If there was one lingering impression of the quarterbacks selected in this year's draft, it was the way each one reacted to the news that he'd finally been taken by his respective team. Jacksonville's Blake Bortles, taken third, leapt from his seat, shook a couple of hands and then charged out of the green room as if a 24-second shot clock were driving him toward the embrace of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Johnny Manziel swaggered onto the stage after hearing the Cleveland Browns took him with the 22nd selection, his fingers rubbing together to indicate the money sign that has become his trademark. Then there was Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater. The last pick of the first round -- after the Vikings engineered a trade with Seattle -- he calmly exhaled and hugged his loved ones, clearly feeling blessed not to spend another day waiting to realize his dream.

Those reactions were revealing because each one of those men learned a valuable lesson about the process of becoming a franchise quarterback. All of them were loved at one point. They also heard endless questions about what they couldn't do. Finally, they knew how it felt to sit offstage at Radio City Music Hall and wonder whether they had done enough to sell teams on their potential. They were flawed young men in the end, all hoping their shortcomings wouldn't overshadow their strengths.

The quarterbacks who might enter next year's draft would be wise to remember that as they embark on what likely will be their final college seasons. There already is a select trio that has generated substantial buzz: Oregon's Marcus Mariota, Florida State's Jameis Winston and UCLA's Brett Hundley. And the biggest question is one this year's first-round picks just faced: Who's going to be the best quarterback in next year's draft?

The early favorites are Mariota, who decided to return to school for his redshirt junior season, and Winston, who won the Heisman Trophy in his redshirt freshman season and will be eligible to enter next year's draft as an underclassman. But Bridgewater also was once widely considered a contender to be the top pick, and he eventually went 32nd. "Next year is intriguing because all these guys are first-round talents," ESPN NFL analyst Trent Dilfer said. "They have the measurables, but they're also going to be picked apart [by personnel evaluators]."

The first thing to know about next year's potential quarterback prospects is that they are as different as Bortles, Manziel and Bridgewater were in this class. Winston is the hottest name, primarily because he was the best player in college football in 2013 and the leader of the defending national champion Seminoles. His numbers (4,057 passing yards, 40 touchdown passes) only partly explain his brilliance. Winston was brimming with confidence and intelligence from the moment he took his first snap at Florida State. Winston, as one AFC scout said, "has the prototypical quarterback package -- strong, accurate, great arm and great leadership skills."

Mariota is just as impressive, so much so that one AFC general manager said he would have been the best quarterback in this year's draft had he left Oregon early. He has thrown 63 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions in two seasons and has rushed for 1,467 yards. "He probably needs a year to grow and develop, but he's shown he can throw in an offense that has been successful in the NFL," the general manager said. "His arm strength is good; his release is quick; and he's accurate downfield. On top of all that, he has great feet."

Hundley also flashed his pro potential last season as a sophomore, but the consensus is that he was smart to remain at UCLA, where he already has produced 7,921 total yards and 74 combined touchdowns in two seasons. "He really helped himself by going back," an NFC general manager said. "He's a great talent, but he's also not a finished product. He would've been in the mix with this year's quarterback prospects, but he'll be higher next year. He has everything you want in a leader."

Although none of these quarterbacks has publicly said he wants to enter the 2015 draft, the belief is that it would be a surprise if any of the three returned to school after the coming season. The draft has reached the point that it's foolish for any quarterback with first-round talent to pass on that opportunity. That partly explains the astonishment expressed when Mariota returned to Oregon this year. At one point late last season, he was thought to be a legitimate challenger to Jadeveon Clowney as the top prospect in this year's class.

What Mariota likely understood and Hundley eventually realized is that it's best to be prepared for that competition to be the top quarterback in the draft. For example, Bortles went from being an unheralded player entering his junior season at Central Florida to being considered a possible top pick in just one year. Although Bortles never indicated that the grind -- which included nearly four months of training, the scouting combine, his pro day, and private workouts and interviews -- wore on him, his family knew the process had been exhausting. As his father, Rob, said before the draft: "Blake is ready to be drafted. He just wants to get in the locker room, go to work and see if he can compete at the next level."

Marcus Mariota might have been the top quarterback in the 2014 draft if he hadn't decided to remain at Oregon. Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Bortles ultimately captured the honor of being the first signal-caller selected in this year's draft because he had the fewest glaring flaws. While critics harped on Manziel's height (5-foot-11¾), Bortles checked in at 6-5. Bridgewater faced concerns about his durability, then had his mediocre pro day performance held against him. Bortles is sturdy -- weighing in at 232 pounds -- and he nailed every opportunity to impress scouts in the pre-draft process. In the end, Bortles was the one who met the most important criterion for personnel evaluators: He passed the eye test.