As Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, and Justin Herbert will all be taken in round one, which of the other 2020 NFL Draft QBs can claim QB5?
All throughout the 2019 season, there have been four quarterbacks at the center of draft discussion: Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Jordan Love. However, quarterbacks don’t stop being selected in the first round. Since 2011, at least five quarterbacks have been taken in roughly the top 100 picks of the NFL Draft, which puts them in the range of late third round to early fourth round. Among the top four, Utah State quarterback Jordan Love remains a wildcard, but is still expected to be a first rounder.
Obviously, teams hope to be looking for their quarterback in the first round, but there are always draft steals on days two and three. In 2020, the rest of the quarterbacks are a bit more polarizing than in years past. People have very strong opinions on the quarterbacks outside of the top four. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and none of them have solidified themselves as the undisputed “QB5” in the 2020 NFL Draft class.
Who is the fifth best quarterback in this class? Is it Georgia’s Jake Fromm? How about Heisman finalist Jalen Hurts from Oklahoma? Maybe it’s a stat sheet stuffer from Washington State named Anthony Gordon. A deep dive into these young men is needed to decide who’s the leader of the pack. Teams are not always looking for day one starters at the quarterback position in the middle rounds. NFL teams are mainly looking for developmental guys or quarterbacks who can turn into long term backups. Some examples of guys who were taken as developmental projects and developed into long term starters are Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr.