Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, New York’s Mark Sanchez and Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman were the only three quarterbacks taken in the first round of the draft, obviously all with the design that they would become the new face of their respective franchises and that they would solve their team’s longstanding quarterback woes. All received extensive playing time in the preseason, with mixed results:

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions- Stafford had probably the most up-and-down preseason of the three. Expectations are high for the #1 overall pick, but it’s only fair to temper those expectations due to the talent around him. Stafford was victimized by drops early on, as well as poor protection from a notoriously porous offensive line. While he was sacked only three times, Stafford struggled with the constant pass rush pressure, and turned in an overall unimpressive preseason performance. He finished with a dismal 52.8 passer rating, completing 30 of 55 passes for 389 yards with only 1 touchdown. Stafford was intercepted 4 times, and completed only 54.5% of his passes. The worst part may be that Stafford could have to be the opening day starter if Daunte Culpepper can’t recover from his injury quick enough, which is something people in Detroit may not want to see after watching Joey Harrington crash and burn.

Mark Sanchez, New York Jets- Sanchez unquestionably had the best preseason of the three first- round QBs. Sanchez showed an uncanny ability to make plays, and bounce back quickly from mistakes.  Sanchez has shown that he can make all the throws with plenty of distance, zip and accuracy, and his footwork and mobility  have been quite remarkable, and CBS' Phil Simms went as far as to say that he may have the best footwork in the league right now. The Jets’ rookie signal caller finished the preseason 24 of 37 for 347 yards (64.9 completion percentage) with 3 touchdowns and only one interception, good for a 111.0 passer rating. More impressive may be the fact that he did this while facing the Ravens, Giants, and Eagles starting defenses, throwing a touchdown pass against each, including going 5/5 for 67 yards and a score in his only series against Philadelphia. Understandably, Sanchez has been named the Jets’ starting QB, as fourth year man Kellen Clemens, once seen as the answer in New York, had a weak summer which looked all the worse when compared to Sanchez's showing.

Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers- If Sanchez had the best preseason, then Freeman undoubtedly had the worst preseason. Freeman struggled in every game he played, throwing 49 passes but only completing 22 of them for a total of 238 yards and an abysmal 44.9 completion percentage. Freeman threw one touchdown pass against Houston’s backups in the final preseason game, but he also totaled 3 interceptions through four games played. One bright statistical note is that Freeman also scrambled 8 times for 75 yards and a touchdown.  However, Freeman finished the exhibition portion of the season with a ghastly 41.0 passer rating. Luckily for the Kansas State rookie, journeyman Byron Leftwich will open the season as the starter for Tampa Bay, while Freeman gets to watch, learn, and iron out the kinks in his game while preparing for his future role as the Bucs starting QB. While Freeman was touted before the draft as the best package of physical tools (arm strength, size, etc.), his lack of pure passing skills has been evident, and his status as a project is quite clear. Freeman has a long way to go before he becomes what the Bucs' front office envisioned when they traded up to draft him with the 17th overall selection.