National Football League

Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray stand out among Colin Cowherd's top-10 young QBs

Published Oct. 13, 2021 5:33 p.m. ET

Quarterback evaluation is a tricky NFL business.

If it were easy, Tom Brady – arguably the greatest ever to play the position – wouldn't have been selected 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft.

Recently, there has been an influx of young QBs making waves across the league. Not all of them are likely to pan out, however. On Wednesday's episode of "The Herd," Colin Cowherd looked at the most compelling QBs drafted since 2019 and broke them down into tiers.

From there, he ranked how he would select those 10 QBs if they were all eligible to be drafted today, excluding Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers, because the sample is too small.

Here is how the youngsters stack up in Cowherd's eyes:

10. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Career stats: 7-4 record in starts, 63.2% completion percentage, 2,029 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, 85.8 passer rating, four rushing TDs

Cowherd's thoughts: "I don't see it. I don't see the size. I don't see the arm. I don't see the playmaking. I just don't see it. His teammates didn't name him captain. That would concern me."

9. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

Career stats: 3-6 record in starts, 59.1% completion percentage, 2,426 passing yards, 13 passing TDs, seven INTs, 86.2 passer rating, six rushing TDs

Cowherd's thoughts: "Not a great thrower of the football, but there's something there and I think he does deserve the rest of the season ... he's a playmaker."

8. Zach Wilson, New York Jets

Career stats: 1-4 record in starts, 57.3% completion percentage, 1,117 passing yards, four passing TDs, nine INTs, 62.9 passer rating

Cowherd's thoughts: "Never been a huge fan. Too careless. A little small. Shows off too much for me."

7. Mac Jones, New England Patriots

Career stats: 2-3 record in starts, 71.1% completion percentage, 1,243 passing yards, five passing TDs, five INTs, 86.4 passer rating

Cowherd's thoughts: "Mac Jones? Pretty low ceiling and a franchise that does not draft skill people."

6. Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Career stats: 9-22 record in starts, 62.5% completion percentage, 7,252 passing yards, 39 passing TDs, 23 INTs, 85.8 passer rating, five rushing TDs

Cowherd's thoughts: "Daniel Jones? The turnover thing."

5. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

Career stats: 2-1 record in starts, 51.4% completion percentage, 458 passing yards, one passing TD, two INTs, 64.5 passer rating, one rushing TD

Cowherd's thoughts: "Justin Fields? I worry about his organization."

4. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

Career stats: 0-5 record in starts, 59.4% completion percentage, 1,146 passing yards, six passing TDs, eight INTs, 71.3 passer rating, two rushing TDs

Cowherd's thoughts: "Trevor Lawrence hasn't won an NFL game. These four, though, I would classify as: They're going to make it beyond circumstances. They're just going to work."

3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Career stats: 5-9-1 record in starts, 67.0% completion percentage, 3,957 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 94.2 passer rating, three rushing TDs

Cowherd's thoughts: "Now, I have Burrow ahead of Trevor Lawrence because I have more video on him and I see certain patterns."

2. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Career stats: 18-18-1 record in starts, 67.0% completion percentage, 9,205 passing yards, 56 passing TDs, 28 INTs, 93.8 passer rating, 18 rushing TDs

Cowherd's thoughts: "Smaller, runs more. That worries me. [It] took him a while to get up to speed. ... It took him about a year and a half that we felt like, 'OK, now it's working.'"

1. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Career stats: 10-10 record in starts, 66.7% completion percentage, 5,912 passing yards, 44 passing TDs, 13 INTs, 99.9 passer rating, six rushing TDs

Cowherd's thoughts: "So many college starts. Ready to play. Big [Rose] Bowl win. ... Day One, [he] played."

For Cowherd's full breakdown on the young QBs, check out the video below:

Herd Hierarchy: Colin ranks the top 10 young quarterbacks in the NFL right now I THE HERD

In this Herd Hierarchy, Colin Cowherd picks the top 10 young quarterbacks playing in the NFL right now. See which players top the list in Colin's rankings.