(Audacy) When the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers selected quarterbacks with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, both franchises thought they were solving the most important position in sports for at least a decade.
But as the rookie seasons of Zach Wilson and Trey Lance wind down, there are legitimate questions about whether either was worth the investment that their respective teams made in them.
Wilson -- who some felt had the highest upside of any quarterback in the draft class after a breakout junior season at BYU -- has thrown six touchdowns and 11 interceptions in parts of eight games. And he "throws some of the worst interceptions that you've ever seen," as Audacy Sports NFL Insider Ross Tucker put it Sunday.
No one is suggesting that Wilson has walked into a situation with a team that's ready to win -- the stability that many thought coach Robert Saleh would bring to the Jets hasn't yet come. The Jets are 3-9 with a league-worst -150 point differential.
And yet, it may be Saleh's former employer -- the 49ers -- who are in an even worse position.
If it turns out that the Jets didn't hit on a top-five pick, that's unfortunate, but at least that's all it cost them. If the 49ers whiffed on the No. 3 overall pick, not only did they burn that selection but also two future first-round picks and a third-rounder that were used to trade up to that spot. As we put it at the time, the selection of Lance "could put you on a parade float or get your regime dismissed within the next five years."
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Lance's athleticism is clearly elite, but outside of 47 pass attempts in relief of an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 4 and Week 5 losses, he has hardly seen the field. In Lance's lone start in Week 5, moving the ball through the air seemed like a struggle. Granted, the 49ers lost that game by just a touchdown to the NFL-best Arizona Cardinals. But a year after Lance played just one showcase game at North Dakota State because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 has essentially turned into a redshirt rookie year for him.
It's fair to wonder if 49ers coach Kyle Shannahan and company will just hand the keys over the Lance next year. He has to get consistent snaps and a chance to develop at some point, but the 49ers are a team built to win right now, and Garoppolo is pretty clearly a better option at this juncture. Garoppolo has a $27-million cap hit in 2022, the final year of his deal. Perhaps the 49ers will bring him back at that price, unsure of whether Lance will be ready to start for a team that fancies itself a Super Bowl contender.
Keep in mind, we aren't saying that Wilson and/or Lance won't end up being star quarterbacks. However, neither is trending in that direction right now. And as we rank the top 10 quarterbacks age 24 and under in the NFL, both find themselves on the outside looking in.
10. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
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There's a decent chance that Jones is playing out his final few games as the Giants' starter, which probably checks out given that his inability to protect the football might be a fatal flaw. Certainly though, Jones has been burned by a lack of coaching stability, disastrous offensive line play and consistent injuries to Saquon Barkley. Jones is probably more geared to be a high-end backup, but it wouldn't be surprising if he re-emerges in a more stable situation and performs at a higher level.
9. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
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Fields has missed the last two games because of cracked ribs and has four more interceptions (eight) than touchdown passes (four) in his rookie season. However, he has flashed his unteachable athleticism on a handful of occasions, and we remain intrigued about what he could do with a different coaching staff, which is likely to come in 2022.
8. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
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Mike Florio of Pro Foobtall Talk opined last week that the seemingly credible Deshaun Watson-to-Miami buzz negatively affected Tagovailoa's play and that he benefited from the trade deadline passing. That's probably true, as the Dolphins have won five straight games, with Tagovailoa tossing five touchdowns to just one interception when healthy in the last four. Still, it's fair to question whether Tagovailoa has any truly elite physical traits that will stop the Dolphins from revisiting the Watson sweepstakes in the offseason.
7. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
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While it's fair to wonder whether he'll ever be able to go blow-for-blow with some of the sport's elite passers, Hurts has done a pretty good job of taking care of the ball, outside of a three-interception performance in a Week 12 loss to the New York Giants. He's not Lamar Jackson or Fields on the ground, but he can still be a game-changer in that aspect, as evidenced by his 695 rushing yards and eight touchdown scampers this season. It'll be interesting to see how the Eagles proceed this offseason, given that they're on track to have three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. There's also a chance that multiple established quarterbacks become available via trade.
6. Mac Jones, New England Patriots
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Those who believed Jones was the most pro-ready quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft class have been proved right. Jones has 16 touchdown passes to eight interceptions in 2021, and in a season without many clear Super Bowl favorites, the 8-4 Patriots seemingly could make a deep run in the postseason. He wasn't the most physically gifted prospect in this past draft class, but it's fair to assume that if the 2021 NFL Draft could be redone, Jones wouldn't make it to the Patriots at No. 15.
5. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
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Lawrence hasn't had the best season among rookie quarterbacks, but he has kept his poise through all the Urban Meyer-induced drama in Jacksonville. Our guess is that someone other than Meyer will be the team's head coach in 2022, and if the team gets Travis Etienne back and is able to continue to add talent around Lawrence, he's going to have a really good career.
4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
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Rather amazingly, Jackson is in his fourth NFL season and won't celebrate his 25th birthday until January. Jackson was the 2019 NFL MVP and is certainly deserving of a massive second contract in Baltimore. But while Jackson has a chance to rush for more than 1,000 yards for the third consecutive season, his passing has felt a bit manic in 2021. Two years after tossing 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions in his MVP season, Jackson has thrown 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2021.
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
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Burrow leads the NFL with 14 interceptions, but he has also tossed 23 touchdown passes to along with that. Two seasons after the Bengals went 2-14, Burrow has given them a legitimate chance to reach the postseason. As much as anyone on this list, Burrow has a culture-changing quality that few quarterbacks in NFL history possess. And he landed with an organization that badly needed that type of player.
2. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
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The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, Herbert has tossed 27 touchdowns to 11 interceptions for the Chargers in his second season. He has a Matthew Stafford-like ability to make every throw you ask of him -- but with much more mobility. There are some teams that would take him over Burrow if we redid the 2020 NFL Draft. Every team would take him over Tagovailoa -- and some possibly over Chase Young.
1. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
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Oh yeah, he's still only 24. Murray is one of the slipperiest players that the NFL has ever seen, certainly when you just limit the discussion to quarterbacks. He also has a Russell Wilson-type ability to avoid contact when he takes off. With 19 passing touchdowns and five more on the ground, Murray has solidified himself as one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL as well as a legitimate MVP candidate.
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