NFL's Top QBs After 2023 NFL Draft
Quarterback is unquestionably the most important position in today's NFL, and several teams went into the 2023 draft looking to find their signal-callers of the future.
While incoming rookies like Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis have the potential to enter the upper echelon of the position, they're not there yet. It takes at least a season or two for even the most talented quarterbacks to establish themselves as greats.
Which quarterbacks have set the bar for this year's top prospects? Ranking the top signal-callers can be a somewhat subjective process, but we're going to take a stab at that very exercise here.
Below, you'll find our picks for the top 10 quarterbacks post-draft, based on factors like proven production, recent production, injury history, skill set and upside. Offseason player movement and supporting casts will also be considered since even the best QBs can struggle without the right talent around them.
First, though, let's examine a couple of honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions: Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields
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Fans of the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears should take solace in the fact that their quarterbacks stand a reasonable chance of making this list next year. For now, though, there are a couple of issues keeping Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields out of the top 10.
In Tagovailoa's case, it's a combination of health and body of work. The Alabama product was fantastic when healthy last season, completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 25 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a league-best 105.5 passer rating.
However, Tagovailoa also suffered multiple concussions in 2022 and started just 13 games. His long-term health remains a question mark, he has less than a full season of high-end production and he offers little as a scrambler (70 yards in 2022).
Tagovailoa must prove that he can stay healthy and remain an elite passer for more than a partial season.
Fields is almost the polar opposite. With 1,143 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 2022, he's already established himself as one of the best running threats in the league. However, his passing numbers have left plenty to be desired.
Last season, Fields completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and an 85.2 rating.
With the additions of players like receiver D.J. Moore, tight end Robert Tonyan Jr. and rookie right tackle Darnell Wright, Fields will have a chance to improve dramatically.
If Fields can make positive strides as a passer while remaining an elite scrambler, he'll quickly become one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league.
10. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
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Age: 28
2022 Regular Season: 4,438 passing yards, 29 TDs, 7 INTs, 99.3 rating, 73 rushing yards
2022 Postseason: N/A
The drafting of Tennessee's Hendon Hooker may threaten Jared Goff's long-term future with the Detroit Lions. For now, though, Goff is among the league's top pure pocket passers.
The Cal product and 2016 first overall pick reemerged as a Pro Bowl talent in 2022, his second in Detroit. Goff had two Pro Bowl campaigns with the Los Angeles Rams and helped L.A. reach Super Bowl LIII.
While Goff isn't a frequent runner and doesn't possess the strongest arm, he can dissect a defense (64.2 career completion percentage) and get the ball to his playmakers on time and in stride.
Detroit has playmakers.
2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams will be suspended for the first six games in 2023 for violating the league's gambling policy. He only caught one pass as a rookie, though, so Goff shouldn't be dramatically affected.
The Lions still have Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds. They replaced DJ Chark with former Lion Marvin Jones Jr., replaced D'Andre Swift with first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs, replaced Jamaal Williams with David Montgomery and drafted tight end Sam LaPorta.
Goff is a point guard at the quarterback position, and after going 7-2 with zero interceptions to finish the 2022 season, it's hard to not consider him one of the league's best in that role.
9. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
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Age: 32
2022 Regular Season: 4,282 passing yards, 30 TDs, 11 INTs, 100.9 rating, 366 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
2022 Postseason: 253 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 98.9 rating, 28 rushing yards
Like Goff, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is an elite distributor of the football, and he led the league with a 69.8 percent completion rate in 2022.
However, Smith offers quite a bit more as a scrambler, even if he isn't a true dual threat in the mold of Fields or Lamar Jackson. Efficiency was his biggest asset this past season, but Smith can burn a defense with his legs.
Also, like Goff, Smith has some incredible weapons with which to work. Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are one of the best receiving duos in the NFL, and Seattle just used a first-round pick on slot specialist Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Though he is 32 years old, we may not have seen the best of what Smith can be. He was largely lost on depth charts over the previous seven years, starting only five games between 2015 and 2021.
The 2013 second-round pick of the New York Jets finally established himself as a top signal-caller in 2022 while being named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. With only one year of top-notch production on his resume, though, Smith lands near the bottom of our list.
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8. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
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Age: 39
2022 Regular Season: 3,695 passing yards, 26 TDs, 12 INTs, 91.1 rating, 34 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
2022 postseason: N/A
Aaron Rodgers is the anti-Geno Smith. He's likely to end his career in New York rather than starting there, and he consistently played at an extremely high level before last season.
Now that he's with the Jets, the four-time MVP should be poised to rebound to a degree. He had an underwhelming and inexperienced receiving corps with the Green Bay Packers last season. In New York, he'll have the likes of Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Corey Davis, Mecole Hardman Jr., Tyler Conklin, Michael Carter and former Packer Allen Lazard at his disposal.
Rodgers will also be reunited with former Green Bay offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who now holds the same position with the Jets.
A return to MVP form—which Rodgers last showed in 2021—is a very real possibility. However, we must also factor in the reality that the 39-year-old may truly be on the decline.
