Future QB Rankings: Rating all 32 NFL teams’ situations from worst to best

Touchdown Wire ranks the 32 NFL teams in terms of stability and potential at the game’s most important position over the next 3-4 seasons.

Tom Brady might be the best quarterback ever, but he’s not the best in the NFL right now. He certainly won’t be the best in 2022.

He’s human, after all, and at age 42, regression is inevitable even for someone with six Super Bowl rings. That puts the New England Patriots in an uncertain situation at quarterback two or three years down the road. The New Orleans Saints, with 40-year-old Drew Brees under center, find themselves in a similar scenario.

Other teams, such as the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers, likely will face difficult personnel decisions at the quarterback position much sooner than that. Only a handful of teams, notably the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks, appear secure in their quarterback situation for years to come.

All this got us thinking about the quarterback situations of the future — and where each of the NFL’s 32 teams ranks in terms of preparedness at the game’s most crucial position.

By quarterback situations, we mean the full overview of each team’s quarterbacks group, including backups and a potential succession plan, if necessary. For this exercise, we will define the future as three to four years down the road.

To help form these opinions, we consulted with a blue-ribbon panel of one former head coach, two former general managers and one current general manager. They were asked for their thoughts on each team’s quarterback situation. They provided insight to inform our rankings.

With that in mind, we present Touchdown Wire’s future quarterback rankings for every NFL team, from worst to first:

32. Miami Dolphins

Earlier this season, many observers accused the Dolphins of tanking to earn the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and presumably select a quarterback. Since then, Miami (2-8) has been eclipsed by the ineptitude of Cincinnati (0-10) and Washington (1-9), so the Dolphins might not get the first QB off the board. Currently, the Dolphins have Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen on their roster. Rosen has failed in his playing time. There’s no way he’ll be back next year. The Dolphins have the option to hang onto Fitzpatrick, 36, who’s currently under contract next season at $5.5 million. It makes sense to keep Fitzpatrick around for one more year to help groom a young quarterback. That could be LSU’s Joe Burrow, Alabama’s Tua Tagavailoa (although his recent hip injury now complicates his draft status), Oregon’s Justin Herbert or Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts. Two members of my panel said they like Burrow better than Tagovailoa. Either way, it’s going to take some time to develop a young quarterback.

31. Chicago Bears

For the moment, Mitchell Trubisky is Chicago’s starting quarterback. But it doesn’t appear that he will be in that role next year — although he remains under contract and the team holds a fifth-year option on the No. 2 overall pick from 2017. Given his level of play this season, it’s highly unlikely he will receive the option year, and he might not even see 2020 with the Bears — although the cap hit for cutting him would be slightly more than $9 million. The Bears are 4-6 after going 12-4 last year. There’s one main reason for the decline. That’s Trubisky. My panelists say he’s holding the offense back and could end up keeping a good team out of the playoffs. All four panelists agree Trubisky should be nothing more than a backup. Current backup Chase Daniel’s contract expires after this season. So there’s no telling who will be Chicago’s quarterback next year. Maybe the Bears will draft a quarterback. But with a talented roster already in place, the Bears should be first in line to sign New Orleans backup Teddy Bridgewater as a free agent.

30. Cincinnati Bengals

Veteran Andy Dalton has been benched, and the Bengals are giving rookie fourth-rounder Ryan Finley a shot. There should be no turning back to Dalton, even though he remains under contract for 2020 with a $17.5 million scheduled salary. The Bengals can cut Dalton after the season without any salary cap ramifications. It’s too early to judge Finley. Cincinnati is going to end up with an early draft pick and could have a shot at Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert or Jalen Hurts. The Bengals will be starting over. But, given their current state, that’s not a bad thing. “Dalton had more than enough time and couldn’t win consistently,” one panelist said. “I have no idea what they have in Finley. But they have to draft a quarterback if they’re sitting there at No. 1 or 2.”

