The 2021 NFL Draft dropped five first round quarterbacks onto NFL rosters. Two more players from the later stages of the draft wound up in starting roles halfway through the 2022 season.
So far the results from that group have been mixed. Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick, had to suffer through nearly a full year of Urban Meyer’s nonsense and looks like a rookie all over again in 2022. No. 2 pick Zach Wilson was the Jets’ fourth-best quarterback in 2021. No. 3 selection Trey Lance hardly played as a rookie and barely made it four quarters into his second season before suffering an ankle injury that will sideline him into 2023.
That, amazingly, only covers one third of the sophomore quarterbacks who started in Week 9 of the NFL season. Sunday’s games featured some big wins and bigger performances. So which young quarterback reigned supreme based on their performance this week?
1
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Stats: 17-28, 123 passing yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 178 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
Expected points added (EPA): 19.1
Fields wasn’t devastating through the air, but he was efficient. On the ground? He was both.
JUSTIN FIELDS GOES 61 YARDS FOR SIX! 🔥
📺: #MIAvsCHI on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/PrdJzxjse4 pic.twitter.com/EaiuoLqHYO— NFL (@NFL) November 6, 2022
Over his last four games, Fields has run for 408 yards and three touchdowns. His offense, which had averaged just 16.8 points over the first five games of the year, has scored 25.3 per game in that stretch and 31.3 in its last three. Sure, the Bears are 1-3 in the last four weeks but that’s not an awful thing to be in a lost season. All roads lead to 2023, where the team will have $120 million in salary cap space and, should these trends continue, a top 10 draft pick.
Fields’ passing efficiency has improved in each game over that stretch, which is thoroughly impressive when you consider the cheesecloth offensive line in front of him and the lack of receiving depth around him. In the past four weeks he’s thrown touchdowns to N’Keal Harry, Dante Pettis and (a whole bunch to) Cole Kmet. Just wait until next year’s upgrades come.
2
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Stats: 25-31, 235 passing yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 53 rushing yards
Expected points added (EPA): 12.9
What’s more impressive? Toppling the Buffalo Bills or storming back from a 17-0 deficit against the Las Vegas Raiders? Ultimately, Lawrence played a bigger role in his team’s win, so he squeaks by Zach Wilson for the second spot.
Lawrence led his Week 9 comeback by eschewing the brain farts that had doomed the Jaguars in previous weeks. The poorly executed throws into coverage were gone, instead replaced by common-sense checkdowns and high percentage plays. It wasn’t the sexiest playbook, but it was one that worked.
That’s how you kick off the second half!#LVvsJAX on CBS pic.twitter.com/QkTAcvK9Cl
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) November 6, 2022
Jacksonville still has several flaws but has the talent to win games with capable quarterbacking. The Raiders tested that theory in Week 9. A showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday will take it one step further.
3
Zach Wilson, New York Jets
Stats: 18-25, 154 passing yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 24 rushing yards
Expected points added (EPA): 1.8
Wilson is 5-1 as a starter and, more importantly, outplayed Josh Allen to earn arguably the biggest upset of 2022. The Jets bullied the preseason MVP candidate into the type of mistakes you’d expect to see from New York’s second year quarterback. Wilson, on the other hand, kept his calm in a big situation to earn a 20-17 win.
I have no idea how Zach Wilson completed this pass pic.twitter.com/7ta7CoRELz
— The Jet Press (@TheJetPress) November 6, 2022
Ultimately, Wilson wasn’t asked to handle too much heavy lifting. New York’s game-winning field goal drive was a 13-play, 86-yard expedition that featured 10 designed running plays. But Wilson still had to convert a third-and-5 in the red zone to chew up more clock and take out Buffalo’s timeouts. He came through, hitting little-used Denzel Mims for a 12-yard completion.
Wilson’s problem remains that he’s ineffective downfield. Only six of his 25 passes traveled more than eight yards beyond the line of scrimmage and only two of those were completions.
He can grow into that. The important thing, for now, is that his team continues to win games around him. That could be enough to break New York’s 12-year postseason drought.
4
Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Stats: 20-30, 147 passing yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, -2 rushing yards
Expected points added (EPA): -8.3
This may have been the worst quarterback matchup of 2022 to date.
Two passers combined for nearly -35 points of expected value. Jones wasn’t outright damaging to the cause. He didn’t turn the ball over and completed two-thirds of his passes. But he also needed 34 dropbacks for 133 net passing yards. Only two of his 20 completions traveled more than seven yards downfield.
This certainly won’t help settle any debate about whether Jones or rookie Bailey Zappe is the better steward for the Patriot offense. Even so, New England is 5-4 and remains in the playoff hunt despite its shortcomings.
5
Davis Mills, Houston Texans
Stats: 13-22, 154 passing yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 18 rushing yards
Expected points added (EPA): -5.8
Credit where it’s due; Mills top active wideouts Thursday night were Phillip Dorsett, Chris Moore and Tyron Johnson and he still kept things close against an undefeated Philadelphia Eagles team.
That's in fact a TD 🙌 @mulatto15
📺 » @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/ykzdFNTbcl
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 4, 2022
Mills is a viable starter whose most likely NFL future is that of a high-end backup — a long-necked Gardner Minshew. His presence won’t keep Houston from drafting a top two quarterback in next year’s draft, but could be enough to make the franchise think long and hard about the position if the Texans find themselves on the board after CJ Stroud and Bryce Young have already been selected.
6
Sam Ehlinger, Indianapolis Colts
Stats: 15-29, 103 passing yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 39 rushing yards
Expected points added (EPA): -26.6
Unlike the other five guys on this list — and San Francisco’s Lance — Ehlinger was never regarded as a likely franchise quarterback. He’s more of a lottery ticket thrown into the fire of a lost season in service of next spring’s draft pick.
He played that role to perfection in New England. Ehlinger completed only two passes on third down, both of which were well short of the sticks. He was sacked five times in those situations. The Colts didn’t convert a single third or fourth down opportunity (0-16).
Tipped & picked.@justjjones | #ForeverNE
📺: #INDvsNE on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/EQjT1vCRt4
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 6, 2022
Ehlinger isn’t the answer. But if he can lose a bunch of games he’ll put Indianapolis in a spot where it can draft the quarterback who might be.
