo Bills have found their patience with him and has paid dividends since then. The quarterback has now helped the club to five straight AFC East championships and a No. 2 seed finish in the AFC conference in 2024.

3) G Quenton Nelson (Indianapolis Colts)

Quenton Nelson of the Indianapolis Colts - Source: Getty

Despite only being 29 years old, many people already rank Quenton Nelson as one of the greatest offensive guards in NFL history. He began his career with seven consecutive selections to the Pro Bowl after being picked by the Indianapolis Colts with the sixth overall choice in 2018.

Nelson is the first player from the Colts since quarterback Peyton Manning to make seven consecutive Pro Bowls and the only player in the team's history to be named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven seasons.

He has consistently been elite at both run and pass blocking in his seven years in the NFL and it has earned three first-team All-Pro selections and two second-team All-Pro selections to show for it. He even finished third in the voting for Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018.

4) S Minkah Fitzpatrick (Miami Dolphins)

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Pittsburgh Steelers - Source: Getty

Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 11th overall pick and subsequently traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, rapidly rose to prominence as one of the NFL's top safeties thanks to his versatility in the defense and ability to generate turnovers.

Fitzpatrick asked the Dolphins for a trade in his second NFL season, and since being dealt to the Steelers, he has seen even more success, leading the league in interceptions in 2022. Fitzpatrick has been selected to three First-team All-Pro teams and five Pro Bowls in his seven-year career so far.

5) RB Saquon Barkley (New York Giants)

Saquon Barkley during the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Championship Parade - Source: Getty

Saquon Barkley was selected by the New York Giants with the second overall pick in 2018. He quickly became a standout, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and making the Pro Bowl in his first season.

Following six seasons of outstanding production with the team, Barkley was allowed to hit free agency after the 2023 season. He subsequently signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in a move that is considered one of the greatest in league history after only one season.

Barkley created a franchise record and became the ninth player in the history of the NFL to surpass 2,000 running yards in his debut season in Philadelphia. Following a string of outstanding games during the season, he was also voted the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Barkley served as the spark for the Eagles' Super Bowl run, making it fitting for him to secure a championship ring to cap that historic season.