The NFL offseason is really here now that OTAs and minicamps are over and the long wait until training camp begins.
So as we wait, let's rank some quarterbacks.
A few rules for the list:
** Skill is the top priority, but age is taken into consideration
** Contract matters
** This is a mixture of right now while also taking the future into consideration.
With that being said, here would be my ranking of the 32 projected starters for each team:
1. Patrick Mahomes: This is an easy one. Young, extremely talented and proven playoff success. Mahomes has it all.
2. Justin Herbert: He isn't the second-best quarterback in the NFL right now, but Herbert is a bet on the future while also being good enough to win now with the right pieces around him. He can make all the throws and is athletic enough to scare the opposing defense. Plus, he is on a rookie deal.
3. Russell Wilson: His age (32) is a concern, but when it comes to winning a big game, there aren't many quarterbacks I'd take ahead of him. I will take a 3-4 year window with Wilson over a bigger window with lesser players.
4. Josh Allen: I can't believe I have Allen this high, but his play last season was extremely impressive. Allen is the quarterback everyone thought Carson Wentz would turn into. Plus, he is young, cheap (for now) and has no significant injury history.
5. Aaron Rodgers: Obviously Rodgers' age plays into him being this low, as he is a top-two quarterback in the NFL right now. But at 37-years old, he has to fall behind some of the younger, elite quarterback prospects.
6. Dak Prescott: I am not super concerned about Prescott's ankle injury, although after watching injuries ruin Wentz's career, it is something to take into consideration. Having to pay him a big-deal isn't ideal, but Prescott can make all the throws, is a threat to run, has won big games and it is clear his teammates really like playing with him.
7. Joe Burrow: Burrow would be higher on this list if he didn't suffer a major knee injury, as I saw first-hand in Philadelphia how a knee injury can impact a player's career. Burrow, however, is a far-more accurate passer than Wentz, which is reason to think he will rebound better.
8. Deshaun Watson: Watson is tough to place, as he clearly has a ton of talent, but that talent hasn't resulted in many playoff wins. It will be interesting to see how he does with a new team — which very well could be the Eagles.
9. Lamar Jackson: Jackson's resumé speaks for itself. I do think the concerns about his ability to throw the ball long-term are fair, but he is so dangerous and so dynamic that he has to be top-10 on this list.
10. Tom Brady: Brady's age plays into this. All of the young quarterbacks below Brady I am not super crazy about, so I'll take win-now Brady for one more season over the future of the younger prospects.
11. Kyler Murray: Murray has all the potential, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous putting him this high.
12. Justin Fields: Fields is my favorite quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft class. He can win from the pocket, he has a cannon for an arm, he has won big games in college and he can make big plays on the ground when the play breaks down. Fields is a winner, and I'd be very surprised if he didn't succeed in the NFL.
13. Jalen Hurts: Forget that Hurts was a second-round pick. Trust your eyes. What I know is that everything I saw from Hurts makes me think he belongs in the same class as the elite, young quarterback prospects in the NFL. He is not an elite quarterback yet, but If Hurts was a top-five pick, and turned in the season he did last year, nobody would blink an eye at him being No. 11. Hurts is an accurate thrower, is smooth in the pocket and is a legit threat with his legs. His teammates love him and he seems to have that "it" factor a quarterback needs to succeed. Add in the fact that he is 22-years old and on a rookie deal, and Hurts checks off pretty much every-single box you want from a quarterback to build around.
14. Matthew Stafford: Stafford's inability to turn his team into a consistent winner is worrisome — until you remember it is Detroit. This is a huge year for Stafford in Los Angeles, as he now gets a chance to prove he can win with the right pieces around him.
15. Trey Lance, San Francisco: Lance coming from NDSU does scare me, considering how things went with Wentz, but his potential is just too high to ignore. He has the lowest floor of the quarterbacks, but he might have the highest ceiling as well.
16. Trevor Lawrence: I am not as high on Lawrence as others are. Watching him lose the biggest game of the season in back-to-back years is concerning, especially when he was outplayed by the opposing quarterback in each game.
17. Zach Wilson: Wilson has major bust potential, as he really only shined for one season at BYU. His potential, however, puts him above the other quarterbacks on this list, all of whom have either been disappointments or are too old to build around.
18. Jared Goff: I think a little too much is made at times of Goff only being successful because of Sean McVay. Goff is ninth in the NFL in on-target throws in the league, and any quarterback that is that accurate is worth building around. Winning in Detroit, however, will be tough.
19. Kirk Cousins: Cousins is extremely up-and-down, but any quarterback that goes into New Orleans and beats the Saints in a playoff game can be a winning quarterback.
20. Baker Mayfield: Mayfield is kind of in the same camp as Stafford, as he has no excuse not to win this season. If he does, he very well could be in top-10 discussions. If he doesn't, it wouldn't be shocking to see Cleveland move on.
21. Daniel Jones: There is something intriguing about Jones' combination of size, arm strength and athleticism that interests me more than the quarterbacks below him. The turnovers, however, are a major problem.
22. Tua Tagovailoa: Tagovailoa hasn't shown the kind of potential you would hope to see from a pick that high, but it is early, and he at least showed he can play for a winning team.
23. Ben Roethlisberger: Roethlisberger might be gone after this upcoming season, and his late-season collapse is definitely concerning.
24. Ryan Tannehill: Tannehill really needs a good supporting cast around him to succeed, and his floor is very low as we saw in Miami. His record in Tennessee is impressive but I'd still be nervous making him my franchise quarterback.
25. Matt Ryan: Ryan is older, and despite having talent, hasn't looked great recently.
26. Sam Darnold: Darnold has been dealt one of the toughest hands in all of sports — he has Adam Gase as his head coach. I'm very interested to see what he could be with a better play caller on the sideline, and we will get that chance this season in Carolina.
27. Mac Jones: Jones' ceiling is limited because he can't be a dynamic player when the play breaks down. He is really going to depend on the talent and coaching around him, which is worrisome for his long-term success.
28. Drew Lock: Lock is young and capable of putting together some good performances, as he has shown this season. The potential is there, and he is on a rookie deal, but I remain skeptical.
29. Derek Carr: Carr is a player that seems to have all the potential, and looks great at times, but has never been able to put it all together.
30. Carson Wentz: Wentz holds the worst trifecta a quarterback could hit. He is signed to a big deal. He has suffered two major injuries. He might be really bad. It is hard to come up with any argument to start your franchise with Wentz outside of a 11-game stretch in 2017. He can still make some throws no other quarterback can make, but those throws are few-and-far between. Wentz's two biggest issues, even when healthy, however, is that he is wildly inconsistent and among the least accurate quarterbacks in the NFL. That is a recipe for disaster — and for a 35-32-1 career record.
31. Ryan Fitzpatrick: Fitzpatrick has started 10-plus games in the NFL seven times. He has had a winning record in one of them. Perhaps a talented team in Washington will change things, but Fitzpatrick is more of an elite backup than a quarterback you want starting each week.
32. Taysom Hill: Hill is not a good enough passer to be an every week starter in the NFL, something the Saints will find out the hard way this season.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
