Top 5 QBs (1 Viewer)

Watching Get Up on ESPN and they showed a comment from Joe Theismann saying Dak Prescott is not a top 5 NFL QB.  So, Greenie asked Dan Orlovsky who the top 5 QBs really are.  His list:

1  Patrick Mahomes
2 Russell Wilson
3 Lamar Jackson
4 Tom Brady
5 Carson Wentz

Then Domonique Foxworth countered, saying it should be Dak Prescott instead of Wentz.  And Greenie said what about Deshaun Watson?

I agree that Wentz is NOT top 5, and not sure about Brady any longer.

SO - Who really are the Top 5 QBs ? Definition - Top 5 = 5 QBs who you would want for your team to give it the best chance to win the SB THIS YEAR (assume familiarity with playbook and teammates).

My list:

1 Mahomes - easy call IMO
2 Wilson - so solid all around
3 A-Aron - past his prime but close enough
4 Watson - can do it all
5 Jackson - 0-2 in playoffs

Yours?

Rodgers last PFF score over 90 was in 2016. Not sure how Rodgers should be considered Top 5 when Brady isn't. (I don't think either one is).

Tier 1

Malhomes

HUGE SPACE

Tier two

Russell Wilson

Lamar Jackson

Deshaun Watson

Tier three

Insert flavor of the week here (personally I like Dak)

I think the top 4 is pretty set. Anyone who's including Brady or Rodgers is a few years to late.  Wentz has yet to play a full season and until he does he can't be a top five qb.  The young guns who were drafted last year or just drafted have a chance of joining this group but aren't there yet.

To me, the rating of QBs by people is far too influenced by coaching, scheme and surrounding talent in that people underestimate the positive/negative effect this has on a QB. Thus, QBs in good situations CAN be massively overrated, and QBs in bad ones sometimes massively underrated. I’m not saying it’s easy to completely detach those things from a QB and estimate his abilities alone, but I think it’s something that people don’t do enough 

Based on criteria to win this year

Mahomes 

Wilson

Brady

Rogers

Watson

wgoldsph said:

Tier 1

Malhomes

HUGE SPACE

Tier two

Russell Wilson

Lamar Jackson

Deshaun Watson

Tier three

Insert flavor of the week here (personally I like Dak)

I think the top 4 is pretty set. Anyone who's including Brady or Rodgers is a few years to late.  Wentz has yet to play a full season and until he does he can't be a top five qb.  The young guns who were drafted last year or just drafted have a chance of joining this group but aren't there yet.

Click to expand...

Wentz played a full season his rookie year and technically last year.  But got injured in the playoff game.

ComfortablyNumb said:

1 Mahomes - easy call IMO
2 Wilson - so solid all around
3 A-Aron - past his prime but close enough

Click to expand...

i totally agree with this top 3.  spots 4 and 5 are much much tougher.  I would certainly consider DeShaun.  I don't think Jackson can quite be in the mix yet because i think he is still so specifically aligned with that organization, scheme and players.  I'm not sure if your criteria are including the idea that these QBs could be on different teams or if you are including their specific circumstances right now.

Long Ball Larry said:

i totally agree with this top 3.  spots 4 and 5 are much much tougher.  I would certainly consider DeShaun.  I don't think Jackson can quite be in the mix yet because i think he is still so specifically aligned with that organization, scheme and players.  I'm not sure if your criteria are including the idea that these QBs could be on different teams or if you are including their specific circumstances right now.

Click to expand...

That's a good question.  I'm trying to just look at the player, attempting to isolate him from the coaching, system, and surrounding talent.  I know it's subjective and difficult to do, but that was my thought.  But, I'd like to consider Jackson, for example, in a system compatible with his skillset.

Man, Drew Brees is being crazy underrated in this thread. His efficiency has been as good as anyone the last 2 years. He's the most accurate passer in the NFL, and arguably the best decision maker as well. He's tier 1 for sure.

Tier 1:

Wilson, Brees, Mahomes, Jackson

Tier 2:

Rodgers, Watson, Prescott, Brady, Ryan, Roethlisberger

mahomes

wilson

jackson

brees

rodgers

wgoldsph said:

Tier 1

Malhomes

HUGE SPACE

Tier two

Russell Wilson

Lamar Jackson

Deshaun Watson

Tier three

Insert flavor of the week here (personally I like Dak)

Click to expand...

It's crazy how much the athletic quarterback has taken over today's game.  All of these guys are young and are a threat to run. 

The guys that belong in this conversation who are the typical pocket passer, are all over 35 (Brees, Brady, ARod) and will be out of the league in a few years.

 

Deamon said:

It's crazy how much the athletic quarterback has taken over today's game.  All of these guys are young and are a threat to run. 

The guys that belong in this conversation who are the typical pocket passer, are all over 35 (Brees, Brady, ARod) and will be out of the league in a few years.

Click to expand...

Rodgers was every bit as athletic as those guys(sans Jackson) at his peak. Brees was always pretty mobile too, he just didn't look to run. 

travdogg said:

Rodgers was every bit as athletic as those guys(sans Jackson) at his peak. Brees was always pretty mobile too, he just didn't look to run. 

Click to expand...

