Dak Prescott, Cowboys 4. Not only does Jackson excel with general vision and decision-making specifically to that area, but he understands defenders' leverage in such a way that helps him locate the ball away from them, which is the same thing veterans such as Brady and (in years past) Philip Rivers get credit for. You can never count out the players who made this top 10. Deshaun Watson, Texans* Deshaun Watson, Texans* Taysom Hill, Saints 6. 6. Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings) For the first time in Deep Ball Project history, Kirk Cousins is a top 10 deep passer. Shop here and show your colors. Allen sports a throw power rating of 99 while Mahomes is second with a 97. Russell Wilson, Seahawks -- Bowen. Far too often, he would opt for the. Russell Wilson, Seahawks Ll make the case for each QB a friend of the deep ball 3,692 Across several more High School football . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Daniel Jones, Giants Advanced stats offer insight into a Quarterback's performance beyond the standard box score. Justin Herbert (66.9%), But according to NFL Next Gen Stats, another quarterback led the league in expected points added per play and completion percentage over expectation on throws on the run over that span: the Saints' Jameis Winston, who missed our top 10. 1. His 78.0 short passing grade ranked eighth of the 37 quarterbacks who attempted at least 72 short passes in 2021. (Marta Lavandier/AP) Height/weight: 6-3, 211 T8. He never lets a defense feel like it has him figured out. This year's quarterback class is much more exciting than last year's. In 2022, we had one QB taken in the first round, and three of the top four picks this year are signal callers. The veteran quarterback finished 26th in accuracy rate and 29th in completion percentage on deep passes a season ago. Does he get stuck on his first read too often and stare down receivers, making it easy for the defense? He also ranked second in accuracy-plus percentage by placing 43.7% of his deep balls in the perfect spot for his receiver. Tom Brady, Buccaneers He could easily find himself at the top of this list in the next few seasons. -- Kimes, Stat to know: How does one quantify pocket presence? Russell Wilson, Seahawks In addition, while his 2020 campaign was cut short due to . He also possesses a nice ability to throw with people around him, find throwing lanes with adjusted arm angles and create ways to get the ball out of his hand. -- Kimes, Stat to know: At the end of the first half of Week 14's Monday Night Football game last season, Mayfield tried throwing a bomb deep to receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. But he's not just getting rid of the ball quickly. -- Hasselbeck, Snubbed: Not wanting to put rookies in this category is fair, but Trevor Lawrence's pocket management at Clemson was something to behold. He also has the highest floor of all the quarterbacks in the draft. -- Schatz/Klassen, Others who received at least one vote: Derek Carr, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Ryan, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo. 1 prospect for the 2021 class since he was a freshman at Clemson -- he has some of the best arm talent we've seen in the past 20 years. T8. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs And he ranked first in third-down pass attempts beyond the sticks at 70%, so he didn't have too many empty completions on third down, a sign he is being smart with the football. Or can he scan the field, make the defense bite with his eyes and then find the open receiver? Although his overall accuracy rate increased by a modest three percentage points last season vs. 2020, his accuracy in the red zone jumped from 69% in 2020 to. Lamar Jackson, Ravens Very few players have the ability to break a 50-plus-yard TD run as well as attack most areas on the field while on the move. An improved offensive line should help Herbert better showcase his rushing talent. Cam Newton, Patriots, Best of the best: Every QB on this list is worthy of being at the top of this category, as they will all stand in the pocket and keep firing in the face of pressure, big hits or sacks. Going back two seasons, Allen was also contacted the second-most times in 2019 -- again behind Jackson. 1. 6. Jones attempted just 24 deep passes on the year, but he didnt record a single turnover-worthy play. He's the top traditional pocket-passing prospect in the class with his deep ball-accuracy, smarts and maturity. 3. With Odell Beckham Jr. back in the mix, . Somehow, Justin Fields has seemed to have turned into the forgotten man amongst the quarterbacks of the 2021 NFL Draft class. 1. NFL's Next Gen Stats captures real time location data, speed and acceleration for every player, every play on every inch of the field. consistently got open more than most other pass-catchers, 2022 NFL season: Three teams ready to make playoff run after missing out in '21, AFC West projected starters for 2022 NFL season: Broncos look like contenders. T10. T4. 