When it comes to playing quarterback in the NFL, Lincoln Riley knows a thing or two. Not because he made it that far as a player, but because he knows how to produce starting caliber passers. It started with Baker Mayfield, who Riley coached from 2015-17. He followed that up with Kyler Murray for one season in 2018. Both quarterbacks would win the Heisman Memorial Trophy, both would be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
The other quarterback on the list being Jalen Hurts. He wasn’t a full-time starter in 2020 but eventually took over for an embattled Carson Wentz. The rumor mill is filled with possible landing spots for the former No. 2 pick in the NFL draft. Hurts very well could be the starter regardless if they trade Wentz, but it would be a hard pill to swallow to have a $100 million investment riding the pine.
NFL.com recently released their quarterback index for the 2020 season. They ranked all 59 starters from the past season. The former Oklahoma Sooners quarterbacks were well represented throughout the list.
No. 10: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
In Year 2, Kyler really showed us what he can do with his legs — the guy just moves differently — but he still has plenty of room for improvement as a traditional passer. This is a tantalizing/terrifying thought, depending on your rooting interests.
No. 11: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Asking Mayfield to do less in Year 3 allowed him to accomplish much more — like, say, directing the Browns’ first playoff win in a generation while firmly establishing himself as the QB of the future, thereby mercifully sparing the world months of the worst kind of Baker Discourse. Despite playing in two more games than he did as a rookie, Mayfield threw exactly as many passes (486) as he did in 2018, logging a career-low 30.4 attempts per game, but crucially, he took only one more sack (26 in 2020 compared to 25 in ’18) while drastically reducing his interception rate (1.6%, down from 3.9% in ’19 and 2.9% in ’18).
No. 23: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts provided a spark for a lifeless Eagles offense when he took over for Carson Wentz in Week 14, but the rookie’s four starts were far from perfect. Still, combine his copious potential with a 2021 salary that’s 3.4 percent the size of Wentz’s, and it’s no surprise why the fledgling Nick Sirianni regime might opt to stick with the second-year passer as the team’s starter next season.