On the first ever Power Rankings Digest last week we ranked all the NFL teams as we see them right now. When you take a look at that you will see that most of the top teams on that list have really good QBs.
Well, we are going to see how well that matches, as this week’s Power Rankings Digest takes a look at who are the best QBs in the NFL.
It is important to note that this is list is just for 2020. It is not a projection into the years after that.
1. Patrick Mahomes – This shouldn’t be a surprise. Mahomes is the best player on the planet. If he stays healthy for all 16 games this year I could see more records being broken by this 24 year old phenom.
2. Russell Wilson – Many people will want to put Lamar Jackson in this two spot after the year he had, but the truth is Wilson is better than him right now. He is a much more polished passer and has great athletic ability in his own right, to extend plays.
3. Lamar Jackson – Jackson had an incredible 2019 campaign where he rushed for over 1,000 yards. He needs to become a better passer, however. His slightly narrow stance and low delivery cause some inaccuracies. He will need to continue to develop if he wants to stay atop this list.
4. Drew Brees – The years are coming to a close for Brees, but he is still one of the most accurate QBs to ever play the game. While he struggled some in the playoffs, he should be able to bounce back and have another good year.
5. Aaron Rodgers – Once the best in the league, Rodgers has not had the most elite past few years. He has also been left high and dry by the organization, who refuse to put talent on the outside for him. He still has all the tools to make him a great QB in 2020, though.
6. Dak Prescott – Prescott seems to be pretty underrated for the year and years he has had with the Cowboys. He has a plethora of weapons in Dallas and should put in another great year under new head coach Mike McCarthy.
7. Deshaun Watson – Watson always finds a way to get the job done. He showed how clutch he was in the playoffs against the Buffalo Bills by avoiding a sack and getting the ball off for a huge play that would eventually help lead them to victory.
8. Matt Stafford – 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns. That is what Stafford was on pace for in 2019 before his season was cut short due to injury. Stafford has all the tools to be a top five QB in the NFL.
9. Matt Ryan – Ryan never seems to get the respect he deserves when it comes to talking about the top QBs in the NFL. He has been one of the most consistent QBs in the NFL and has played on some bad Falcons teams that have also had a lot of coaching turnover.
10. Carson Wentz – Injury has really held Wentz back to reaching his full potential. You can see flashes of his ability though and it shows he can be a top five QB in the NFL.
11. Kyler Murray – I may be higher on Murray than most. I think he is going to be a stud in the NFL. He has a gift when it comes to throwing the ball and has incredible athleticism to go with it. He should have a huge 2020 campaign with newly acquired DeAndre Hopkins to throw to.
12. Ben Roethlisberger – This is based purely on the assumption he is healthy. If he is healthy he could end up being even higher than this. Injury and age have crept up on him and I would expect him to slow down a little from what he was before 2019.
13. Tom Brady – Brady is not the QB he used to be. He is still an effective starter in the NFL, however. He is also teamed up with some amazing talent in Tampa Bay now.
14. Kirk Cousins – I could see an argument being made for Cousins to be a little higher than this. Stefon Diggs is now the number one target for Josh Allen in Buffalo, so we will see how he fairs without the combo of him and Adam Thielen.
15. Ryan Tannehill – Tannehill was finally freed of Adam Gase and thrived in Tennessee’s heavy play action offense. I would expect some regression on his downfield throwing efficiency and numbers, but he showed he has the ability to be a comparable starter in the NFL.
16. Jimmy Garoppolo – Garoppolo sat behind Tom Brady before finally getting his shot with San Francisco. He was able to lead them to the Super Bowl last year before losing the Chiefs. Jimmy G has talent, but is too inconsistent right now. He also has benefited from playing with one of the best playcallers in all the NFL in Kyle Shanahan.
17. Derek Carr – Jon Gruden has helped Carr tremendously since arriving with the Raiders. He helped Carr achieve his highest career completion percentage at 70 percent last season. New weapons for Las Vegas on the outside this year, including first round pick Henry Ruggs, will also really help Carr. His ceiling, however, is most likely just a middle of the road QB.