41. -- Schatz/Klassen, Others who received at least one vote: Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Ryan Tannehill, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, Jimmy Garoppolo, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ben Roethlisberger and Baker Mayfield. He was dead last in accuracy rate, as only 22.6% of his deep balls were thrown accurately. Carr's 1,036 deep-passing yards ranked 10th among starters a season ago. Dak Prescott, Cowboys Most of the social media general managers asked about linebackers and safeties still on the board. Josh Allen, Bills #AskFFT (@daverichard) March 24, 2022 Goff went 183-for-233 for 1,487 yards and six touchdowns on such throws. Tom Brady, Buccaneers Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders 3. Last season, Mahomes converted 66.7% of his third-down scrambles (12 of 18) while also registering a QBR of 82.2, with eight touchdown passes, on scramble-attempt throws. -- Walder, With our live draft lobby, you can be drafting a team in minutes. It's not only about pass velocity or placement. Deshaun Watson, Texans* If Mahomes' receivers consistently have more separation when targeted, that speaks to his ability to see and target the correct option more often. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. He threw an accurate deep ball 37.9% of the time, which ranked 16th. The seven-time Super Bowl champion earned the top spot in deep-pass accuracy percentage, placing the ball in the right spot 52.1% of the time. Plus, Carr was much more willing to cut it loose on schemed verticals last season, registering a QBR of 99.6 on passes of 20 or more air yards, with 11 touchdowns and only one interception. It's a bit clichd at this point to talk about his moxie, but his competitive spirit is undeniable -- and it has powered some pretty strong performances late in games, especially of late. He finished 30th or worse in four categories: PFF grade, turnover-worthy play rate, accuracy rate and accuracy-plus rate. Despite his aggression downfield, he only averaged a turnover-worthy throw on 1.1% . T10. When a quarterback has to fake the run before throwing a pass, that takes time. The NFL draft promised some significant changes behind center and did not disappoint. Some pretty deep balls in that video, especially considering the era in which he did it. Lance, in particular, has a special blend of velocity and downfield distance that comes out of his hand with ease, not unlike Herbert's. 3. And Football Outsiders' model suggests that Carr has 56 more completions than expected since 2018, which ranks fifth over that three-year period. CB | Safety | OT | Interior OL 23 out of 140 qualifying FBS quarterbacks last year with a 50.7% adjusted completion percentage on throws 20-plus yards downfield. 2. 1. 7. Most interesting pick (C+): QB Max Duggan, TCU (Round 7, Pick 239) Duggan fell further than many anticipated. Mac Jones was the 15th overall pick by the New England Patriots. Watson didn't practice with the Texans last week and didn't travel for their game on Saturday against the Cowboys. 2. 1st out of 31 quarterbacks. I've always been particularly fond of their work on back-shoulder throws and low red zone routes, but they can still hook up on the deep ball with the best of them as well. That includes a QB's throwing motion, arm slot, release, follow-through and footwork, among other traits. 5. And his 27.9% deep ball completion percentage from last . His 48 passing touchdowns led the NFL, and his 1.0% interception rate (five all season) was tied for the best in the NFL with Mahomes. -- Walder, Riser to watch: Coming out of Wyoming, Josh Allen had a habit of just trying to throw the ball hard. Who are the most technically sound signal-callers in the league? Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals 4. The other three quarterbacks I listed rank 10th, 11th, and seventh in the NFL respectively in Intended Air Yards per Pass Attempt (IAY/PA), meaning they throw the ball deep pretty often. His 11.7-yard average depth of target led all passers in the Power 5. Allen finished the season with 77 deep-ball attempts, totaling 1,051 deep-passing yards and finishing fifth among starters in PFF grade throwing deep. -- Schatz/Klassen, Others who received at least one vote: Baker Mayfield, Jameis Winston, Derek Carr, Carson Wentz, Cam Newton, Tom Brady, Ryan Tannehill, Sam Darnold, Matt Ryan, Joe Burrow, Zach Wilson, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Ben Roethlisberger and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Aaron Rodgers, Packers The clunkiness of Baltimore's passing game last season is much more a product of the lackluster receiving talent and Greg Roman's stale concepts than Jackson's inability to see the field. Mills' 123.5 passer rating on deep throws led the league last season. Tom Brady, Buccaneers Kyler Murray, Cardinals -- Schatz/Klassen, Others who received at least one vote: Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, Cam Newton, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, Mitchell Trubisky, Sam Darnold, Gardner Minshew II, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Baker Mayfield, Marcus Mariota and Jacoby Brissett. A strong on-field performance this season will have him joining and moving up this list quickly next year. