Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
Six weeks into the season, all four of the rookie quarterbacks taken in the Top 10 of the NFL draft have at least three starts on their resume. They've had a chance to get rid of their first-game jitters, or to catch the NFL by surprise, and they're starting to settle in to their rookie seasons.
It will take years, of course, to determine which of the four is the best. It might even take that long for one of them to lead a team to the playoffs. But now that they've all settled down, it's easy to determine which ones are off to the best start.
Here's a look -- and a ranking -- at how the Fab Four are faring so far...
4. Josh Rosen, Arizona Cardinals
Passing stats: Completion % 55.6 (50 of 90), 626 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions Record: 1-2 (Does not include his two-series cameo in a 16-14 loss against the Bears in Week 3)
It's been an odd beginning for Rosen, considering his worst start was his lone win, when he went 10 of 25 for 170 yards and a touchdown in a 28-18 win at San Francisco. In his other two starts he was far more accurate against two tougher defenses (Seattle and Minnesota).
He hasn't been very productive, though. Even in his best game -- a 27-17 loss at Minnesota, where he was sacked four times and consistently battered, but still completed 21 of 31 passes for 240 yards -- most of his production (almost 100 yards of it) came in the fourth quarter when the Vikings defense was sitting back and the game was basically out of reach.
It doesn't help that the Cardinals have struggled running the ball, but even a rookie quarterback with David Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald in his arsenal should be able to put up a few more yards than he has.
3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Passing stats: Completion % 54.0 (75 of 139), 832 yards, 2 touchdowns, 5 interceptions. Record: 2-3 (Does not include relief appearance at end of 47-3 loss on Opening Day).
Allen, the cannon-armed quarterback out of Wyoming, was considered the biggest project among the four top quarterbacks in the draft. And the Bills are really treating him that way. He averages fewer passes per game than the other three rookies (even before he missed the fourth quarter with an elbow injury on Sunday). And the game plan has been really conservative, with a lot of dump-offs and short throws. His average yards per attempt is just 6.0 and he's only topped 200 yards in one start (his first).
Of course, that's not all him. Against the Vikings he threw a perfect pass that went about 45 yards in the air and hit his open receiver in the hands, but Robert Foster dropped what should have been an 84-yard touchdown. Allen pretty clearly has the worst cast around him of these four quarterbacks, yet he still has managed to help the Bills to two wins, including a shocking, 27-6 win at Minnesota (he was 15 of 22 for 196 yards and a touchdown in that game).
Allen, by the way, has also been the most mobile of the four QBs, rushing 35 times for 155 yards and three touchdowns. He's also fumbled four times, though. And his mobility has its limits. He was sacked seven times in a 22-0 loss at Green Bay in Week 4.
2. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Passing stats: Completion %: 55.6 (85 of 153), 1,076 yards, 4 touchdowns, 5 interceptions Record: 2-2 (includes his win in relief against the Jets)
He took the lead and took the NFL by storm with his brilliant debut against the Jets on Thursday night football in Week 3. He took over for a beaten Tyrod Taylor and revived a dead team and downtrodden franchise and led them to their first win in 635 days. And it was Mayfield that did it. He completed 17 of his 23 passes for 201 yards and the Jets didn't have an answer for them. In fact, Jets S Jamal Adams later indicated they were unprepared.
Since the win over the Jets, Mayfield has been more erratic and definitely not as accurate as he was that night. In fact, he's only completed 52.3 percent of his passes since then. And after he helped light up the Oakland Raiders the following week in a 45-42 loss, the Browns have stopped scoring. They've only totaled 26 points in the last two weeks.
Still, a 2-2 record for a Browns quarterback is like Ring of Honor-worthy, so fans in Ohio are still fired up about their brash, mobile quarterback who has a knack for creating plays outside of the pocket. He's shown a gun for an arm and a fearlessness. That's good, and being a gunslinger quarterback can be fun, but his accuracy is going to have to improve if he wants to be a consistent winner.
1. Sam Darnold, Jets
Passing stats: Completion %: 59.8 (107 of 179), 1,346 yards, 9 touchdowns, 7 interceptions Record: 3-3
He might have played the best game of any rookie quarterback on Sunday when he completed 80 percent of his passes (24 of 30) for 280 yards, two touchdowns and an interception as he out-dueled Andrew Luck in a 42-34 win over the Colts. His Opening Night performance was up there too (16 of 21, 198, 2-1, in a 48-17 win at Detroit).
In between, he's had his ups and downs. He was pretty good against Miami, but made far too many mistakes. He was terrible against the Browns and Jaguars, only to bounce back with a solid, three-touchdown performance in a win over the Broncos in Week 5. The Jets' offense, under his direction, has topped 30 points three times and is averaging 27.5 -- 11th in the NFL. That's not all him, but he's responsible for a lot of it.
Perhaps it's not a surprise that he's been the best and most consistent so far, considering he had a built-in advantage. The Jets made him the starter early in the preseason, even if they didn't say it, and gave him starter's reps over Josh McCown. He's basically been prepping for this role since the day he signed his contract. Over most of the others, he had at least a month's head start.