Arguably no position in professional sports faces as much of a stiff learning curve to succeed than an NFL quarterback.
It’s a significant and often overwhelming undertaking and is a big reason why, to this day, drafting and successfully developing an NFL quarterback can be a crapshoot. If quarterback development was boiled down to an effective science, Carson Wentz would not be starting for the Commanders, and Mitchell Trubisky would not be the Steelers’ current stopgap.
Last year’s top rookie quarterbacks — Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones and Davis Mills — will be entering the 2022 season with expectations that they’ve started to grasp playing the position as a professional. Of course, while the signal-callers are beginning their second year, each is in a far different place in their development and has a different situation with their coaching staff and supporting casts (or lack thereof).
Which, I’ll be honest: It doesn’t necessarily look great for any of these young passers at the moment. But that’s an offseason/preseason evaluation. We might soon be singing the praises of some of these young men in the coming weeks and months. Every young quarterback “stinks” or “isn’t ready for the big time” until they finally blossom.
Here’s a predictive outlook at the six second-year quarterbacks who enter 2022 as the unquestioned starters on their respective squads. Note: All Expected Points Added stats via rbdsm.com/stats, and this list is in no particular order.
(In case you missed it: Our Christian D’Andrea broke down when to expect the first start for the 2022 rookie quarterbacks.)