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NFL Draft: 5 schools you never knew were QB factories

By Erik Lambert

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21: Philip Rivers of Los Angeles Chargers reacts during the NFL International Series match between Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers at Wembley Stadium on October 21, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21: Philip Rivers of Los Angeles Chargers reacts during the NFL International Series match between Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers at Wembley Stadium on October 21, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 22: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons looks to pass during the first quarter against the New York Giants during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 22: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons looks to pass during the first quarter against the New York Giants during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The NFL draft has produced good quarterbacks from all sorts of different backgrounds, but typically they’ve come from predictable places.

Tom Brady went to Michigan. Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff went to Cal. Andrew Luck went to Stanford. Matthew Stafford went to Georgia. Those are all big programs with solid histories at the quarterback position. Then there are those schools that might catch lightning in a bottle once like Ben Roethlisberger from Miami of Ohio or Carson Wentz from North Dakota State.

However, people might be surprised to learn that there are several programs out there with a strong history of producing good quarterbacks who might not be called top tier football schools. Here are five that stand out the most.

Boston College

Biggest alum:  Matt Ryan

The pride of BC is now unquestionably the Atlanta Falcons star Matt Ryan. No quarterback from that college has thrown for more yards (44,000) and touchdowns (275) than him with four Pro Bowls and an MVP award to his name. He’s consistently one of the most underrated passers in the league and could be in line for the Hall of Fame if he’s able to string together a few more seasons of peak play.

Other notables:  Matt Hasselbeck and Doug Flutie

Two men who started their NFL careers as backups but eventually worked their way to stardom. Hasselbeck got his opportunity in Seattle after a few years at #2 behind Brett Favre in Green Bay. He went to three Pro Bowls and got the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance. Flutie was the first truly good QB the college had. He was known for his iconic Hail Mary play. He got New England to the playoffs early in his career, left for the CFL where he became a Hall of Famer and then returned to join Buffalo where he went to a Pro Bowl.

2019 watchlist:  Anthony Brown

Being a sophomore it’s unlikely that Brown will come out of college for the 2019 draft. That said, he’s shown significant improvement this year with 1,390 yards passing with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions behind what is a mediocre offensive line. He’s not on NFL radars yet, but there’s a chance he could be if the improvement continues.

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