"The biggest piece is he just can't move as well as he used to," one team's scout told Bill Huber of FanNation. "That used to be—on top of being great at extending plays and having rare accuracy—he can't do that anymore. And his arm has taken a dip."
If Rodgers is close to what he was two years ago, he'll rise to the near-top of the quarterback hierarchy. However, while it's hard to bet against him given his track record, we just don't know how much Rodgers has left in the proverbial tank.
Of course, even if Rodgers isn't what he was in 2021, so long as he shows marked improvement over last season in his new home, he should still be one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the NFL.
7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
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Age: 25
2022 Regular Season: 4,739 passing yards, 25 TDs, 10 INTs, 93.2 rating, 147 rushing yards
2022 Postseason: 273 passing yards, 1 TD, 84.7 rating, 12 rushing yards
Any anointing of Justin Herbert as the "next big thing" in 2020 might have been a tad premature. The Oregon product hasn't really won anything yet, aside from Offensive Rookie of the Year.
That said, Herbert does appear to be on an upward trajectory. He was named to the Pro Bowl in his second season and led the Los Angeles Chargers to the postseason in Year 3. He stands a very good chance of taking another positive step in 2023.
While Herbert threw fewer touchdown passes than he did in 2021 (38), he cut down on interceptions (15 in 2021) and completed a career-high 68.2 percent of his passes.
The Chargers hired Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator this offseason, and Moore has overseen top-6 scoring offenses with the Dallas Cowboys in three of the last four seasons.
Los Angeles also used a first-round pick on TCU wideout Quentin Johnston last week. Johnston joins Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, Gerald Everett, Joshua Palmer and Jalen Guyton in one of the most loaded offenses in the league.
Herbert hasn't entered the ranks of the truly elite just yet, but he hasn't shown signs of hitting the wall either. With a more creative play-caller and a better supporting cast, Herbert might finally become one of the top five QBs this season.
6. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
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Age: 26
2022 Regular Season: 2,242 passing yards, 17 TDs, 7 INTs, 91.1 rating, 764 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs
2022 Postseason: N/A
Since being named the unanimous MVP in 2019, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has lost his status as one of the league's quarterback darlings. The constant media quest for fresh stories has played a role. So have Jackson's injuries.
The Louisville product has finished each of the past two seasons on injured reserve and hasn't appeared in a playoff game since 2021.
Yet, he's still one of the NFL's preeminent dual-threats and a two-time Pro Bowler with a 45-16 career record. Jackson is also poised to have the best supporting cast of his career.
The Ravens signed Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency before using a first-round selection on Boston College wideout Zay Flowers. With Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, J.K. Dobbins and Mark Andrews still in the fold, Jackson should have a skill group that is well above average.
An up-tempo, space-based offense under new coordinator Todd Monken should also benefit Jackson.
"Different kinds of tempos, huddle, no-huddle, real fast, controlled tempo, call plays at the line, don't call plays at the line … These are all things that you talk about [and] things that he brings to the table," head coach John Harbaugh told reporters of Monken's offense.
Jackson will have to prove that his injury concerns are behind him, of course. But if he can do that, he should be right back in the MVP mix this season.
5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
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Age: 26
2022 Regular Season: 4,283 passing yards, 35 TDs, 14 INTs, 96.6 rating, 762 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs
2022 Postseason: 616 passing yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 80.1 rating, 46 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
Because of his unique blend of arm talent, physicality and running ability, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills is often thrown into the conversation of the league's second-best quarterback behind Patrick Mahomes.
Allen's traits do put him in that conversation, but the reality is that he's probably just a few spots off that mark.
While Allen is one of the league's most prolific dual threats and nearly impossible to defend when he's playing well, he can be streaky and remains mistake-prone five years in. He's come a long way since being a raw and inconsistent rookie in 2018, but he's also thrown 29 interceptions and fumbled 21 times over the past two seasons.
The big question here is whether Allen can ever correct his mistakes and become the sort of consistent top-tier passer who annually competes for championships—or if he's already reached his ceiling.
Allen carries fewer injury concerns than Jackson, is much younger than Rodgers and has more postseason success than Herbert. He'll remain in the top tier of quarterbacks until/unless his physical tools start to decline. Whether or not Allen becomes an all-time great, though, will hinge on his ability to continue growing as a signal-caller.
4. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
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Age: 23
2022 Regular Season: 4,113 passing yards, 25 TDs, 8 INTs, 95.2 rating, 291 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs
2022 Postseason: 505 passing yards, 5 TDs, 5 INTs, 72.1 rating, 34 rushing yards
Many readers will probably take issue with Trevor Lawrence ranking ahead of Jackson, Herbert, Allen and Rodgers here, and that's understandable. He's only been in the league for two seasons and has just one year of quality play on his resume.
However, the amount of growth that Lawrence showed in 2022 is tremendous. He was lost under head coach Urban Meyer as a rookie, completing just 59.6 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a 71.9 passer rating.
One year later, Lawrence is a Pro Bowler with a playoff win on his resume. He won six of his final seven regular season games while throwing 12 touchdowns and two interceptions, following that up with an epic postseason victory.
