How often is the first QB selected the best in his draft class? And other questions Photo by Harry How/Getty Images Ron Rivera exceeded most reasonable expectations in his first year as head coach and face of the new-look Washington Football franchise, leading last year’s train wreck to a division championship and giving the eventual Super Bowl champions their hardest playoff contest. Even as WFT fans were celebrating the better than expected finish, Rivera began to make it clear that to take the team much further he will need to find a franchise quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed a few weeks ago to provide a veteran presence. At 38 and starting for his ninth team, Fitzpatrick is clearly not the quarterback of the future. His signing does set the team up to draft and develop a quarterback, by relieving the pressure to draft a day one starter, or start a rookie too early. That is the path that most of the league’s best teams have followed to find their franchise QBs.