29. Washington Redskins

The current situation is a mess. Veterans Colt McCoy and Case Keenum, who clearly aren’t the answer, each is in the last year of their contract. The Redskins have little choice but to play rookie Dwayne Haskins, who has five interceptions and two touchdown passes, the rest of this season. Call it an audition for Haskins. But this situation is complicated because the Redskins currently have interim coach Bill Callahan, who took over when Jay Gruden was fired. There will be a new coach next year, and he might not like Haskins. With an early draft pick likely, the new coach might want his own guy. Give up on Haskins after only one season? Arizona did it with 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen after drafting Kyler Murray. All four of our panelists said Haskins was overrated when he was drafted.

28-25 / 24-21 / 20-17 / 16-13 / 12-9 / 8-5 / 4-1

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Should Tua Tagovailoa enter the 2020 NFL Draft?

Many believe Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has taken his last snaps in a Crimson Tide uniform, after injuring his hip in a contest against Mississippi State which resulted in season-ending surgery. The question that continues to loom is if he …

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The question that continues to loom is if he should enter the 2020 NFL Draft and forego his senior season, or rehabilitate his injury and play one more year at the collegiate level before going pro.

Yahoo! Sports college football analyst, Pete Thamel, weighed in on what it would mean for Tagovailoa, financially, and the ramifications of his future decision.

Thamel explains that Tagovailoa was clearly one of the best quarterbacks eligible for the draft and probably the No. 1 overall pick.

With this season-ending injury, among other health issues he’s had in the last two years, teams may be thinking twice in 2020 about selecting him early.

“It’s very difficult, you don’t know what you’re drafting,” said a veteran NFL executive. “I see him maybe going toward the end of the first round.”

Being selected towards the end of the first round is still not bad, but having been projected to be the first player taken, it has to hurt your morale.

But there’s more than just morale involved, as Thamel goes on to explain.

The difference in the money from being the No. 1 overall pick to the No. 32 overall pick in the first round could cost Tagovailoa more the $25 million.

It is expected that his recovery could take upwards of six months. As Thamel explained in his piece, this would mean NFL teams won’t have the opportunity to see Tagovailoa before the draft.

This is a very heavy draft class when it comes to quarter backs.

Names like Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and others are expected to go in the first round.

This is also a very “quarter back friendly” draft. Many teams are either looking for their quick-fix at the position now, or they are seeking out the future signal caller for their franchise.

Should Tagovailoa decide to enter the draft now and leave his final year of eligibility behind, he will almost certainly not be the first quarterback taken, and will likely fall late in the first round, as the one senior NFL executive had claimed.

However, if he is looking for one more year to prepare and fully heal before entering the NFL, he could stay with Nick Saban at Alabama one more year and enter the less-crowded quarterback class of the 2021 NFL Draft.

There are a lot of concerns surrounding this decision, because if he goes pro now, then the question asked would be “Well, where would he be if he stayed one more year?”

If he stays at Alabama he runs the risk of furthering any of his current injuries and damaging his draft stock even more, or he may even not play at the same level he has been over the last two seasons, which could cause him to drop even further in the draft.

This is something Tagovailoa will have some time to think about and talk over with his family to see what the best course of action may be.

For now, all we can do is speculate and weigh the options visible to us.

2020 NFL mock draft: Updated 3-round projections after Week 11

See how Tua Tagovailoa’s season-ending injury impacts Luke Easterling’s latest three-round projections for the 2020 NFL draft

We’re halfway through November, which means while the NFL playoff picture is starting to come into clearer focus, so is the top of the board for next year’s NFL draft.

While the league’s worst teams are jockeying for position at the top of the first round, the nation’s top college prospects are trying to take advantage of key opportunities in big games down the stretch.

Here’s an updated look at how the first three rounds of the 2020 NFL draft could shake out, using the latest updated order after Week 11 games:

1. Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Burrow | QB | LSU

For the longest time now, it’s seemed Tua Tagovailoa was written into this spot with permanent marker. But Burrow’s performance so far this season has launched him into the No. 1 overall conversation, while a hip injury has ended Tagovailoa’s season. Burrow looks like the real deal in every way.

2. Washington Redskins | Chase Young | EDGE | Ohio State

Another franchise in disarray, Washington needs to add as much talent as possible, regardless of position. They already have their quarterback of the future in Dwayne Haskins, so they need impact players elsewhere on both sides of the ball. Young is a monster of a pass rusher with all size, athleticism and technique to be a dominant player at the next level.

