Quarterbacks are coming at a premium these days. Because of that, you see more quarterbacks drafted in the first round. The New Orleans Saints haven’t followed that trend. They haven’t drafted a quarterback in the first round since Archie Manning in 1971. That’s a 53-year drought.

This gives them the longest drought in the NFL. The next closest team is the Dallas Cowboys, who haven’t drafted a quarterback in the first round since Troy Aikman in 1989. That’s still 18 years after the Saints.

Let’s take it beyond the first round. The Saints haven’t drafted a starting quarterback in over 30 years. Ian Book starting a game due to COVID is the closest they’ve come. New Orleans has instead opted for the free agent route. It’s easy to take that road when Drew Brees is your franchise quarterback for over a decade, but this trend predates Brees.

Technically, the Saints have had two former first rounders start for them recently. Derek Carr and Jameis Winston were both former first round picks but not by the Saints.

17 teams have drafted a first round quarterback since 2020. All but three teams have drafted a quarterback since the turn of the century. Like the doctors say, results may vary. The success of Carr, specifically this season, will determine when the Saints are able to update their position on the list with a more recent year than 1971.

Story originally appeared on Saints Wire