The official top-10 quarterback rankings according to NFL insiders has officially been released. Much to the chagrin of NFL owners and scouts, however, the list has not been well received by the public.
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Whether it’s listing the defending Super Bowl champion as the ninth overall candidate, or including a rookie quarterback in the top-five rankings, there’s certainly no shortage of controversies for fans to fuss over. According to the former Cincinnati Bengal, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Patrick Mahomes has every right to be listed as the best quarterback in the NFL today.
However, “two, three, and four, is interchangeable and it’s based on preference.” During the latest episode of their Nightcap podcast, Johnson and his NFL Hall of Fame co-host debated their personal takes on the list that seems to have everybody talking nowadays.
“Personally, I’m putting Burrow second,” Johnson explained. “After Joe Burrow, I’m going with Lamar Jackson. As much as I love Josh Allen, and I love Josh Allen to death. But, I’m going with Lamar,” Ocho explained.
The two NFL legends also noted that they were surprised to see that C.J. Stroud was nowhere to be found on the list. Johnson, just like many others have, also took issue with the aforementioned fact that Jalen Hurts barely made the cut. “How do we have the Super Bowl winning quarterback not in the top five? What are these execs looking at?”
Another name that caused issues proved to be that of Justin Herbert. The face of the Los Angeles Chargers has long been touted for having a talented arm and a treasure trove of potential, but none of that has manifested into anything meaningful for the franchise so far.
Given the lack of playoff success, Sharpe wasn’t willing to believe that Herbert was worthy of being named the seventh best quarterback in all of football. “He can make all the throws, we’re not denying that, but are we sure? Are we sure?”
Johnson made sure to promptly explain that Herbert is indeed “like that.” Nevertheless, it seems as if he’ll have to collect more than just two playoff appearances before the 27 year old is able to convince the former Denver Bronco that is in fact as advertised.
The top-10 ranking format is an inherently divisive one, so it should come as no surprise to see that a set of ‘official rankings’ from the desks of NFL executives is being thrown to the wolves by fans and pundits alike. From the exclusion of Stroud to the assertion that Jackson isn’t a top three quarterback, there’s more than enough here to cause some fiery takes.
Throw in the fact that a literal rookie, albeit the most productive one in NFL history, is being viewed as a better passer than a signal caller who has won a Super Bowl and is one of just a handful of quarterbacks to ever throw for 5,000 or more passing yards in a single season in Matthew Stafford, and it’s safe to say that this list has the potential to go down as one of the most disastrous takes that any set of NFL executives have ever given us.
