Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson Ranked Outside Top 5 of Top 10 QBs by NFL Coaches, Execs

The Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson and Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts are the two highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, but neither made the top five in a poll of the top QBs conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Hurts and Jackson ranked sixth and seventh, respectively. At least one of people polled left Jackson out of the top 10 entirely.

For the second straight year, Jackson's production was a clear step below his 2019 MVP campaign, and he missed five games due to a knee injury. He threw 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 62.3 percent of his passes. His 59.1 QBR was ninth in the league, per ESPN.com.

"Prior to the [knee] injury, he was doing some big things from the pocket as a passer," an NFL scouting director said to Fowler. "Some of those early games, he was dialing it up. He's definitely evolving as a passer, taking it to next level. He's a smart runner. Teams want to peg him in that role, but he never really gets hit solidly. He knows how to elude and avoid big hits."

Fans know how good Jackson can be because they saw it four years ago. As long as he can stay healthy, perhaps the two-time Pro Bowler enjoys a return to form in 2023.

In the case of Hurts, the fact he has only two full years of starting experience might color some of the opinions of his game.

Joe Burrow, for example, was fifth in Fowler's 2022 QB poll on the heels of guiding the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl. He moved up to second despite his overall numbers basically being the same in his third season.

Hurts took a massive leap forward as a passer in 2022. His completion percentage improved from 61.3 to 66.5, and he averaged nearly 40 more passing yards (246.7) per game.

"He's one of those guys who has progressively added to his game," a personnel director said to Fowler. "Not really flappable, similar to Burrow in that sense. He remains calm. He can do all the things you need to from the pocket. I don't see why he can't be [a] precision passer. Look at all the games where he's had to dial it up from the pocket. He has that in his game."

If Hurts can deliver more of the same in 2023, then surely he'll crack the top five when Fowler conducts this exercise next summer.