Tag: quarterback power rankings

Trevor Lawrence near the bottom of PFF’s 2021 QB rankings

PFF’s starting quarterback power rankings aren’t particularly high on the first overall pick in Trevor Lawrence, ranking him at No. 21.

Trevor Lawrence may have been a generational prospect coming out of the draft, but Pro Football Focus doesn’t seem to think that his raw talent will translate to a tremendous amount of Year 1 success. In its rankings of all 32 starting quarterbacks heading into the 2021 season, Lawrence ranks in the bottom half of league starters, coming in at No. 21.

Lawrence was a three-year starter at Clemson, leading them to a 34-2 record, three straight College Football Playoff appearances and one National Championship trophy. He has been the best player at every level of football he has played. The question is whether he will be able to continue that trend in the NFL.

Lawrence is the only quarterback in the PFF College era to earn an overall grade of 90.0 as a true freshman — and he repeated that the last two seasons. His skill set should fit perfectly in the Urban Meyer/ Darrell Bevell offense, which will be designed to help the young QB reach his NFL potential. Bevell used a lot of play-action pass in Detroit — these concepts are easy for a young quarterback to read out with pure progressions and reliable check downs.

Though PFF thinks Lawrence will be a good fit in Urban Meyer’s offense, it seems those changes aren’t expected to be felt right away. In these rankings, Lawrence falls just behind a pair of quarterbacks who have struggled (albeit in very different circumstances) in Washington’s Ryan Fitzpatrick and New York’s Daniel Jones.

Likewise, however, he ranks just ahead of a pair of quarterbacks who have had significant past success in San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo and Indianapolis’ Carson Wentz. He’s also the highest-ranked rookie quarterback projected to start Day 1.

A good parallel for Lawrence in terms of expectations is Andrew Luck. Both were considered generational talents and joined teams that were abysmal the prior year. Luck finished in the top-10 in yards as a rookie (though his 23 to 18 touchdown-to-interception ratio left much to be desired) and led the Colts to a playoff berth.

The playoff berth may be a bit of a stretch for Jacksonville, but it seems reasonable to hope for similar production from Lawrence, especially as a part of an offensive unit that flashed in 2020 and made some significant upgrades this offseason.

Nick Foles falls further down QB Power Rankings after Week 10 loss to Vikings

Chicago Bears QB Nick Foles continues falling down NBC Sports’ QB power rankings

The Chicago Bears’ decision to trade for quarterback Nick Foles in the offseason has, in a word, backfired.

General manager Ryan Pace identified Foles as the ideal parachute to rescue the Bears from a potential Mitch Trubisky crash landing. Foles’ history with coach Matt Nagy and his familiarity with Nagy’s offense was offered as the explanation for why Foles, who’s now on his fifth team in nine years, was ‘the guy.’

But here we are, entering the Bears’ Week 11 bye, and Chicago is riding a four-game losing streak (all with Foles as the starting quarterback) and in danger of falling out of playoff contention before the calendar flips to December.

Foles’ play during the losing streak has been so underwhelming that he’s now ranked among the NFL’s worst starting quarterbacks, ahead of just Alex Smith (Redskins) and Drew Lock (Broncos) in NBC Sports‘ latest quarterback power rankings.

New play caller, same problems. Foles got a rare clean pocket early in the first quarter and could’ve had a big gain to Anthony Miller. But he threw a terrible pass and the ball ended up in the hands of a Vikings defender. Then with two minutes left in the game, Foles had a chance to redeem himself with Miller running free for what could’ve been a game-winning touchdown. But Foles overthrew him again and the Bears turned the ball over on downs. His 4.1 YPA was a season low, and ranks as the fourth-worst mark this season among all QBs who threw at least 15 passes in a game.

This ranking actually seems a little too generous for Foles. Honestly, wouldn’t Smith and even Lock look better behind center for the Bears right now?

With their bye week approaching, it’s possible we’ve seen the last of Foles as Chicago’s starter. Trubisky returning to the starting lineup is the only way to revive a once-promising season.

Nick Foles falls further down QB Power Rankings after Week 10 loss to Vikings

Chicago Bears QB Nick Foles continues falling down NBC Sports’ QB power rankings

The Chicago Bears’ decision to trade for quarterback Nick Foles in the offseason has, in a word, backfired.

General manager Ryan Pace identified Foles as the ideal parachute to rescue the Bears from a potential Mitch Trubisky crash landing. Foles’ history with coach Matt Nagy and his familiarity with Nagy’s offense was offered as the explanation for why Foles, who’s now on his fifth team in nine years, was ‘the guy.’

But here we are, entering the Bears’ Week 11 bye, and Chicago is riding a four-game losing streak (all with Foles as the starting quarterback) and in danger of falling out of playoff contention before the calendar flips to December.

Foles’ play during the losing streak has been so underwhelming that he’s now ranked among the NFL’s worst starting quarterbacks, ahead of just Alex Smith (Redskins) and Drew Lock (Broncos) in NBC Sports‘ latest quarterback power rankings.

New play caller, same problems. Foles got a rare clean pocket early in the first quarter and could’ve had a big gain to Anthony Miller. But he threw a terrible pass and the ball ended up in the hands of a Vikings defender. Then with two minutes left in the game, Foles had a chance to redeem himself with Miller running free for what could’ve been a game-winning touchdown. But Foles overthrew him again and the Bears turned the ball over on downs. His 4.1 YPA was a season low, and ranks as the fourth-worst mark this season among all QBs who threw at least 15 passes in a game.

This ranking actually seems a little too generous for Foles. Honestly, wouldn’t Smith and even Lock look better behind center for the Bears right now?

With their bye week approaching, it’s possible we’ve seen the last of Foles as Chicago’s starter. Trubisky returning to the starting lineup is the only way to revive a once-promising season.

NFL QB Power Rankings: Nick Foles drops several spots entering Week 5

The Chicago Bears knew what they were getting when they traded for veteran quarterback Nick Foles in the offseason. Foles is equal parts a guy who can lead your team back from a 16-point deficit with three touchdowns in five minutes as he is a …

The Chicago Bears knew what they were getting when they traded for veteran quarterback Nick Foles in the offseason.

Foles is equal parts a guy who can lead your team back from a 16-point deficit with three touchdowns in five minutes as he is a player who will stall a drive with a fluttering ball that falls short of its intended target.

That’s why Week 4’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, one in which Foles looked more like the bad part of his player equation, shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Was he terrible? No. But he was ‘just a guy,’ which unfortunately has become the norm for Bears quarterbacks in the NFL’s modern era.

It’s also the norm for Chicago’s starter to rank at or near the bottom of various quarterback power rankings, like the one NBC Sports is tracking throughout the season.

Entering Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Foles has a firm grip on No. 24, down four spots from where he was after his miraculous comeback win over the Falcons.

New QB, same story. The Bears offense lacks any rhythm, and Foles didn’t help as he was inaccurate throughout the game. He did hit a couple of deep passes, something Mitch Trubisky couldn’t do through two and a half games. But he also looks incapable of making any plays with his feet, which is a strength of Trubisky’s.

The problem with this year’s Bears, as opposed to seasons past, is the defense.

Led by Khalil Mack and Eddie Jackson, the defense is playing sound and solid football but it isn’t producing turnovers, defensive scores, or favorable field position to help offset an offense that lacks the kind of quarterback who can score from anywhere on the field.

Can a team led by a quarterback who’s ranked in the bottom 10 of the league be taken seriously as a contender?

We’ll certainly find out Thursday night when Foles goes head-to-head against arguably the greatest player of all-time, Tom Brady.