National Football League

Do Mac Jones, Baker Mayfield belong at bottom of QB pyramid?

Published Jul. 12, 2022 2:49 p.m. ET

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It's construction time in the NFL.

And just as each builder needs its cornerstone to set the foundation for its overall structure, each franchise knows that a capable starting quarterback is the chief building block behind the construction of a viable contender.

Nick Wright has begun unveiling his traditional "pyramid" list for QBs heading into the 2022 season, which, by correlation, has a hierarchal connection to the league's most tenable squads. That is, albeit, prior to the upcoming season's kickoff.

Nonetheless, having a better QB gives you a better chance to win a football game on any given Sunday, and from Wright's perspective, this is how the compilation shakes out. 

Let's have a look at his bottom two tiers, as revealed Tuesday on "First Things First."

Mac Jones, Baker Mayfield land on bottom of QB pyramid

There are 32 starting quarterback in the NFL, and Nick Wright has ranked all of them in his 2022 QB Pyramid. He revealed the bottom of the list on Tuesday.

Beneath the Pyramid

Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks; Daniel Jones, New York Giants; Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons; Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers

Wright's thoughts: "These are four guys who are ‘starting quarterbacks,’ meaning they are currently starting quarterbacks, but we know Mariota and Trubisky and career backups, and Lock is a career backup. Jones will soon be a career backup, so they don't even get ranked."

Bottom Tier

Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

2021 Stats: 2-8 record, 159-for-270 (58.9%), 1,870 YDs, seven TD, 10 INT

Wright's thoughts: "We haven't seen enough [to rank him higher.]"

Davis Mills, Houston Texans

2021 Stats: 2-9 record, 263-for-394 (66.8%), 2,664 YDs, 16 TD, 10 INT

Wright's thoughts: "I actually like some of the things I've seen, but I haven't seen enough."

Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders

2021 Stats: 9-8 record, 322-for-516 (62.4%), 3,563 YDs, 27 TD, seven INT

Wright's thoughts: "Wentz is an interesting one, because he is better than all of the guys on this tier, except for when it matters most, in which case he is worse than all of the guys on this tier."

Zach Wilson, New York Jets

2021 Stats: 3-10 record, 213-for-383 (55.6%), 2,334 YDs, nine TD, 11 INT

Wright's thoughts: "The only reason he's not lower is because of his draft pedigree."

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

2021 Stats: 7-5 record, 263-for-388 (67.7%, 2,653 YDs, 16 TD, 10 INT

Wright's thoughts: "You guys know I think he's going to lose his job."

Mac Jones, New England Patriots

2021 Stats: 10-7 record, 352-for-521 (67.6%), 3,801 YDs, 22 TD, 13 INT

Wright's thoughts: "I haven't explained this because I have an inkling we might be arguing about it."

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

2021 Stats: 3-10-1 record, 332-for-494 (67.2%), 3,245 YDs, 19 TD, eight INT

Wright's thoughts: "Jared Goff is Jared Goff."

Next Tier Up (QBs No. 21-16) 

Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

2021 Stats: 8-8 record, 372-for-561 (66.3%), 4,221 YDs, 33 TD, seven INT

Wright's thoughts: "He's a fine regular season player."

Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

2021 Stats: 12-5 record, 357-for-571 (67.2%), 3,734 YDs, 21 TD, 14 INT

Wright's thoughts: "He's [another] fine regular season player."

Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers

2021 Stats: 6-8 record, 253-for-418, (60.5%), 3,010 YDs, 17 TD, 13 INT

Wright's thoughts: "Good year, bad year, good year, bad year."

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

2021 Stats: 8-7 record, 265-for-432 (61.3%), 3,144 YDs, 16 TD, nine INT

Wright's thoughts: "We've seen flashes. I have concerns about his long-term viability."

Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints

2021 Stats: 5-2 record, 95-for-161 (59%), 1,170 YDs, 14 TD, three INT

Wright's thoughts: "Some doofus at Bleacher Report called him a dark horse MVP, and they couldn't stop calling him that. But he did have his moments before he tore his ACL."

Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers

2021 Stats: 1-1 record, 41-for-71 (57.7%), 603 YDs, five TD, two INT

Wright's thoughts: "I trust the evaluators, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, and I trust that in that offense, he's going to be excellent."

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in this topic

Seattle Seahawks

Drew Lock

Pittsburgh Steelers

Mitchell Trubisky

Daniel Jones

New York Giants

Marcus Mariota

Atlanta Falcons

Mac Jones

New England Patriots

Justin Fields

Chicago Bears

National Football League

Davis Mills

Houston Texans

Zach Wilson

New York Jets

Jared Goff

Detroit Lions

Trey Lance

San Francisco 49ers

Jameis Winston

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts

Ryan Tannehill

Tennessee Titans

Baker Mayfield

Carolina Panthers

Kirk Cousins

Minnesota Vikings

Nick Wright

First Things First