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. You can see the strong base, footwork and shoulder/hip rotation on the release to extend through his target. While Jackson is the NFL's most dynamic player when he breaks contain, Mahomes' ability to threaten defenses in scramble situations, both as a runner and a thrower, puts him at the top of my list. Now, there's something to be said for avoiding those situations in the first place, but the Raiders fight back. 6. Up first is perhaps the league's most picked apart quarterback. It's a good time to be an NFL quarterback. To close, we looked at a trait that leads to so many highlights throughout an NFL season. Athleticism. CHTV draft guide seems underwhelmed with this QB. That's a 152.8 passer rating, which is easily the best in the league. 4 is higher than I would have expected. Fields showed exceptional accuracy from the pocket, displayed elite arm strength, and was a threat on the ground with almost 400 rushing yards in only eight games in 2020. guys who are playing the best this season, 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Williams No. Despite a solid 2022 season with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions, Clifford is generally looked at as a limited . That's just how it is. "@DavyJPopNLocka @MitchellRenz365 if only we had a QB that had one of the most accurate deep balls in the league. 7:55 am ET. 0:24 If Tua Tagovailoa develops into an elite, upper-echelon pro quarterback, it seems clear his super powers are going to need to be accuracy, touch and quick decision-making. Stroud comes in as the most accurate of the top five quarterbacks. 10. He's getting it rid of the ball quickly and pushing it down the field, which makes no sense. Deshaun Watson, Texans* Dak is also perfectly content to rip off short completions to his underneath targets. Hall is accurate and long. Mechanics | Field vision | Decision-making Sure, Mahomes throws the prettier deep ball, but if we're just assessing arm strength, Allen's cannon is indisputable. Toughness rolls into compete level a bit, but our analysts looked at a quarterback's bounce-back and resilience here, along with how well he can take a hit. We then combined those lists with a point-based system to generate a final ranking in each area, all 12 of which are below. One aspect is sacks taken relative to pressures faced. You cannot take him down with one free rusher, because he will make that guy miss. Best Attribute: Ball Placement/Touch. They also need to throw with anticipation, leading a receiver into the catch and navigating defensive coverages. Much like 2021, however, his deep accuracy declined significantly beyond throws of 21-30 yards, as he was 6-20 on throws of 31+ yards. -- Hasselbeck, Snubbed: Though Matt Ryan's arm strength and mobility have waned, he remains among the sharpest decision-makers in the league, particularly with his shot selection over the middle. 9. More NFL coverage , Stat to know: Over the past three seasons, Wilson leads all quarterbacks in completion percentage over expectation on passes with 20-plus air yards -- often via his famous rainbow-arc deep balls -- per NFL Next Gen Stats. East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws the ball as New York Jets defensive end Ronald Blair (54) pursues during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. In his last season in Atlanta, Ryan completed 43.1% of his 51 deep attempts, the ninth-best completion rate among starters. If he was unsure or late, he would just step on the gas with his passes. But Herbert will also continue to climb the rankings, and Cincinnati's Joe Burrow -- if healthy -- should work into the top 10 in this category soon. He is 19 of 33 for 336 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and a league-best 110.2 passer rating when under pressure so far this season, according to Tru Media. When you have the best wide receiver in the game, why make things complicated? Who are the best quarterbacks throwing the ball vertically and driving it into windows with authority? Who has the most desire to win? Dak Prescott, Cowboys QB | RB | WR | TE 2. He completed 47.6% of his 42 attempts, earning an impressive 89.4 passing grade. Herbert is making a second-year leap to superstardom, and he's doing it by routinely making some of the most difficult throws in all of football. Bills sign veteran RB Murray to one-year deal, LB Barrett's 2-year-old daughter drowns in pool, Deion 'ashamed' after only 1 HBCU player drafted, Sources: NFL eyes May 11 to release schedule, Jets coach Saleh: Rodgers making 'presence felt', Cowboys scout emotional as team drafts his son, Rams use 'Mr. Here are the top 10: 1. Big Ben went 19-of-63 for 651 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Baker Mayfield, Browns, Best of the best: There is an effortlessness to the way in which Mahomes can seemingly flick the football 50 yards down the field without setting his feet or coming to balance. 