18 . Jared Goff – Back to back 4600 yard season is impressive to look at on paper, but you can see some of the struggles Goff has gone through on film. The offense was not the same when they had to rely on Goff to make a play and couldn’t get that wide zone run game going. He has a lot to prove in 2020, but like Carr, has a ceiling of no more than a middling QB.
19. Daniel Jones – This one might be surprising to some, including myself. The Giants were mocked when they selected Jones sixth overall in 2019. He played extremely well for a rookie, however. He needs to limit his turnovers and he will continue to develop into a quality starter in the NFL.
20. Baker Mayfield – Mayfield has had a very interesting start to his NFL career. He is now on his third head coach and is only going into his third year. The talent is there for Mayfield. He just needs consistency. I think he will get back to a little of what people saw from him coming out of Oklahoma this year.
21. Nick Foles – I am putting Nick Foles here because he is better than Mitch Trubisky. Foles won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia and now joins Chicago where he will be in a similar situation with Coach Matt Nagy who were both in Kansas City together.
22. Teddy Bridgewater – Bridgewater suffered a terrible leg injury and missed multiple years because of it. He was the backup for the Saints in 2019 and stepped in for the injured Drew Brees and played very well. He is not someone who is going to push the ball down the field, but he will throw a lot of completions and stay away from turnovers.
23. Joe Burrow – This one is tough. He hasn’t taken a snap in the NFL yet, but I expect the first overall pick to have a very good rookie campaign. He has great accuracy and pocket presence. Two of the most critical things to succeed in the NFL. He is also joining up with a low key very talented offensive team in Cincinnati.
24. Ryan Fitzpatrick – He may be 24 on this list, but he is number one in the hearts of Chiefs fans. He lead the Dolphins to a victory over New England in week 17 which lead to the Chiefs getting the two seed and the bye. He is a journeyman who will be great some games and not so great some. Hard not to root for the guy though.
25. Tyrod Taylor – Taylor has had an interesting career. He has been mostly a backup but had short stints as a starter. He now finds himself once again, for now, with the Chargers. He is someone who won’t lose you and games, but also won’t go out and win you any either.
26. Josh Allen – Allen still has a ton of work to do as a passer. Coming out of college his accuracy issues paired with mental processing issues made him a very raw product. Neither of these traits has increased enough to put him out of the bottom eight QBs thus far in his career.
27. Drew Lock – Denver is hoping they finally have found their franchise QB and I think they have. He stills needs more reps to develop, but he showed flashes down the stretch that makes you think he could be a good one.
28. Sam Darnold– Unfortunately for Darnold, he might be in one of the worst situations in all the NFL. The Jets and Adam Gase have not done much to help the young QB. I think that the talent is still there, but never quite develop into what it should as long as Gase is the head coach.
29. Philip Rivers – This could end up being way off by the end of the 2020 season, but Rivers looked horrible in 2019. He should be playing behind a considerably better offensive line in Indianapolis which may help, but his arm looked like it was gone.
30. Gardner Minshew – Minshew may end up playing for 10 years in the NFL, but I think it is likely as a backup. He is smart, accurate and has good pocket awareness. He just lacks the arm strength necessary to really excel in the NFL. He has maximized his skillset thus far in his career though and I wouldn’t mind seeing him make me eat crow after the 2020 season.
31. Jarrett Stidham – There is a lot of unknowns about Stidham. He transferred from Baylor to Auburn where the spread zone run game didn’t really seem to fit his skillset. Bill Belichick either believes in him or believes he will help them get a high draft pick in 2020. We will soon find out.
32. Dwayne Haskins – Haskins still has a lot of development that needs to take place. He did play decent down the stretch last year however. If Washington finds themselves at the top of the 2020 draft board though he could easily be replaced by one of the three QBs coming out next year in Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance and Justin Fields.
In the NFL if you don’t have a franchise QB you have a very slim chance at winning the Super Bowl. So many other things need to go right for you to be able to win. You also spend the next 20 plus years searching for your guy, much like Kansas City did.
Luckily for Kansas City they eventually did find their guy, Patrick Lavon Mahomes II. He is the best player on the planet and has already had one of the best two years stretches for a QB in NFL history.