Rodgers was every bit as athletic as Russel Wilson?  Ok. 

Patrick Mahomes
Russell Wilson
Lamar Jackson
Drew Brees
Deshaun Watson

Bonus 7:
Aaron Rodgers
Dak Prescott
Matt Ryan
Tom Brady
Matthew Stafford
Carson Wentz
Kirk Cousins

Deamon said:

Rodgers was every bit as athletic as Russel Wilson?  Ok. 

Click to expand...

Well, maybe not Wilson. But my point was that Rodgers wasn't some unathletic pocket passer. He's much closer to Wilson than he is to Brady.

Really, other than Brady, Manning, Rivers, and maybe Ryan, I'm not sure there have been unathletic QB's having sustained success in the last 15 years. 

Trying to remove all thought of scheme, coaching and surrounding talent from the equation...

1.Mahomes 

2.Wilson 

3.Brees

4.Rodgers 

5.Watson 

6.Brady 

7.Stafford 
8.Prescott 

9.Ryan 

10.Jackson 

hispeedthinmint said:

Mahomes

Wilson

Watson

Brees

Tough call on #5

Click to expand...

And for me  I got it a tough call on #5 but after Mahomes, Lamar, Wilson and Watson. I'd probably go Brees but I have  actually have Wentz pretty close. Really getting into a difficult area for me trying to sort out impact of scheme, coaching, surrounding talent.

It's just crazy when you step back and notice most of people's top QB's are of at least half African -American descent and most people's top fantasy RB is white. I think it's great seeing stereotypes crushed.

travdogg said:

Well, maybe not Wilson. But my point was that Rodgers wasn't some unathletic pocket passer. He's much closer to Wilson than he is to Brady.

Really, other than Brady, Manning, Rivers, and maybe Ryan, I'm not sure there have been unathletic QB's having sustained success in the last 15 years. 

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say he's closer to Wilson than Brady, but yes I agree ARod was pretty athletic.  My point is that athletic QB's are becoming the new norm now more than ever.  Wilson, Jackson were the MVP front runners last year, Mahomes the year before.

Here's a list of the only qbs to ever rush for 500+ yards in a season while throwing for 3500+.  Those top 4 have all done it in the last THREE years.  Cam was the only one to do it from 2002 to 2015, and now suddenly lots of these guys are doing it.  Josh Allen might pull it off this year.

Jackson
Murray
Watson
Wilson

Newton
Culpepper
Cunningham
 

I had heavily weighed current situation into account when making my list. I don't know how you can't, especially with a guy like Jackson, who has an entire offense built around him.  Throw him into TB and I don't think he puts up Jamis Winston numbers, but that's part of the reason TB would never add him.  Baltimore spent an offseason rounding out their square hole to fit him in and he rose to meet the occasion.

I'm also very hesitant to put any 40+ year old qb in a current top five list.  Just the nature of the age saps strength, and there's always the chance of hitting that Peyton-like cliff.  Brees and Brady still have enough juice to Dilfer their way around the field, but it's what goes on between their ears that still allows them to lead prolific (for Brees at least) offenses that most noodle armed qbs could never hope to achieve.  Still, what happens when their passes start to float and they start to push?

As for Rodgers... I just haven't seen it for two years now.  He had that goonies never say die quality where he was never out of the game, but in 18 he just sort of sucked (which he blamed on the coaching staff and I think was probably 50/50) and in 19 GB tried to take some of that hero ball stuff off his plate.  With how GB handled the draft that doesn't tell me they're more invested in getting him back to his prime.  We'll look back at Rodgers career and wonder if he could have gotten more rings if GB decided to dip into fa just once when he was younger.

One other name I've seen pop up, mostly as a bonus to round out the group but I wanted to make note of - Matt Ryan.  He had one excellent year.  Otherwise was a solid but unspectacular qb despite throwing to one of the best wrs of the past generation.  Hung around the fringes of top ten his whole career.  Doesn't deserve to be mentioned in any top 5 discussion even as an after thought.  Miss me with dat noise.

As of today, and putting the QB on a generic team instead of the potentially bad one they are on:

• Mahomes
  
• Jackson
  
• Wilson
  
• Rodgers
  
• Watson
  

Consolation podium:

• Stafford
  

Top 5 seem fairly self evident, though I could see some wiggle room with 4/5. I really think Stafford would be in this conversation if he was not on a terrible Lions team for so long, last year before getting hurt he was putting up great numbers with a below average team, both in talent and coaching. 

Wow no Kyler Murray huh?

Milkman said:

Wow no Kyler Murray huh?

Click to expand...

Too soon, I think. 

Is this really even in question? Come on guys it’s straight forward   

1. Trubisky 

2. Fitzmagic

3. Haskins 

4. Darnold

5. Tyrod

If its ff scoring, Kyler should be in already. If its best 5 pasers, no Jackson. But if its best NFL QBs right now, my choices are

Mahomes

Jackson

Wilson

Rogers

and probably Brees 

dkp993 said:

Is this really even in question? Come on guys it’s straight forward   

1. Trubisky 

2. Fitzmagic

3. Haskins 

4. Darnold

5. Tyrod

Click to expand...

That list is insulting to Fitzmagic.