3. New York Giants | Jerry Jeudy | WR | Alabama

Offensive tackle is a bigger need and a more premium position, but GM Dave Gettleman has proven he’s willing to go for the dynamic playmaker over the pick that seems to make more sense. Jeudy is an explosive pass-catcher and the most polished route-runner in college football.

4. Miami Dolphins | Tua Tagovailoa | QB | Alabama

After his season-ending hip injury, Tagovailoa is obviously the biggest wild-card in this year’s class. He’s since had successful surgery, and is expected to make a full recovery. That being the case, I’m leaving him in this spot for now. If his recovery has any setbacks that cause him to miss key workouts leading up to the draft, his stock could still take a hit.

5. New York Jets | Andrew Thomas | OT | Georgia

If Sam Darnold is ever going to develop into the franchise quarterback the Jets drafted him to be, he’ll need a franchise left tackle to keep him upright. Thomas is the best of a deep class, and would be an immediate upgrade for New York.

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Week 12 Roundup: 5 Things That Matter, Winners, Losers, Overrated, Underrated

The Week 12 college football roundup. The 5 things that matter, winners and losers, overrated and underrated, and what it all means.

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The Week 12 college football roundup. The 5 things that matter, winners and losers, overrated and underrated, and what it all means.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

College Football Week 12 Roundup

CFN 1-130 Rankings | Bowl Projections
Early Week 13 Line Lookahead
Rankings: AP | USA Today Coaches | FWAA
– CFP Rankings Projection
– Predicting every remaining game, conference race
Quick Thoughts: Big Ten | SEC

Week 12 Roundup
The Really Big Thing | Most Overrated Thing
Most Underrated Thing | What It All Means

5. Winners & Losers From Week 12

Winner: QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

Remember way, way back to the old days of mid-October when Trevor Lawrence was supposedly freelancing, making too many big mistakes, and throwing eight interceptions in his first seven games?

Remember when he was overrated, not worthy of being considered a slam-dunk No. 1 overall NFL prospect, and was regressing in his sophomore year?

Good times.

Yeah … in his last four games he hit close to 80% of his passes and averaged over 12 yards per throw with 13 touchdowns and no interceptions. If that wasn’t enough, he also ran for 130 yards with two touchdowns as Clemson hung up 52 points or more on the board in each of those four games.

Loser: Arizona’s passing game

In recent years, a mediocre day from the Arizona passing attack usually happened because the ground game was going off. The Wildcats only threw for 68 yards against Oregon State back in 2017, but that’s because they ran for 534.

Against Oregon on Saturday, Arizona’s Khalil Tate and Grant Gunnell combined to throw for a season-low 132 yards with no touchdown passes. Worse yet, the 4.4 yards per pass were the fewest by any Arizona team since a 51-13 loss to the Ducks back in 2014.

Winner: RB Najee Harris, Alabama

Alabama’s passing game carried the team, but now with Tua Tagovailoa done for the year, it’ll be up to Harris and the ground game to start doing a whole lot more. Harris has rushed for eight touchdowns in the last four games and caught touchdown passes in each of the last two. He wasn’t needed much in blowouts over Arkansas and Mississippi State – running for 86 and 88 yards, respectively – but he took off for over 100 yards in the other three of the previous five games.

Loser: Georgia Tech’s running game

Going back to early in the 2009 season in a loss to Miami, Georgia Tech failed to run for 100 yards just three times in a span of 134 games.

It has failed to run for 100 yards twice in the last three weeks.

The program went on a run of 40 straight games going back to 2016 with 100 yards rushing or more. That streak snapped a few weeks ago when Pitt allowed just 86 yards in a 20-10 win. On Saturday, Virginia Tech beat the Yellow Jackets 45-0, allowing just 53 yards on 31 carries.

It was the first time Georgia Tech was held to under 75 yards since Clemson gave up just 71 in the middle of the 2015 season.