Yes, he tossed four interceptions in that win, but he also showed a champion's resolve while helping to lead Jacksonville back from a 27-0 deficit.
Lawrence, a tall, athletic, mobile, strong-armed passer has as much potential as any quarterback in the league—which is precisely why he was deemed a likely No. 1 overall pick long before the 2021 draft.
With Calvin Ridley joining a talented receiving corps that also includes Zay Jones, Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, plus another full offseason under coach Doug Pederson, Lawrence is poised to make a legitimate run at league MVP.
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
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Age: 26
2022 Regular Season: 4,475 passing yards, 35 TDs, 12 INTs, 100.8 rating, 257 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs
2022 Postseason: 721 passing yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, 89.3 rating, 70 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
Many folks believed that Allen would be the one to challenge Mahomes as the top quarterback in the AFC. Many were wrong. If anyone is ready to lay claim to Mahomes' throne, it's Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow.
In two full seasons as a starter, Burrow has taken the Bengals to back-to-back AFC title games and one Super Bowl while holding a 3-1 record against Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Burrow doesn't have the raw physical tools of Mahomes or many of the quarterbacks on this list, for that matter. What Burrow possesses is an uncanny ability to see the field, identify the matchups, put the ball exactly where it needs to be and seemingly will his team to the end zone when it matters most—and he consistently does it at a high level.
"I think Joe is the best quarterback in the league," former Bengals QB Carson Palmer said on The QB Room podcast (h/t NFL.com's Bobby Kownack). "I know Patrick [Mahomes] is phenomenal, but I just think Joe's more consistent."
Because Burrow doesn't rely purely on outlying physical tools, he should remain a Super Bowl threat for as long as the Bengals provide a quality supporting cast. Cincinnati currently has arguably the league's best receiver trio in Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, meaning Burrow is very much a threat to claim the top spot on this list next year.
2. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
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Age: 24
2022 Regular Season: 3,701 passing yards, 22 TDs, 6 INTs, 101.5 rating, 760 rushing yards, 13 rushing TDs
2022 Postseason: 579 passing yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 96.9 rating, 143 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs
Burrow reached the Super Bowl in 2021. Jalen Hurts did it just a few months ago. However, we're not ranking Hurts higher as some knee-jerk flavor-of-the-month reaction.
Hurts has shown steady progression since taking over as the Philadelphia Eagles' full-time starter in 2021. He was a promising dual threat who led Philly to the postseason a year ago and a viable MVP candidate who improved in passing yards, completion percentage (66.5), touchdowns, interceptions, passer rating and rushing touchdowns in 2022.
While Hurts does possess the physical upside of players like Allen and Herbert, he also has a feel for the game, a strong sense of leadership and a striking work ethic similar to Burrow's.
"It starts with Jalen and his work ethic and his determination," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said after signing Hurts to a massive extension. "From the first day we drafted him, he had a vision of what kind of player he was going to be. And then just everyone who has been around him who's rallied around him."
Hurts has also shown a penchant for performing on the biggest stage. While the Eagles didn't win Super Bowl LVII, Hurts had a historic outing with 304 passing yards, 70 rushing yards and four combined touchdowns.
The Alabama product has the tools and the intangibles to get back to the big game repeatedly, and with most of his supporting cast back for a 2023 run—including A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert with Swift and Rashaad Penny replacing Miles Sanders—it might just happen this year.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
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Age: 27
2022 Regular Season: 5,250 passing yards, 41 TDs, 12 INTs, 105.2 rating, 358 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs
2022 Postseason: 703 passing yards, 7 TDs, 0 INTs, 114.7 rating, 60 rushing yards
Sometimes the obvious choice is the right choice. In five seasons as a full-time starter, Mahomes has:
- Compiles a 63-16 regular-season record
- Thrown 227 touchdown passes with 56 interceptions (including playoffs)
- Made five Pro Bowls and been named first-team All-Pro twice
- Been named regular-season MVP twice
- Reached five AFC title games
- Appeared in three Super Bowls, winning two
- Been named Super Bowl MVP twice
The list of quarterbacks who have beaten Mahomes in the postseasons is incredibly short—Burrow and Tom Brady—and there's very little reason to believe that he has already peaked.
Mahomes is a proven leader with a gamer's mentality who also happens to possess one of the best physical toolkits in the entire league. What might be most impressive, though, is his ability to sustain an elite level of play with a constantly evolving supporting cast.
Kansas City has seen players like Sammy Watkins, Damien Williams, Demarcus Robinson, Darrel Williams, Byron Pringle and even Tyreek Hill come and go. With Travis Kelce as his one notable constant, Mahomes has remained at or near the top of the mountain.
Jawaan Taylor will replace Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle this year, while Richie James and rookie Rashee Rice will replace wideouts JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hardman. Will Mahomes suddenly decline? Don't bet on it.
At only 27 years old, the Texas Tech product has already had a Hall of Fame career. He could double or even triple his accolades when all is said and done. Mahomes isn't just the best quarterback in the NFL today, but depending on how long he decides to play, he may be on a path to surpassing Brady as the best to ever do it.
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