The NFL's Best Young QBs

ESPN and Scouts, Inc. posted an article on the best young QBs and how they ranked/judged them. You can find that article right here.

I didn't necessarily disagree with their rankings, as Scouts Inc. is usually a reputable source. The fact that they picked Roethlisberger No. 1 out of the five above made me happy, as I've been writing for nearly a year now about how Roethlisberger is the most underrated NFL player.

I think Eli Manning was overrated in the rankings, but he also is the only guy besides Ben with a ring.

My take on it is, I want to take a look at the five QBs, their best and worst ceilings, and what I think will happen to them. We'll be going in reverse order according to their list. Without further ado...

5. Philip Rivers

Positives: Accurate. Decent arm. Knows how to operate within the system. Proved his toughness by playing with a torn ACL in the AFC Championship.

Good ceiling: Troy Aikman-type, great QB utilizing great weapons.

Negatives: Good, not great arm. Weirdly turnover prone. It's my opinion that he looks better because he has tons of talent around him (maybe more so than any other QB on the list besides Romo), but probably couldn't carry a team.

Bad ceiling: Injuries hurt team, tries to force passes, throws a lot of picks.

Overall: I see him having a Bernie Kosar-type career. When the Chargers' window closes, I think he falls off.

4. Tony Romo

Positives: Good arm, accurate. Not fast, but mobile. Seems to handle the BS that comes with being the Cowboys QB well. Had plenty of time to develop, reads defenses well.

Good ceiling: Steve Young-type, consistently putting up great numbers.

Negatives: Makes inexplicable decisions. Can't win the big one. Always seems to fall off near the end of the season.

Bad ceiling: Once Owens finally ages, if no receivers, could become next Dan Marino...decent numbers, blowing up bad teams, string of first/second-round playoff exits.

Overall: I think this is his year, and I think he goes on to have a Hall-of-Fame career. Just like Young, great numbers, so-so playoff resume, but will win a Super Bowl.

3. Jay Cutler

Positives: Maybe the best pure passer of this group. Great arm, accurate. Tons of confidence. Plays in a great system with a great coach. Doing a great job so far with people more focused on stopping the run than the pass.

Good ceiling: Best quarterback in the league.

Negatives: Diabetes could hamper him. Like Romo, seems to make inexplicable decisions with the ball. If/when Shanahan moves on, can he thrive in a different system?

Bad ceiling: Shanahan leaves, he goes back to trying to force passes. Is only above-average at best.

Overall: Has handled the pressure of playing QB in a city that still idolizes Elway. I think he wins a Super Bowl when its all said and done and ultimately is realized as the best QB on this list.

2. Eli Manning

Positives: He's won a Super Bowl. Strong arm. Teammates love him. Has all of the "intangibles" scouts love so much.

Good ceiling: John Elway player, great QB who was the master of the two-minute drill.

Negatives: In my opinion, the most overrated QB in the NFL. Still can make dumb decisions. Not the ideal guy to have when down by a lot. I think he gets a lot of hype because of the name and the location.

Bad ceiling: Mark Rypien, has a few good years and fades into obscurity.

Overall: I wrote this after the Super Bowl. I still think he's a slightly better version of Kenny Stabler. Good QB on a loaded team. He still makes dumb throws and mistakes, but can definitely rally a team in a two-minute situation and has a ring.

I think he's a good QB and he gets one more ring. I still can't shake my belief that he's overrated is all.

1. Ben Roethlisberger

Positives: Super Bowl winner. Great arm. Accurate. Can play in any system. Mobile enough to run for a first down. Got the intangibles. In my opinion, the third best QB in the NFL.

Good ceiling: Tom Brady, best QB

Negatives: Gets hurt an awful lot. Can sometimes not make the best decision. Release is quick but not lighting fast like Manning.

Bad ceiling: He swan dives like McNair after '03, just gets hurt too much and it affects his game.

Overall: I think he's the next Brady. Will win at least one more Bowl.

My rankings would probably be: 5. Rivers, 4. Manning, 3. Romo, 2. Cutler, 1. Roethlisberger. Though I would take Cutler over any of these guys if I was starting a franchise.

I'm a big believer in what he's doing and what he's going to do. I think when the dust settles, history will show he's the best one on this list.