Winner: The quarterbacks in the LSU 58-37 win over Ole Miss

Defense, schmefense. In LSU’s wild and crazy win over Ole Miss, Joe Burrow further cemented his Heisman credentials by completing 32-of-42 passes for 489 yards and five scores, and he ran for 26 yards.

Ole Miss freshman QB John Rhys Plumlee came up with 212 yards and four touchdowns … rushing. He also threw for 123 yards with a pick, and Matt Corral threw for 89 yards and a touchdown.

In all, the quarterbacks in the game accounted for 945 yards of total offense.

700 Yards of Total Offense…

Not a Terrible Day 😉 pic.twitter.com/gRzhbjut7I

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) November 17, 2019

Loser: Northwestern’s quarterback play

The good news: Northwestern finally won a game again. It rocked a miserable UMass team – with the nation’s worst defense, by far – 45-6.

The bad news: the passing game completed 7-of-13 passes for 76 yards and two picks. Two weeks earlier, the Minutemen gave up 488 passing yards and five touchdowns to Liberty.

Winner: Kent State’s fourth quarter vs. Buffalo

0-60. That’s what Kent State was in its previous 60 games when down by 21 points or more. It was down 27-6 to a Buffalo team looking for its sixth win, bow eligibility, and a big step forward in the MAC East race.

Instead, in the final eight minutes of the game, Kent State scored a touchdown, recovered the onside kick, scored on a 41-yard pass play for a score, blocked a punt, tied the game on a fourth down touchdown pass, and won on the last play of regulation with a 44-yard Matthew Trickett field goal.

Loser: Baylor in the second half vs. Oklahoma

Everything was going so well. Baylor was up 31-10 at halftime, the party was just getting started, and then … Oklahoma score 24 in the second half – 31 unanswered overall – and Baylor suffered a brutal collapse. It couldn’t move the chains at all after halftime – Oklahoma ended up controlling the clock for over 41 minutes.

Winner: Rice

Rice had one win over an FBS program in its previous 31 games going back to September 9th of 2017. It won last year’s season finale against Ole Dominion, and it was competitive through most of the first part of the season despite the 0-9 start, and then … Rice 31, Middle Tennessee 28. The Owls failed to score in the second half, and it got WAY too tight, but it was the program’s first win of the season.

Loser: Duke

Didn’t you used to be Duke? The Blue Devils started the season 4-2 with acceptable losses to Alabama and Pitt, and since then they’ve not only lost four straight, but the offense has gone bye-bye.

They scored 30 or more in five straight games, and 44 total in the last four losses in blowout after blowout. A once sure-thing bowl season is now destined to be a loser, bottoming out in a 49-6 home loss to a Syracuse team that hadn’t won an ACC game.

Week 12 Roundup
The Really Big Thing | Most Overrated Thing
Most Underrated Thing | What It All Means

NEXT: The really big thing was …

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9 things we learned from Sunday’s games of Week 11

Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson and Kirk Cousins are the headliners on the list of things we learned in Week 11 of the 2019 NFL season.

Here are nine things we learned from Sunday’s games of Week 11 and what they mean for the future:

9. Changing of the QB in Chicago?

After the Rams took a 17-10 lead with less than four minutes left, the Bears surprisingly yanked quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and inserted backup Chase Daniel. It didn’t help, but it spoke volumes. Trubisky had no apparent injury. But, like he has been most of the season, Trubisky was ineffective. He completed 24 of 43 passes for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Daniel is not a long-term answer. But, neither is Trubisky, the second overall pick in 2017. His time in Chicago likely is coming to an end. The Bears almost certainly will sign a free agent (Teddy Bridgewater?) or draft a quarterback.

8. The Raiders are for real

The Raiders have some of the most dedicated fans in the league. They never were a negative factor during the battle to get a new stadium in Oakland. That fiasco was between local government and the team. With the team moving to Las Vegas next year, wouldn’t it be nice to see Oakland fans enjoy a home playoff game before the team leaves? Winning the AFC West might be a stretch. But it’s no stretch to picture the Raiders in the playoffs. Sunday’s victory over winless Cincinnati might not seem like a huge deal. But it was important. The Raiders are 6-4 and very much in contention for the playoffs. Suddenly, their Dec. 1 game with Kansas City is looming large in the AFC West.