7. He already ranks 13th in rushing yards just three seasons into his career and could realistically catapult all the way up to fourth by the end of this upcoming season. That was his only turnover-worthy play, which contributed to a lowly turnover-worthy play rate of 0.4% the best non-zero mark. -- Riddick, Biggest surprise: Allen has to be higher on the list given his noticeable development as a pocket thrower. 10. The story of the Cowboys scout and prospect son Dallas just drafted, Legacy pick: Cardinals take great-great-nephew of team's first-ever draft pick, This NFL record is in jeopardy: How six QBs could break it in 2021 -- and hit 6K yards, The NFL's best quarterbacks: We asked 50 execs, coaches and scouts to rank the top 10, Ranking every NFL position group from 1-32, rushing defense-adjusted yards above replacement. He makes up for it with careful ball placement and wonderful touch, doing his best to mimic the success that players such as Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers experienced in the second half of their careers. I see a player who is learning what he can get away with and when, and I think that shows itself during this upcoming season and beyond. 3. According to Madden 23 , Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has the best arm in the NFL. Ryan Tannehill, Titans 2 wideout Sammy Watkins (who left the game with an injury), there's not really much that opposing defenses can do but pray. To do so, we asked NFL analysts -- Matt Bowen, Tim Hasselbeck, Mina Kimes, Booger McFarland, Louis Riddick, Mike Tannenbaum, Seth Walder, Field Yates, Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson and Football Outsiders' team of Aaron Schatz and Derrik Klassen -- to rank their personal top 10 NFL quarterbacks entering the 2021 season in 12 distinct categories, from arm strength to field vision. 9. His acceleration mirrors a sports car's; he has uncanny agility, and he slithers past tackles as though defenders have butterfingers. Even at 44 years old, he still has a knack for being able to take his feet out of the equation when necessary and make a tough throw with only his upper body, and often with defenders in his face. Jones earned a 16th-ranked 87.7 passing grade on deep throws last year, going 22-of-58 for 690 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. Those are the off-platform passes from different arm angles and body positions, often on the move. The Ravens QB remains the clear top choice on designed carries. Watch: Deshaun Watson He was dead last (3-of-19) in accuracy on tight-window throws of 21 or more yards. 3. It seems like he's barely putting any air under the ball, instead just ripping it downfield like he's throwing a 10-yard out. Successful quarterbacks need to master trajectory, whether it be fitting the ball in a tight spot with zip or softly dropping it in over a receiver's shoulder. Kyler Murray, Cardinals But the guy who is going to get his overdue credit in this category in 2021 is Stafford. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Note: For teams forced to start more than one QB, we went with the player who attempted more passes. -- McFarland, Snubbed: Carr may not be known as one of the great leaders in the modern NFL, but his performance in late and close situations speaks for itself. Murray ranked top-10 in completion percentage, yards per attempt, passer rating and yards on passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield, notably leading starting quarterbacks in PFF grade on those throws. 10. When Dallas gets Michael Gallup (the team's best perimeter ball-winner on downfield throws) back in the lineup, look out for even more of this. And NFL Next Gen Stats clocked his maximum speed last season at 19.5 miles per hour. Irrelevant' pick on Toledo's Johnson, Chargers go all-in on TCU with Duggan pick in 7th, 10 fantasy football breakout players for 2023, Will Levis opens up about emotional draft day, Steelers' first draft under Omar Khan was 'aggressive' and achieved high marks, After hoopla of going No. Russell Wilson, Seahawks Age 37. T4. On short passes, the Alabama product went 129-for-169 for 1,025 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. He went 31-of-64 for 1,051 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions throwing deep in 2021. Today's NFL quarterbacks do so many different things extremely well, and picking out the best of the best is no easy task. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Clemens, a former NFL quarterback (including in St. Louis from 2011 to 2013), traveled to Athens, Ga., to see Bennett and ran him through protection calls, plays and problem-solving exercises. 