The 2021 draft class will be a focal point of the NFL for years to come. It yielded five quarterbacks who have a chance to make a significant impact on their franchises this season and beyond.
So, we decided to rank these five gentlemen every week and track their progress throughout the season to determine who’s the best QB out of this class.
Let’s see where these young gunslingers stacked up in Week 5.
Trey Lance had a shaky first NFL start. The No. 3 overall pick barely completed 50% of his passes and failed to throw for more than 200 yards.
A lot of those struggles were to be expected from Lance considering he was on the road and playing one of the best teams in the NFL this season. Arizona’s defense is much improved from last season and it wasn’t a good recipe for a young QB taking control of the reigns for the first time.You could see how talented he is in spurts on Sunday but just like all the other rookie QBs, he has to learn how to put it together.
Wilson had another “ehh” day in his first overseas game as a pro, going 19/32 for 192 yards and an interception.
The main reason he’s last on the list this week is because he lost to the Atlanta Cockatoos at a neutral site. Whenever you lose to the Flamingos and allow them to grab a win off you, I can’t look past that.
Wilson still has a lot of talent and I think he’ll be a pretty good quarterback when he gets more experience and talent around him. But right now he needs to take a seat in fifth place.
Mills has made a colossal jump in the rookie quarterback rankings.
But after having a performance like he did on Sunday against a good New England defense, he deserves to get some love on this list.
Mills was 21/29 for 312 yards and three touchdowns against New England, and stood a mere field goal away from beating Bill Belichick as a rookie. That’s a pretty impressive outing if you ask me.
Mills is the least naturally talented quarterback in this group, but he balled out on Sunday and deserves his props.
Lawrence was solid in the beatdown he took against Tennessee on Sunday.
Going 23/33 for 273 yards with a touchdown and a pick isn’t too bad for a rookie who’s playing with the meager amount of talent Lawrence has surrounding him right now.
Also, with the Urban Meyer debacle taking over the sports world last week, I have to give the 22-year-old credit for being the adult in the room and trying to handle that situation in the best way possible.
Justin Fields finds himself at second on this list this week for various reasons.
He is starting to grow as a quarterback, and we are starting to see what he can do with competent play calling. While the former Ohio State QB wasn’t spectacular on Sunday in the stat line, he went into a hostile environment in Las Vegas and beat the Raiders in their place.
I should have put him in first place considering that he beat Jon Gruden’s racist, homophobic, and misogynistic tail in the last game he’ll (probably) ever coach in the league.
Fields is making strides to becoming a legitimate quarterback in this league. It will just take time.
Jones has been the most solid performer of all the rookie quarterbacks this season which is why he continues to take the top spot each week.
He was 23/30 for 231 yards with a TD and an interception against the Texans. The only reason Fields hasn’t taken the top spot over Jones this week is because the former Alabama star completed 76 percent of his passes and put the Patriots in a position to win the game with a field goal in the final 15 seconds.
Jones has consistently shown he can complete a large percentage of his passes and put the Patriots in a position to win games. While he hasn’t pushed the ball down the field as much as some of the other rookie quarterbacks, he has excelled in what he has been asked to do for Bill Belichick.