Jordan Love has finally taken off. After years of being in the incubator, he’s finally taken over the reins of the Packers, getting the baton from Aaron Rodgers (who got it from Brett Favre, and so on).
One thing that’s been forgotten about him is that he was a part of the same draft class as other stars such as Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts. While those guys were reaching Super Bowls, Love was waiting and waiting, learning as he sat. Technically he was reaching NFC championships, just not as the starting QB.
It might be too early to call it, but it’s worth evaluating where he stands among his fellow QBs from his draft.
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6. Tyler Huntley
Yes, the Pro Bowl backup for the Ravens was a member of the 2020 class. He’s alright, having won some games while Lamar Jackson has been out, but not enough to convince a team to sign him as a starter. The Browns recently signed him to be a backup, and who knows, maybe he will become Jordan Love’s backup one day.
It’s also worth noting that Jake Fromm and James Morgan were also members of this draft class as well. While the class was clearly top-heavy, it was not deep for QBs. No Brock Purdys or Tom Brady for this group.
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5. Tua Tagovailoa
Tua might be somewhat controversial, but he is clearly a starter in this league – when he’s healthy. He finally played a full season last year, but it was so shocking the team didn’t know what to do in the postseason.
All jokes aside there does seem to be a ceiling with Tua. He can’t stay healthy, and when he does play he can’t push the ball down the field well. That can’t be said for the rest of this list – everyone here can throw it pretty deep.
Stats-wise, Tua has 12,000 passing yards already to his name.
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4. Justin Herbert
It’s debatable whether Herbert is better than Jordan. Many rankings would think this is laughable, but Jordan’s won a playoff game while Justin hasn’t.
Herbert’s gone through trial by fire and done well. His record’s not great but he survived Brandon Staley as his head coach. His supporting cast offensively, however, has been remarkable. Some critics believe he has too much help, though that shouldn’t be a knock on his game.
Herbert is impressive when it comes to stats, and in a way is the second coming of Matt Stafford. He’s racked up 114 TDs and 17,000 yards.
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3. Jordan Love
The impressive thing about Love is that he passes the eye test, has put up similar stats to Justin (albeit in a smaller sample size), and has reached the divisional round. He has sat behind a potential GOAT but hasn’t had the OL/WR help Herbert’s received.
We could soon be saying Jordan’s the best of his class, but it’s too early to truly compare him with 2 QBs who have reached the final round of the entire season.
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2. Jalen Hurts
The top two were a toss-up. Jalen Hurts was a borderline MVP in 2022 when he went nuclear on the entire league. Hurts would have won the MVP and maybe even the Super Bowl if Mahomes wasn’t an NFL player.
Hurts does have the reputation of being a one-season wonder, however. He’s been pretty solid outside of 2022, but his record and numbers are comparable to Tua if you take away his outlier season. He’s also had AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, and an all-time great OL to guide him to success.
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1. Joe Burrow
While Burrow’s peak might not have been as good as Hurts, reaching back-to-back AFC championships and being 2 minutes away from winning a Super Bowl is impeccable.
His supporting cast hasn’t been as good as most on this list. Ja’marr Chase and Tee Higgins are amazing, but the OL and running game leave so much to be desired. Burrow’s missed a lot of time from his turnstile offensive line, but it hasn’t affected his on-field play.