7. Kirk Cousins will get another huge contract

The Minnesota quarterback has been on fire since Week 5, after being publicly criticized by receiver Adam Thielen. Cousins had another big game Sunday, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Vikings to a 27-23 win over Denver after rallying from a 20-0 deficit. A lot of people laughed when the Vikings signed Cousins to a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million contract last year. But no one is laughing now. Cousins still has next year left on the contract. But, if he keeps playing like he has been in recent weeks, Cousins will get an even bigger contract for 2021.

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What we learned from Georgia football’s win at Auburn

Defense again stole the show for Georgia on Saturday as the Dawgs picked up their SEC East-clinching win in a trip to Auburn.

Defense again stole the show for Georgia on Saturday as the Dawgs picked up their SEC East-clinching win in a trip to Auburn. The offense sputtered, but came through when needed. What did we learn?

Georgia’s defense is historically great, but has its flaws.

Oh no, Georgia gave up its first rushing touchdown of the season. It took ten games for any team to accomplish that against the Bulldogs.

What really hurt Georgia over the course of the game? Slant routes. Auburn simply abused Bulldog cornerbacks with quick 10 yard gains early on in drives, and while Georgia’s defense eventually stepped it up and forced several midfield punts and fourth down attempts, the Tigers’ offense out-gained and out-possessed Georgia’s offense on the day largely due to their quick chunk plays.

LSU still needs one more win to clinch the SEC West, but regardless of whether Georgia will meet Heisman hopeful Joe Burrow or an Alabama squad who recently lost its star quarterback, the Dawgs’ secondary will have to tighten things up in Atlanta when facing either one of two Western Division powerhouses that are ranked within the top ten nationally in total offense.

Switching to a soft zone defense late in the game when your defense has dominated all day may not be a good idea.

Georgia had all the momentum going into the fourth quarter. With a 21-0 lead, Georgia’s defense switched from their smothering man defense to a soft zone, presumably so as to not give up any home run plays.

However, Auburn then scored two touchdowns within the span of three minutes and found themselves driving to level the score in the game’s waning minutes.

All’s well that ends well, but switching to zone and nearly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory likely shaved some time off Georgia fans’ lifespans.

In a defensive battle, Jake Camarda can be the difference.

The Bulldogs’ punter has had a good season, not a great one. Yesterday on The Plains, however, Jake Camarda looked NFL-caliber. A certain special teams specialist even called him the game’s most valuable player.

He averaged just north of 50 yards per punt against the Tigers, including a booming 67 yarder that pinned Auburn at its own two yard line. In a matchup which your offense requires you to punt 11 times (including NINE three-and-outs), consistency is key in allowing your defense to control the pace of the game.

Georgia’s offense revolves around the offensive line.

Okay, maybe we knew this much earlier on. That being said, they looked stout against an Auburn front seven who came into the game averaging two and a half sacks per contest. Georgia allowed just one sack, which became only the sixth sack they’ve allowed all season.

Jake Fromm didn’t look as crisp as he’s looked in the past, but his pass protection provided by the Great Wall of Georgia allowed him all day to throw. Perfect blocking and a perfect throw gave Georgia a first quarter lead it would never relinquish.

Fromm would later toss two additional beautiful touch passes to Brian Herrien and Eli Wolf. D’Andre Swift recorded yet another 100 yard rushing performance. The offensive line continues to stand tall, literally and figuratively.

D’Andre Swift is not a human, he’s a tornado.

We’ve seen Swift with some mean tackle-avoiding spin moves before, but his latest is absurd. How quickly he managed to turn that full 360 degrees blows my mind, and with a hand in his face and a tackler closing in, he casually trotted for a first down.

Overall, what did we learn? Them Dawgs is hell.

Three overlooked Georgia at Auburn plays; what they mean moving forward

Georgia Bulldogs football won 21-14 over the Auburn Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium last night. D.J. Daniel made an awesome first half play.

