Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is just past the midpoint of his second season.
Through 22 games (and 21 starts), the jury is still out on him. Can he become a franchise quarterback? Or will the Giants eventually have to find someone else to be Eli Manning’s successor?
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As you ponder those questions, let’s consider how Jones compares to the NFL’s other prominent young quarterbacks.
For the purpose of this exercise, we are only considering quarterbacks drafted from 2017-19. And to qualify, a quarterback either has to be a high draft pick or a starter. That means 13 guys made our list, and almost all of them are high draft picks, like Jones.
So let’s rank them, from worst to best, as we also note where they were drafted.
13. Josh Rosen, Cardinals/Dolphins/Buccaneers (2018, 10th): Complete failure. He started 13 games as a rookie with the Cardinals and three last season with the Dolphins. He won’t ever be anything more than a backup. He’s now on Tampa Bay’s practice squad. His career stats — 12 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 63.5 rating.
12. Dwayne Haskins, Washington (2019, 15th): New coach Ron Rivera gave up on him after four starts this season. In 11 career starts, he has 11 touchdowns, 10 picks, and a 77.8 rating. Expect Washington to try to trade him next offseason, and then draft a quarterback high again. Similar situation to Rosen, with an understandably quick hook.
11. Mitchell Trubisky, Bears (2017, second): He’s finished in Chicago. What an awful pick, especially since the Bears traded up to get him. They gave him every opportunity — 44 starts. But he lasted just three starts this season before being replaced by Nick Foles.
10. Gardner Minshew, Jaguars (2019, 178th): He impressed as a rookie, but has sputtered this season. And now, he’s hurt. If the Jaguars get the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, there’s no way they can pass on Trevor Lawrence, right?
9. Sam Darnold, Jets (2018, third): He missed three games in each of his first two seasons. And he has missed three this season. Even when he has played this season, he hasn’t been very good — three touchdowns, six picks, 65.9 rating. Look for the Jets to draft Lawrence if they’re bad enough to pick first — and they probably will be.
8. Daniel Jones, Giants (2019, sixth): Turnovers continue to be an issue for Jones. But he is ahead of Darnold on this list because Darnold has a longer track record of struggling. Now, Jones just needs to beat an opponent other than Washington. He’s 4-0 against that putrid organization, and 1-16 in his other starts. Crazy stat.
7. Drew Lock, Broncos (2019, 42nd): Partly because of injuries, he has started just 11 games to date. But we love his upside. Just look what he did in his first five starts last season — 4-1 record, seven touchdowns, three picks, 89.7 rating.
6. Baker Mayfield, Browns (2018, first): Strong rookie season, and then he dipped in 2019. But he has responded nicely this year — 5-3 record, 15 touchdowns, seven picks, 90.9 rating. His more consistent play is a big reason why the Browns are actually good.
5. Josh Allen, Bills (2018, seventh): Probably nobody would’ve expected him to wind up ahead of Rosen, Darnold, and Mayfield on a list like this, through two-plus seasons. But after a rocky rookie season, he has steadily improved. His combined 2019-20 stats — 17-8 record, 39 touchdowns, 14 picks, 94.2 rating. The Bills are in great position to make the playoffs for the second straight season — something they haven’t done since 1998-99.
4. Kyler Murray, Cardinals (2019, first): He impressed from the get-go last season. A dangerous, dual-threat quarterback. Yes, the Cardinals are just 10-13-1 in his starts, but his numbers are really good — 36 touchdowns, 19 picks, 91.5 rating. Murray also has eight rushing touchdowns and 67.9 rushing yards per game this season.
3. Deshaun Watson, Texans (2017, 12th): He hasn’t hit the MVP level of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson yet. But he is clearly the No. 3 guy on this list. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler and these are his numbers through 45 starts — 88 touchdowns, 34 picks, 102.4 rating.
2. Lamar Jackson, Ravens (2018, 32nd): The reigning MVP. He is 25-5 as a starter with 54 touchdowns, 13 picks, and a 102.1 rating. Now, can he win big in the playoffs?
1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (2017, 10th): Won the regular season MVP in 2018 and Super Bowl MVP last season. The only quarterback on this list with a Super Bowl ring. He’s on his way to the Hall of Fame already. Eye-popping career stats — 32-8 record, 101 touchdowns, 19 picks, 110.5 rating. Absolutely unreal.
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