13. Jim Plunkett, Patriots, 1971
Plunkett, the 1970 Heisman winner from Stanford, was the first overall pick in the 1971 draft. Plunkett was a prototypical pocket passer who often threw long. He had an impressive rookie season, leading the Patriots to their best record in five years while having the fourth most passing yards in a rookie season in the 1970s.
While Plunkett’s stats look inferior compared to some of the more current quarterbacks on this list, it’s important to keep in mind that he played in an era that wasn’t nearly as friendly to quarterbacks and the passing game. As a matter of fact, a majority of quarterbacks in Plunkett’s era tossed far more interceptions than touchdowns in a full season.
Rookie stats: 14 GP, 48.2% Comp, 2,158 Yds, 19 TD, 16 INT, 68.6 QB rating, 210 Rush Yds, 0 Rush TD