The Georgia Bulldogs got a massive 21-14 road win over the Auburn Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium last night. The Bulldogs played excellent, but let Auburn creep back into the game, much like LSU did when they defeated Auburn 23-20 in Baton Rouge.

Auburn’s defense has had similar stifling effects on Oregon, LSU, Florida, and Georgia. Auburn may have the best defensive line in the country.

In order for Georgia to win, it took numerous clutch plays down the stretch. Lots of these plays standout, but I’ve picked three that have significance moving forward.

At first glance, the D.J. Daniel pass break up isn’t too special, but you must factor in several things. Daniel is lines up against Auburn’s fastest player in Anthony Schwartz, who gains separation with his speed. Daniel keeps sound technique and a never-out-of-position mindset. He doesn’t panic and get interference. Instead, he makes an excellent well-timed play on the football:

WOW!!!
CB DJ Daniel (@djdaniel_14) with an amazing PBU!!!! pic.twitter.com/neT0TFZwFj

— Hiro Katsuki (@KatsukiFB) November 16, 2019

That’s not all. What’s impressive is Daniel’s pre-snap focus. Daniel is not fooled by the look to the sideline and quick-snap that Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama used to trick LSU’s touted freshman Derek Stingley for a touchdown last week:

DeVonta Smith with the house call hauling in the 64-YARD TOUCHDOWN pass from Tua pic.twitter.com/lqXb4rtYk8

— Inside The 5 (@InsideThe5) November 9, 2019

It’s a copy-cat sport, so don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last Georgia sees of this play. UGA defensive backs must be prepared for this, so they don’t give up a cheap touchdown moving forward.

Another play I’d like to highlight was perhaps Auburn’s last true chance to remain in the game:

INCOMPLETE!!!! pic.twitter.com/qOTYTFuLZt

— Hiro Katsuki (@KatsukiFB) November 17, 2019

Gus Malzahn called an excellent play, but Auburn quarterback Bo Nix couldn’t connect with his open receiver. This is a play that LSU’s Joe Burrow hits with ease. Georgia’s pass defense must tighten up moving forward. One way UGA can limit an elite passer like Joe Burrow is with pressure. The Dawgs must be more disruptive in a potential SEC Championship against LSU. The now healthier Tyson Campbell will continue to battle with D.J. Daniel for the second corner spot.

Punter Jake Camarda played his best game of the season yesterday. Camarda launched eleven punts(!!!) for 558 yards at Auburn. He consistently pinned Auburn’s offense against their goal-line in the first half with punts like this one:

Good Punt again!!!

P Jake Camarda (@jakecamarda) pic.twitter.com/jP6bY0f1bk

— Hiro Katsuki (@KatsukiFB) November 16, 2019

If Camarda can continue to play at a high-level, then it will put UGA’s defense in much more favorable positions and give Georgia elite specials teams play, if the Dawgs can get down the field and cover kicks. Georgia has to limit special teams penalties moving forward to dominate the field-position battle. Georgia’s defense will need all the help it can get against LSU’s high-flying offense.

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Bengals nab Joe Burrow and overhaul offensive line in new 3-round mock draft

The Bengals get a big haul in a new 2020 mock.

Yet another mock draft has the Cincinnati Bengals grabbing LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the top overall pick in 2020.

Quarterback seems like a forgone conclusion for the winless Bengals led by a coaching staff that didn’t hesitate to bench Andy Dalton during a bye week.

Which isn’t to say Burrow isn’t a fun topic of discussion. But perhaps more interesting now is what the Bengals might do with their other top-100 selections.

A new mock from Luke Easterling of Draft Wire tackles this very subject thanks to its three-round nature. The Bengals grab Burrow at No. 1, then offensive linemen Trey Adams from Washington at No. 33 and Trey Smith out of Tennessee at No. 65.

Taking consecutive offensive linemen might seem a bit boring at first. But it might be the only way to quickly correct a depth chart where one could argue four of the starting five need replaced.

Landing both Adams and Smith in the same draft, paired with a returning Jonah Williams, could go a long way toward revamping the offense and hopefully providing a situation where a rookie quarterback can develop and eventually succeed.

This is one of many scenarios it is easy to see playing out for the Bengals, the NFL’s lone winless team with plenty of problems to patch between now and next season.

