NFL Personnel Ranked Quarterbacks And There Were Some Very Surprising Results

ESPN released its annual list of NFL quarterbacks, ranked by executives, coaches and scouts in the league. Among the surprises were the rankings of Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield.

There was no surprise at the top. NFL personnel rated Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes as the top quarterback in the league. He’s a three-time Super Bowl champion, two-time Super Bowl MVP and two-time league MVP. There’s no question he’s not only the best quarterback but also the best player in football. 

Next up was Buffalo Bills signal-caller Josh Allen. The biggest thing holding Allen back right now is … well, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Allen is coming off his first NFL MVP and led the Bills to the AFC Championship. Of course, they lost to Kansas City. Just as they have in four of the past five postseasons. 

There’s no question that Mahomes and Allen are the top dogs in the NFL at the quarterback position. I wouldn’t argue with someone who had Allen over Mahomes, but the playoff success of the Chiefs is hard to overcome. 

Then, the list gets fun. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow came in third with Baltimore Ravens dual-threat Lamar Jackson fourth. Many on social media didn’t agree that Jackson should be behind Burrow. In addition, ESPN noted that at least one person polled had Jackson ranked as low as sixth. 

I understand the hate against Jackson, I really do. Whereas Mahomes benefits greatly from team success, particularly in the postseason, that’s where Jackson comes up short. His Ravens have reached the AFC Championship only once in his career, losing to the Chiefs. 

Jackson is a prolific regular-season quarterback, winning two MVP awards, but his career 10-7 TD-INT ratio in the playoffs leaves a lot to be desired. His career regular-season QB rating is 102 and drops to 84 in the postseason. Burrow, on the other hand, has led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance and an AFC Championship berth. He’s also played behind one of the worst offensive lines in football his entire career. To me, Burrow is rightfully ranked ahead of Jackson. 

All four of Mahomes, Allen, Burrow and Jackson received at least one vote as the #1 quarterback in the NFL. 

One season was enough to vault Jayden Daniels into the Top 5

Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels burst onto the scene with a tremendous first season, easily capturing NFL Rookie of the Year honors. He even finished in the Top 10 in MVP voting and led Washington to a surprise appearance in the NFC Championship. Still, it’s awfully quick to anoint Daniels as a Top 5 quarterback. Remember that Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud had an incredible rookie season, too, and he’s not even on the list after a subpar sophomore campaign. 

The interesting note is that not one voter had Daniels ranked higher than 5, but none ranked him lower than 10. Clearly, NFL people believe that Daniels has a very solid ceiling and floor. 

That’s unlike the sixth-ranked quarterback, Matthew Stafford, who went unranked by at least one voter but was also as high as fourth on a ballot. I’ve always felt Stafford was vastly underrated throughout his career, but clearly the NFL sees him as one of the best in the league. 

Justin Herbert is seventh, and I don’t have much to say about it. Feels right. Like Stafford, he was also unranked by at least one voter, but someone had him in the Top 3. He’s not a Top 3 quarterback, so that guy probably doesn’t deserve a job. 

The back of the list is verrrrry interesting… 

Jared Goff at eight is quite fascinating to me. He’s probably the best example of a good “game-manager” in the league. For some reason, that term is used as a pejorative, but it shouldn’t be. There’s nothing wrong with being a quarterback who avoids mistakes. Just because Goff doesn’t have the elite playmaking skills doesn’t mean he’s not valuable. Top 8 quarterback, though? I have my doubts. 

The reigning Super Bowl MVP, Jalen Hurts, came in ninth. That feels right to me. I know there are many who want to anoint Hurts as a Top 5 quarterback, but I just don’t see it. I would rather have Hurts than Jared Goff, though. He’s a fellow game manager but comes with more physical tools. However, there’s no question both are boosted by playing for very good teams. 

Seeing Baker Mayfield break into the Top 10 is outstanding. Talk about a guy who has had a roller-coaster career. Unlike Goff and Hurts, who have both been buoyed by playing for great teams, Mayfield was stuck in Cleveland for several years before a trip to Carolina. Talk about the opposite of being helped by a strong supporting cast. 

People quickly forget that Mayfield led the Browns to their only playoff win in the past 30 years. All it took was him going to a competent franchise, Tampa Bay, to realize that the guy could play. 

According to ESPN, C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love fell just outside the Top 10 (with Stroud coming very close to #10). Stroud found himself seventh on the list prior to last season, but regressed a bit in his second season. Still, I’d prefer Stroud to both Jared Goff and Jalen Hurts. Honestly, I might take him over Herbert, too. Yeah, I said it. 

As far as Love, I think he’s ranked properly. But mostly because… who else belongs in the Top 12? The quarterbacks at the top are incredible, but the talent really drops off starting around that #10 spot. 

One player I’d like to point out is Trevor Lawrence. I think he’s been hindered most by playing for arguably the worst franchise in the NFL. He’s going into his fifth season and is already on his fifth coach. Lawrence could have had a much different career if he had gone to a different team. 

Here’s how I would rank the Top 15 NFL quarterbacks right now (for this season only): 

1. Josh Allen
2. Patrick Mahomes
3. Joe Burrow
4. Lamar Jackson
5. Matthew Stafford
6. Jayden Daniels
7. C.J. Stroud
8. Baker Mayfield
9. Jalen Hurts
10. Justin Herbert
11. Jared Goff
12. Jordan Love
13. Trevor Lawrence
14. Dak Prescott
15. Kyler Murray

Man, just writing about this makes me wish the NFL season were here already. There’s really nothing like football season and I want it. Now.