Top young QBs?

[miloofcroton]

Who do you guys like as the top young QBs in the league?

For me, this is not purely a metric question. A guy is stuck in his situation, for better or worse. I'm basically judging players simply by how much I'd want them on my team.

The Overrated

• Josh Allen looks like the biggest bust since Ryan Leaf.
• Sam Darnold is starting to settle into the QB that I saw on tape at USC. Slow in the pocket, very average arm strength. What does that leave you with?
• Lamar Jackson looks like garbage too. He's a great athlete, but that'll only go so far.
• Mason Rudolph looks pretty bad at the moment. I know, I know. He's just a rookie, but he's just not that good at throwing the football, and that's kind of important to be great at as a QB.
• Jacoby Brissett, if anybody believes he's worth a 2nd rounder.

The Wizards

• Proven talents Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo are the top 30-and-under QBs, in my opinion.
  
• Josh Rosen has shown elite throwing ability and anticipation (in college and already in the NFL). I think he still has some growing up to do, so things are a bit TBD, but he would easily be my pick as the top rookie. He was the only guy I liked in the draft.
• Jared Goff is sort of like Josh Rosen with a couple seasons under his belt, one good and one bad. He has essentially everything you want in a QB, from the head to the arm, and he has a good coach helping him along. I see nothing but greatness for Goff.

The Playmakers

For the record, this is not the type of QB that I prefer. I don't care if you're Aaron Rodgers -- playmaker type QBs simply cannot carry teams to multiple championships. Injuries pile up, and their playmaking overshines any supporting cast they might get. Great Wizard QBs always let their supporting staff shine, and they stay healthy.

• Carson Wentz looked like a world beater last year. He was like Daunte Culpepper in his ability to scramble, and he made a ton of great throws under pressure. He developed a reputation as un-rattle-able. That being said, I think the torn ACL could hurt or help a guy like this. If he uses the time to get better on the mental side of things, he just might get bumped into my elite category.
• Patrick Mahomes is playing efficiently and has god-like playmaking ability. He makes throws no one else can make. If he shows an intellectual side to his game, I will have hope.
• Baker Mayfield has good pocket elusiveness and is accurate with the football. My issue with him is how nervous he seems to play. Will NFL blitzes rattle him? Will he ever tighten up his long, slow mechanics? He's my #2 rookie QB, so I'm pretty high on him, but I'm not 100% sure yet.
• Mitch Trubisky is looking up. It's hard to understate how much of a difference Matt Nagy is making for him. To be fair, he started his career under John Fox, who isn't exactly known as a QB whisperer. I'm excited to see how good Trubisky can be. Good mobility, good accuracy, good decision making.

The Others

These are all guys that I think the Pats could acquire without giving up a high draft pick, and I think they could succeed in the Pats system. Some, like Peterman and Hogan, are more ready to go now, and Webb and White would probably need more time. These guys may not be the next Garoppolo, but I think they'd make great guys to groom as backups.

• Nathan Peterman has looked pretty decent to me. I don't know what his ceiling is, but he should be the starter in Buffalo. If Buffalo is dead set on Allen, I'd honestly consider trading for him. It wouldn't be a bad backup to stash.
• Kevin Hogan
• Davis Webb
• Mike White

The 'Used to be Elite' Talents

• Andrew Luck and Marcus Mariota are still young and former top picks. I don't think either will ever a top 3-5 QB in the league that carries their teams to championships. Maybe they'll be top 3-5 in stats for a year or two, but so was Matt Ryan and Big Ben, two guys that I feel are massively overrated considering their supporting cast and average metrics when forced to succeed on their own.
• Dak Prescott is a good QB when he has the top RB in the league and a WR that dominates on jump balls. A lack of tape for opponents to study helps too. Without those things, what is he?
• Derek Carr will be an interesting story this year with Gruden. When Carr has more than 40 yard lobs to 1-on-1 WRs in his arsenal, let me know.
• Deshaun Watson. Will he be figured out this year or continue his success from last year? My guess is the former.
• Does anybody still think Jameis Winston is a great talent?
• Cam Newton. Don't feel like getting into it.
• Russell Wilson. He is a stat freak. He's one of the most efficient players, and he plays in a system that would normally decrease efficiency numbers. I'm talking about playing out of the shotgun and having certain pass/run tendencies (essentially think of it as a spread offense, if that helps you). Anyways, he's a stat freak, but he doesn't scare me in the playoffs. He's not going to beat you with his arm if you do the right things on defense. He's no Brady/Brees/Rodgers.

The Grey Hairs

• I know, they aren't part of my topic, but I might as well mention them now. Brady, Brees, and Rodgers are the top QBs in the league still, for many years running.
• Big Ben and Ryan are very overrated in my book.
• Rivers is solid, but not in the same category as those top 3.
• Matt Stafford is now 30, and he still hasn't demonstrated the dominance that many expected of him. Don't expect that to change now.
• Alex Smith is a journeyman. A fine one but nothing more, obviously.
• I actually kind of like Case Keenum for what he is. Very limited in terms of arm strength, but he will fit in very well for the Broncos, I think.

I don't feel like anyone else was worth mentioning. That, and I've already written enough to ice my hands for a minute.

So, what is your take on the current QB talent in the NFL?