The Chargers had the luxury of having successful and sustainable quarterback play the last 14 seasons with Philip Rivers starting under center.
After parting ways and seeing Rivers take his talents to the Colts, Los Angeles now starts a new era at the position.
It will be hard for fans to see another quarterback aside from Rivers on a weekly basis, and because of that, the expectations are set pretty high to match what the 38-year old was able to do for the Chargers.
With L.A. in a prime position to land one of the top signal-callers, that’s what many are assuming they will ultimately do when they’re on the clock with the No. 6 overall selection.
NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah recently compared and contrasted the skillset and abilities with the top quarterbacks in this year’s class to Rivers in a conference call, starting with former Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa.
“In terms of how do these guys stack up with Philip, I would say with Tua, not nearly as big, but I would say in terms of grade, I would say there’s some similarity there in terms of playing the game with really, really good eyes, very accurate, good decision-makers, poise, touch throwers,” Jeremiah said.
“I think Philip coming out had a little bit stronger arm and Tua moves around a little bit better. But I don’t think that’s a terribly far-fetched comparison there in terms of just talent.”
Tagovailoa has drawn comparisons to Saints’ Drew Brees and Seahawks’ Russell Wilson from a physical and stylistic standpoint. But Jeremiah eludes to vision, throwing with anticipation and avoiding mistakes as signs that Tua resembles Rivers.
With Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Utah State’s Jordan Love, Jeremiah doesn’t see that many similarities between them and Rivers.
“And then with Herbert, I would just say Philip was just a more natural — even though it’s an unnatural motion, he was naturally gifted with layering the ball, throwing with touch, anticipation. I think Philip was a little bit ahead there,” Jeremiah said.
“And then Jordan Love, Jordan Love has more physical tools than Philip does just with the ability to make so many incredible throws with extreme velocity from all different platforms and falling away and arm angles but nowhere near as consistent or as accurate as Philip.”
From a trait standpoint, Jeremiah believes that Tagovailoa has the most out of the crop that mirrors Rivers’.
There’s no denying that Tua is an elite passer, but the concern with him is whether he can stay on the field. The former Alabama quarterback has made multiple statements that he is healthy and ready to go, thus making it real difficult to pass on that kind of talent if he is on the board.