The 2018 NFL Draft is less than three weeks away and it already appears to be hurtling towards a historical weekend. No, not the representation of 32 teams in 32 sections of Jerry World, although that's a cool setup. I'm talking about the absurd amount of quarterbacks set to be drafted in the first round, which might very well rival the post-merger record of six, set in 1983.

Since the merger in 1970, we have seen three quarterbacks taken in the first round of the draft 17 times, which actually seems kind of low, at least when you consider the drastic weight placed on the quarterback position in modern sports.

Over that same span, there have been four quarterbacks taken in the first round just seven times, five quarterbacks taken in the first round just two times and six quarterbacks taken just once. We will be adding to the list of four this time around: there is absolutely no chance that this draft does not feature four quarterbacks -- Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield will be taken in the first round or I will print this story out and videotape myself eating it. (Feel free to call me out on this via Twitter @WillBrinson.)

In fact, I'm tempted to make some kind of stupid wager about the number of quarterbacks taken being over 5.5. I firmly believe that both Lamar Jackson and Mason Rudolph will be taken in the first round as well, and that we could end up seeing another quarterback, whether it be Luke Falk or Kyle Lauletta or someone else, sneak into the first round.

This is not entirely about skill. It is also about economics. When the supply is low -- and the quarterback supply is always low in the NFL -- demand will rise. But the supply is much more different this year than usual. Not only do we have a historical quarterback class coming in, but we also have a cross-section of teams in need of a quarterback. 

Many teams at the top of this draft are desperate for a quarterback. Some of them have multiple picks. And a plethora of other teams are itching to pull the trigger on their next franchise quarterback. Teams with franchise quarterbacks, or players paid like franchise quarterbacks, even find themselves in odd positions. Let's break them down, but the reality is this: more than half of the NFL teams drafting in the first round could viably draft a quarterback over the course of the first 32 picks. 

It's going to be absolutely wild.

They Are Drafting a Quarterback

Browns, Jets, Bills

Cleveland will burn to the ground if John Dorsey comes out of the first round with Bradley Chubb and Saquon Barkley -- not that it's a bad combination, but you can't have two top-five picks and not use one on a quarterback in what might be the most QB-rich draft we've seen since at least 2004 (and maybe 1983). There might be some aggressive bonfires anyway, depending on what quarterback they take with the No. 1 pick.

The Jets traded a pile of second-round picks to move from No. 6 to No. 3. They didn't do it for someone who is not a quarterback. 

The Bills have maneuvered themselves into a position where they hold as much draft capital as anyone not named the Browns. Currently they have the No. 12, No. 22, No. 53, No. 56 and No. 65 picks. It would be stunning if they didn't make a move up the board (potentially to No. 6 in a trade with the Colts or to No. 4 with the Browns) to grab a quarterback. 

The Future Is Now?

Giants, Broncos, Cardinals, Ravens, Chargers, Saints, Steelers, Patriots

The Giants are the biggest wild card on the board in the draft and will control how things play out in the first round depending on what they do at No. 2. There are rumors they really like Sam Darnold, and he is the only quarterback they would take at No. 2. They might get the option if the Browns ultimately draft Josh Allen first overall, which is a thought that's picking up steam in NFL circles. Dave Gettleman's propped up Eli Manning as a quarterback for 2018 and beyond, but we're talking about a three-year window max here. The Giants need to draft a quarterback and might not get as good a look at one as they have this year. 

Denver has been running in circles since Peyton Manning fell off a cliff physically. Brock Osweiler walked in free agency (whew), but they replaced him with Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemien. Siemien was traded to Minnesota and Case Keenum was signed this offseason. He's a good fit for a Gary Kubiak/Mike Shanahan offense, but still probably just a bridge. John Elway also still wants to make Lynch work -- the former Memphis standout is a first-round pick he hand picked after all -- and that could convince him to go in a different direction at No. 5.

Signing Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon gives the Cardinals upside in 2018, but it also gives them downside. Arizona continues its search for a quarterback of the future and could easily decide this is the year to go big or go home. The Cardinals have consistently overachieved despite QB injuries, resulting in them picking too high for a layup on a young quarterback. 

The Chargers, Saints and Steelers are fascinating teams: Philip Rivers, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger all give them a chance to win now but also represent limited windows. The respective GMs of those teams have to balance infusing the roster with talent for next year along with planning for the long term. It's a delicate balance. 

