Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. Those players were in abundance early in last weekend's NFL draft. In the top 10 picks, in fact, there were as many or more of those players taken than in any of the last 30 years. In most cases, many more.
There were two quarterbacks (Mitchell Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes), two running backs (Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey) and three wide receivers (Corey Davis, Mike Williams, John Ross) taken in the top 10 picks, for a total of seven skill position players. That ties with three other years in the last 30 for the most such players; the last time it happened was 2005. That was also the last time there was more than five.
That doesn't mean they'll all turn out great. Or even most of them. The seven in 2005 were Alex Smith, Ronnie Brown, Braylon Edwards, Cedric Benson, Cadillac Williams, Troy Williamson and Mike Williams (hey...!). But teams certainly liked the top talent at those key offensive positions this year.
| SKILL POSITIONS AMONG TOP 10 DRAFT PICKS, 1988-2017 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | QB | RB | WR | TE | Total |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 2005 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 1999 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 1995 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 2004 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 2012 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2011 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 2000 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 1996 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 1993 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 2006 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 2001 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 1998 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1989 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2016 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1994 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1992 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 1990 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1988 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1997 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1991 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
--Andy Richardson