For only the second time in the history of the NFL draft, three African American quarterbacks are expected to be selected in the first round: Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson.

What’s more, there’s pre-draft buzz that Young, Stroud and Richardson will all be picked among the top 10 selections in the three-day process that begins April 27 in Kansas City, Missouri. That many Black signal-callers have never been chosen so high in a single draft.

After two Black quarterbacks faced off in the Super Bowl for the first time, the standing of Young, Stroud and Richardson entering the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week is yet another example of the rise of Black quarterbacks in the NFL.

When Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith and Daunte Culpepper were selected in the opening round of the 1999 draft, it marked the first time three Black quarterbacks were first-rounders. That seminal event signaled to the world that Black passers had finally overcome a narrative that never fit the facts: That they supposedly weren’t smart enough, tough enough or courageous enough to lead.

Now, African American passers are among the most celebrated players in the NFL, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the face of pro sports’ most powerful and successful league. Young, Stroud and Richardson are eager to join it.

ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid is high on all three. Reid believes they’re the best players available at quarterback in this year’s draft.

“They’re my top three guys right now. I have it Young, Stroud and Richardson,” Reid said on the phone the other day. “And, yeah, if they all [are drafted in the first round], it would be something that hasn’t happened in quite a long time.”

In 1999, the Philadelphia Eagles used the second overall pick to selected Donovan McNabb, who starred at Syracuse. One pick later, the Cincinnati Bengals chose Smith, who was a standout at Oregon. Culpepper, who emerged as a top NFL prospect while at Central Florida, went 11th overall to the Minnesota Vikings.