The 2022 NFL season is still over two months away, but the league continues to dominate the sports media landscape even in the midst of the offseason.
Chris Simms, a former NFL quarterback and current analyst for NBC Sports, got busy ranking the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL on Twitter over the past week, with the final results posted late Wednesday evening.
Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert, who has already set multiple team and NFL records in his first two seasons in the league, came in at No. 3 overall on Simms’ list – just behind Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes.
Marcus Mariota, another Oregon alumni who is expected to start for the Atlanta Falcons this season, came in at No. 28 overall.
Recapping the full Top 40 QB Countdown on the pod tomorrow. @PaulWBurmeister gonna get to as many questions as we can. #AskMeAnything pic.twitter.com/7yLdDibc1d
— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) June 16, 2022
“He is probably the best pure thrower of the football in the NFL,” Simms wrote in a Tweet posted on Wednesday, regarding Herbert. “When things are clean in the pocket, he never loses control of the ball and I’m not sure there is anyone better at hitting the bullseye with any kind of throw.”
Herbert was a Pro Bowler at age 23 for Los Angeles last season, throwing a franchise record 38 touchdown passes while eclipsing 5,000 total passing yards for a team that finished a disappointing 9-8.
Herbert will have plenty more chances to make the playoffs down in the City of Angels, and it may not be long before he’s moving even higher on this list.
Mariota hasn’t started since the 2019 season with Tennessee, but he will get a chance to once again lead an offense using his arm and his legs, and a return to form could move him up into top-20 territory in no time.
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