1. -- Walder, Riser to watch: Jackson has clearly proven himself to already be one of the best in the league at avoiding pressure by escaping out of the pocket, and his mobility is unmatched. There is a lot to digest from this chart, so let's tackle these rankings. So was he. 10. His 86.0 short passing grade ranked second, and he went 222-of-279 for 1,857 yards and a top-rated 121.6 passer rating at that depth in 2021. In 2019, Allen completed just 58.8% of his passes, but that number jumped to 69.2% this past season, which was good for fourth in the NFL. Darnold completed only 27.5% of his 20-plus-yard pass attempts and ranked last in passer rating (42.5%). Last year with Chicago, Trubisky scrambled 17 times for 166 yards. In 2018 and 2019, he added another 58 scrambles for 441 yards. 31.7%. Jeremy Fowler polled a panel of more than 50 coaches, execs, scouts and players to come up with top-10 rankings for 2021: Edge | Interior DL | LB It also speaks to a quarterback's command of his offense and his ability to deliver in the clutch. Aaron Rodgers, Packers Dak Prescott has earned layers of criticism from NFL faithful for his turnovers, but on the deep ball he got away with just one turnover all season. With the 2022 NFL season around the corner, PFF ranked all 32 starters from a year ago in eight different deep-passing metrics, all of which can be found in PFF Premium Stats: We then aggregated the ranks for each category to form a 1-32 list for deep-passing performance. Based on last season, I would expect his improvement to continue. He doesn't shy away from contact. Adams has the NFL's most receiving first downs (28), most explosive plays through the air (14), and by far the league's highest targets per route run average, seeing the ball on 36.7% of his routes. That takes a special blend of understanding protections and defenses, as well as some innate instinct and athletic traits. 9. What are advanced QB stats? It's a passing league, there are seemingly more great pass-catchers than at any time in recent memory, offensive coordinators are getting more and more creative in scheming their players open, and the league has pretty much mandated bone-crushing hits out of the game where QBs are concerned. Deshaun Watson, Texans* 1 overall pick completed six of his 22 deep-ball attempts for 273 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions before his season-ending knee injury. On deep balls in 2021, the 2021 first overall pick posted an ugly 46.4 passer rating and threw for just 548 yards on deep passes, both of which were bottom-five marks. Burrow also does well to keep his hips free and allow his arm to come through cleanly without getting himself hunched over a tight base. Note: All Brady statistics are prior to Thursday's game against Philadelphia, during which he just added to the ridiculous numbers. The now-Denver Bronco went 29-of-75 for 1,090 yards throwing deep last season. On his way to an AFC championship victory, Burrow completed 186 of his 240 short pass attempts in 2021 for 1,858 yards and 12 touchdowns. Matthew Stafford, Rams Kirk Cousins, Vikings Given that Hall will likely start as the backup quarterback behind Kirk Cousins, this experience should help him if he ever gets thrust into unexpected playing time. But a pair of rookies -- Lawrence and the 49ers' Trey Lance -- have a good case for at least the No. -- McFarland, Snubbed: New England's Cam Newton feels like an odd omission given his reputation, but a relentless string of injuries, including shoulder issues, have sapped him of the arm strength of his youth. He finished third in passing yards and fourth in passer rating. Ryan Tannehill, Titans -- McFarland, Snubbed: Joe Burrow's lack of arm strength necessitates that he be as efficient as possible with his mechanics. And there's no question that Lawrence will make this list next season. What are advanced QB stats? His aggressive downfield style requires him to hold the ball a bit longer and take some hits, more so than many other quarterbacks. The pass traveled 68.1 yards in the air, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Ryan Tannehill, Titans 4. To get a sense of how these talented passers stack up right now, we broke their games down by different skills. He completed 32 of these attempts for 962 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions during the regular season. 2. He has added more EPA than any quarterback in the league on deep throws, according to NFL.com's Next Gen Stats model, so it seems like a pretty good strategy. 9. -- Schatz/Klassen, Others who received at least one vote: Ryan Tannehill, Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, Kyler Murray, Teddy Bridgewater, Baker Mayfield and Zach Wilson. The man is just so slippery. 3. "Shot Zone" situation . April 29, 2023 at 01:41 pm. 3. Every Sunday, we are treated to incredible highlight-reel plays across the league, from 60-yard deep balls to huge gains on designed rushes to inconceivable pinpoint throws outside the pocket. -- McFarland, Snubbed: There are a lot of areas in which Bills backup Mitchell Trubisky hasn't excelled, but he makes things happen when he uses his legs.