New England is in a similar scenario to the above teams, except they're much more likely to actually pull the trigger on a quarterback, thanks in large part to their acquiring a second first-round pick courtesy of the trade that sent Brandin Cooks to the Rams. The Pats have the ammo to move up and grab a quarterback, and the general thought is Bill Belichick wants to build the succession plan for Tom Brady now after shipping Jimmy G out of town. Drafting a quarterback in the first round this year would almost guarantee team control through Brady's career. 

Wild Cards

Raiders, Dolphins, Redskins, Seahawks, Bengals, Jaguars, Vikings

Oakland on this list isn't an indictment of Derek Carr, even if his play in 2017 was a far cry from his effort in 2016 that resulted in him being mentioned as an MVP candidate. The Raiders are here because Jon Gruden is the ultimate wild card when it comes to coaching. He has a 10-year, $100 million deal. He can do whatever he wants, including drafting a new quarterback with the 10th overall pick. 

Miami would probably love to move up on this list, it's just that at No. 11 they don't seem like a strong candidate to have a top-tier quarterback fall in their lap. Buzz is they don't believe they can get in range to get a Baker Mayfield type, so they're a wild card instead of a team likely to draft a quarterback. 

The Redskins might be highly unlikely to draft a quarterback in the first round, but committing to Alex Smith for three years doesn't completely rule it out. He's a 36-year-old quarterback. They should know he won't play forever. They're a long shot and the back end of the wild card, but you can't completely rule them out. 

Rumors of a Russell Wilson trade and an always aggressive approach to roster construction from John Schneider/Pete Carroll put the Seahawks in play if things got very odds on the night of the draft. 

John Breech and I discussed the Bengals best case/worst case for the first round on the Pick Six Podcast Tuesday morning and it's pretty obvious that Bengals fans would be in a world of pain if Cincinnati took a running back, a wide receiver or, gasp, a quarterback. Bengals fans want them to take an offensive lineman, protect Dalton and try to make a run in a watered down AFC North. But 2018 is the last year of Dalton's deal with any cap hit on it. Cincy openly said it's not working on a new deal with Dalton before the 2018 season. There haven't been talks of an extension and the team could fire up a cheap first-round pick this year and move on after 2018 if things don't go well. 

Jacksonville extended Blake Bortles through 2020 and wouldn't be using their first-round pick in this draft on a quarterback who would take over either this year or next. But a project for 2020, when they can save $18 million in cap space by cutting Bortles, could make a lot of sense. 

The Vikings can't draft a quarterback! They just signed Kirk Cousins! Except the flip side of them giving him a three-year, fully-guaranteed deal is that they are not guaranteed to have a quarterback after three years. That's perfect timing to draft a quarterback now, in the first round, with a fifth-year option helping to provide a perfect segue should the young player work out. It's unlikely they pull the trigger now, but if someone like Rudolph is the top guy on their board and he falls to them, Cousins shouldn't prohibit them.

Out of the Mix

Buccaneers, Bears, 49ers, Packers, Colts, Cowboys, Lions, Panthers, Titans, Falcons, Eagles

This group of teams all invested in a quarterback through the draft, through a trade or through a contractual investment (or maybe even both) at a very high level over the last five to seven years. 

The Buccaneers and Titans drafted Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota first and second overall, respectively, in the 2014 NFL Draft. The returns have been mixed, but the goal of the current regimes in place is to make the postseason with their young quarterback, hopefully establishing Dirk Koetter and Mike Vrabel as coaches with some stability. Tampa could see wholesale changes if things go south again this year, but this draft is not the reboot the QB draft. 

Jimmy Garoppolo needed five games to completely flip the public perception of the 49ers. It was remarkable, really. 

Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers are more likely to get contracts from the Falcons and Packers before their teams invest in a quarterback in the first round.

The Colts signaled their intent to ride out Andrew Luck/Jacoby Brissett when they moved down from No. 3 to No. 6. 

The Cowboys, Bears and Eagles all have potential franchise quarterbacks locked into cheap contracts. Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz look like they will battle it out in the NFC East for years to come. Everyone is waiting for Matt Nagy to turn Mitchell Trubisky into this year's Jared Goff. 

No First Round Pick

Texans, Chiefs, Rams

The three teams without first-round picks just so happened to have drafted quarterbacks -- Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff -- in the last two years, with two of those teams -- Houston, Kansas City -- not holding a first-round pick because they drafted a quarterback.