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Jalen Hurts named Johnny Unitas Golden Arm finalist

Oklahoma quarterback, Jalen Hurts is one of five finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Hurts is accompanied by fellow Heisman Trophy candidate, Joe Burrow from LSU, Oregon’s Justin Herbert, Utah’s Tyler Huntley and Brady White of Memphis.

The award is strictly for quarterbacks and is named after NFL legend, Johnny Unitas. Unitas played at the University of Louisville before being drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His 18 year career is one of the more decorated careers in NFL history.

Hurts looks to join past winners Mason Rudolph from Oklahoma State (2017), Andrew Luck of Stanford (2011), Tennessee’s Peyton Manning (1997) and fellow Sooner, Jason White (2004) as Unitas Award winners.

The award winner will be announced as part of the ESPN College Football Awards Show on December 12.

Hurts has thrown for 2,742 yards, 24 touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 869 yards and 15 touchdowns so far this season.

Hurts and the Sooners take on the Baylor Bears this Saturday at 7:30pm CT on ABC.

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2020 NFL mock draft: Latest 3-round projections

Draft Wire editor Luke Easterling updates his three-round projections for the 2020 NFL draft

We’re 10 weeks into the NFL regular season, and the college football season is hitting crunch time, with playoff pushes starting at both levels.

It’s crunch time for some of the nation’s top prospects, as well as the pro teams fighting for position at the top of next year’s draft board.

Here’s an updated look at how the first three rounds of the 2020 NFL draft could shake out, using the latest updated pick order:

1. Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Burrow | QB | LSU

For the longest time now, it’s seemed Tua Tagovailoa was written into this spot with permanent marker. But Burrow’s performance so far this season has launched him into the No. 1 overall conversation, while another high-ankle injury has dinged Tagovailoa’s stock. Don’t be shocked if there’s a different QB in the top spot come next April.

2. Washington Redskins | Chase Young | EDGE | Ohio State

3. New York Giants | Jerry Jeudy | WR | Alabama

Now that Odell Beckham, Jr. is gone, the Giants need a true No. 1 target to help Daniel Jones reach his full potential. Jeudy is one of the most polished, explosive pass-catchers we’ve seen in years, and he’s well worth a top-three pick.

4. Miami Dolphins | Tua Tagovailoa | QB | Alabama

Aside from the injuries, it’s hard to find a flaw in Tagovailoa’s game. A few months ago, it would have been hard to imagine the Dolphins landing him without getting the No. 1 overall pick, but thanks to Burrow’s soaring stock, he just might fall into their lap here.

5. New York Jets | Andrew Thomas | OT | Georgia

6. Atlanta Falcons | Jeff Okudah | CB | Ohio State

In today’s NFL, you can never have too many quality corners. The Falcons may have more pressing needs elsewhere, but with this pick, they land one of the fastest-rising prospects in the country. Okudah is keeping up the trend of sending blue-chip defensive backs from Columbus to the pros.

7. Cleveland Browns | Tristan Wirfs | OT | Iowa

After all the offseason hype, the Browns have struggled mightily this season. They need to give Baker Mayfield everything he needs to succeed, and that means improving things up front. Wirfs would be an instant upgrade at either tackle spot.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Grant Delpit | S | LSU

Despite investing heavily into their secondary in recent drafts, Tampa Bay still needs help on the back end. Without a worthy tackle prospect still on the board here, the Bucs opt for the best playmaker in the defensive backfield, getting a versatile playmaker who can line up all over the field.

9. Denver Broncos | Derrick Brown | DL | Auburn

Offensive tackle is the bigger need, but the talent is too good to pass up elsewhere. Brown is a rare athlete for his size, with the explosiveness and power to be a dominant force up front. He’d be a much better use of a top-10 pick than reaching for he next-best tackle.

10. Arizona Cardinals | A.J. Epenesa | EDGE | Iowa

The Cardinals have lots of young talent, but they need more difference-makers on defense. Epenesa is a disruptive force who can line up inside or on the edge, making him the kind of versatile prospect Arizona should be targeting.

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