Through three weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills (3-0) have the top scoring offense in the league. The Bills won their second primetime game in as many weeks with a 47-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on "Monday Night Football," and they'll be in primetime again in Week 4 for a "Sunday Night Football" matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

The league's No. 1 scoring offense centers around quarterback Josh Allen. Now in his seventh season in Buffalo, Allen leads the league in passer rating (133.7) while posting career highs in most every category, including completion percentage (75.0%).

He also leads the NFL MVP odds entering Week 4's tilt against Baltimore. Here's how the Bills got their franchise quarterback.

Allen was projected in some mock drafts to go as high as No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL draft. That didn't end up happening as Cleveland chose quarterback Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick.

Another quarterback went at No. 3 – Sam Darnold to the New York Jets – taking two of the top prospects at the position off the board.

Buffalo traded up once already prior to the draft with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills had to part with longtime left tackle Cordy Glenn but that move set in motion Allen ending up in Buffalo.

Here's how the trade went:

Buffalo received the No. 12 and No. 187 overall picks

Cincinnati received Glenn and the No. 21 and No. 185 overall picks

That moved the Bills up to the top half of the first round. On draft night, Buffalo made the first trade of the 2018 NFL draft by moving up from No. 12. Initially, the Bills were aiming for the No. 5 pick but the Denver Broncos were set on staying put there and selecting defensive end Bradley Chubb.

Trading with the Tampa Bay was the backup plan and the Buccaneers agreed to the following deal:

Buffalo received the No. 7 and No. 255 overall picks

Tampa Bay received the No. 12, No. 53, and No. 56 overall picks

The Indianapolis Colts selected guard Quenton Nelson at No. 6, leaving Buffalo to take Allen at No. 7. The Buccaneers still got the player they wanted at No. 12 in defensive tackle Vita Vea. Tampa Bay later traded out of the No. 56 pick and selected future starting defensive backs Carlton Davis III and Jordan Whitehead.

Allen and Ravens two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson face off on "Sunday Night Football." It's fitting the two are playing in primetime considering they are the most successful quarterbacks taken in the 2018 NFL draft, though neither were the top two choices (Allen at No. 7 and Jackson at No. 32 overall).

Other top players from the first round of that class include running back Saquon Barkley (No. 2 overall), linebacker Roquan Smith (No. 8), Nelson (No. 6), safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (No. 11), and wide receiver DJ Moore (No. 24).

It didn't stop in the first round, though, as Fred Warner (third round, 70th overall), Nick Chubb (second round, 35th), Mark Andrews (third round, 86th), and Jessie Bates III (second round, 54th) are all Pro Bowl and All-Pro caliber players from later on in the draft.

How the Browns, Jets, and Broncos Passed on Allen

The Browns were close to making Allen their top pick ahead of Mayfield. At the time, Mayfield, Jackson, Darnold, and Josh Rosen had a lot more college pedigree. While Mayfield and Jackson were seasoned young Heisman winners, Darnold and Rosen dueled for USC and UCLA as the best Pac-12 QB prospects.

Allen rose up draft boards with his big arm and athleticism, despite the former being erratic and the latter lacking polish. After teams got over the fact he played college football vs. lesser competition at Wyoming, there were concerns about whether he was too raw and too developmental to take near the top.

The Browns were coming off the 2014 draft disappointment of Johnny Manziel and couldn't afford to take a different kind of risk four years later. Mayfield was the safer choice once he shed convenient but silly comparisons to Manziel.

Darnold was seen as the high-floor prospect, with Allen being the massive ceiling guy. The Browns settled for the happy medium in Mayfield, who seemed like the right pick for them at first.

Mayfield had good early success in Cleveland before the organization was hit by more dysfunction. He had to start over as the Panthers' shaky starting QB in 2022, but a one-game supersub stint with the Rams that same season set him up to land with the Buccaneers in a great spot to succeed Tom Brady.

The Jets weren't sure that the Browns at No. 1 overall and crosstown Giants at No. 2 overall would both not take Darnold. After Manziel got picked by Cleveland, Saquon Barkley went to the other New York team.

The Jets' biggest concern with Allen vs. Darnold came down to trusting Allen's accuracy. Darnold had separated from Rosen as the best pure pocket passer in the class. Once Mayfield was gone, Darnold lined up for them

There were nine years between the Jets taking first-round QBs, having last done so with Mark Sanchez in 2009. They took nine consecutive defensive prospects in between, but they had to try to make their bridge QB run come to an end with Josh McCown. Darnold's friendship with McCown came into play later when Darnold signed with the Vikings in 2024 as a bridge to first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.

The Broncos started a mix of Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweile,  and 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch while still trying to find post-Peyton Manning answers in 2017. Then-GM John Elway made a solid pick in edge pass rusher Bradley Chubb at No. 5 overall.

Given Elway's legendary background as a strong-arm, athletic passer, there was plenty of intrigue in Allen. That was boosted by getting a close look at Allen while playing in Laramie, only a two-hour drive up from Denver. But Elway also was hesitant to invest in Allen's raw skill set, and it ended up being his standout draft regret with the Broncos.

The Bills' Patience and Vision

The Bills were coming off ending their long playoff drought in coach Sean McDermott's rookie season of 2017. He had succeeding taking over from Rex Ryan and won nine games with a leftover bridge QB, Tyrod Taylor. However, the Bills, settling for a wild card, wanted to push for more of a ceiling after Taylor's arm and athleticism combination showed them a near-future foundation.

Buffalo decided to blow up its QB room, flipping from Taylor and Nathan Peterman to Allen, Derek Anderson, and Matt Barkley. The Bills could afford to be more patient with QB, knowing they were still rebuilding despite the early playoff trip with McDermott and GM Brandon Beane.

Allen got his lumps out of the way with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as a rookie, then soon accelerated his development thanks to key personnel additions, wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Had Allen been on the Browns, Jets, or Broncos, the impatience for immediate results may have kept him from tapping into his immense potential.

The Ravens' Gamble Pays Off

The Ravens were set to draft No. 16 overall in the first round in 2018, but the Bills traded up with them from No. 22 to draft linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, their second first-rounder behind Allen. Then, the Ravens traded down again with the Titans to No. 25, where they stayed and took tight end Hayden Hurts.

Jackson was looking unlikely to go in the first round, with the Steelers at No. 28 being a longshot to take him and the Patriots set to pass again on Jackson at No. 31. The Ravens, however, got a sense the Giants were a threat to take Jackson No. 34 overall in the second round to pair with Saquon Barkley.

The Ravens had a plan to transition from Joe Flacco at QB soon, and it revolved around the dual threat skillset of Jackson. That prompted them to be aggressive and trade up from No. 52 overall to ensure Jackson would be the last pick in the first round.

Jackson ended up starting down the stretch as a rookie, going 6-1 and getting his first playoff experience after Joe Flacco injured his hip. He gave them enough passing and rushing evidence that they should blow up the offense to adjust to him. They've done it twice to help Jackson become NFL MVP, first with OC Greg Roman and now with Todd Monken. Likewise, Allen smashed with OC Daboll and now has his groove back with Joe Brady.

Allen and Jackson went in as two of the most polarizing QB prospects in the 2018 draft. Six years later, they've continued to prove they are the clear top of that class.