So far, so good for the first-round quarterbacks. I don’t think anyone with the Titans or Giants is regretting their decisions to use first-round picks on quarterbacks.
I think Jaxson Dart will play before November. He’s more mobile than Russell Wilson, and he didn’t look lost in the preseason, completing 68 percent of his passes, with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a couple of long balls to Jalin Hyatt that were dropped on Thursday.
With Cam Ward, if we’re going off the raw numbers – specifically completion percentage and passer rating – he was below-average in the preseason, in comparison with a typical first-round quarterback. But just watching him, he looks like the real deal. I like the arm, and I like that he’s calmly operating from the pocket, with his eye downfield rather than on the pass rush.
Ward fired a laser shot to Van Jefferson for 17 yards last night that was definitely a big-time throw. He’s not afraid to push it downfield.
The preseason stats for all rookie quarterbacks (selected in the first round) from the last 10 years are printed below. They suggest there’s no real point in getting too caught up in these numbers. The three highest-rated quarterbacks, after all have been Zach Wilson, Daniel Jones and Kenny Pickett.
Quarterbacks who made it out of the preseason with lower passer ratings than Cam Ward include Jared Goff, C.J. Stroud and Lamar Jackson.
In the chart below, you’ll recognize the traditional NFL stats. The final column shows where the player ranked as a rookie in fantasy leagues, using traditional scoring (stats per start) and comparing against all quarterbacks who started at least half the season. Four rookies finished with top-10 numbers, and they’re tagged with double dots. Six others at least finished with top-20 numbers, making them worthy of roster spots in typical fantasy leagues.
| HIGHEST-RATED FIRST-ROUND QB (preseason) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Com | Att | Yds | Pct | TD | Int | Rate | Rk |
| 2021 | Zach Wilson, NYJ | 15 | 20 | 191 | 75.0 | 2 | 0 | 137.7 | 31 |
| 2019 | •• Daniel Jones, NYG | 29 | 34 | 416 | 85.3 | 2 | 0 | 137.3 | 8 |
| 2022 | Kenny Pickett, Pitt. | 29 | 36 | 261 | 80.6 | 3 | 0 | 124.7 | 30 |
| 2024 | J.J. McCarthy, Min. | 11 | 17 | 188 | 64.7 | 2 | 1 | 116.8 | -- |
| 2024 | •• Bo Nix, Den. | 23 | 30 | 205 | 76.7 | 2 | 0 | 116.7 | 10 |
| 2025 | Jaxson Dart, NYG | 32 | 47 | 372 | 68.1 | 3 | 0 | 113.1 | ? |
| 2017 | Patrick Mahomes, K.C. | 34 | 54 | 390 | 63.0 | 4 | 0 | 109.3 | -- |
| 2021 | Trevor Lawrence, Jac. | 31 | 44 | 323 | 70.5 | 2 | 0 | 106.5 | 30 |
| 2017 | Mitchell Trubisky, Chi. | 36 | 53 | 364 | 67.9 | 3 | 0 | 106.2 | 29 |
| 2015 | • Marcus Mariota, Ten. | 21 | 30 | 326 | 70.0 | 1 | 1 | 102.9 | 16 |
| 2024 | •• Jayden Daniels, Was. | 12 | 15 | 123 | 80.0 | 0 | 0 | 100.8 | 6 |
| 2021 | Mac Jones, N.E. | 36 | 52 | 388 | 69.2 | 1 | 0 | 97.3 | 26 |
| 2021 | Justin Fields, Chi. | 30 | 49 | 276 | 61.2 | 2 | 0 | 90.2 | 29 |
| 2018 | • Baker Mayfield, Cle. | 35 | 61 | 501 | 57.4 | 2 | 1 | 88.2 | 11 |
| 2023 | Bryce Young, Car. | 14 | 24 | 129 | 58.3 | 1 | 0 | 87.0 | 27 |
| 2024 | • Drake Maye, N.E. | 21 | 34 | 192 | 61.8 | 1 | 0 | 86.9 | 20 |
| 2016 | Paxton Lynch, Den. | 40 | 68 | 458 | 58.8 | 4 | 2 | 86.5 | -- |
| 2018 | Sam Darnold, NYJ | 29 | 45 | 244 | 64.4 | 2 | 1 | 83.9 | 27 |
| 2021 | Trey Lance, S.F. | 19 | 41 | 276 | 46.3 | 3 | 1 | 83.0 | -- |
| 2018 | • Josh Allen, Buff. | 24 | 44 | 210 | 54.5 | 2 | 0 | 82.6 | 13 |
| 2018 | Josh Rosen, Ari. | 16 | 29 | 148 | 55.2 | 1 | 0 | 80.8 | 32 |
| 2024 | Caleb Williams, Chi. | 10 | 20 | 170 | 50.0 | 0 | 0 | 79.2 | 22 |
| 2019 | • Kyler Murray, Ari. | 23 | 36 | 193 | 63.9 | 0 | 0 | 77.7 | 13 |
| 2025 | Cam Ward, Ten. | 10 | 19 | 145 | 52.6 | 0 | 0 | 77.7 | ? |
| 2018 | Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 34 | 68 | 408 | 50.0 | 3 | 1 | 77.3 | -- |
| 2024 | Michael Penix, Atl. | 9 | 16 | 104 | 56.3 | 0 | 0 | 76.0 | -- |
| 2019 | Dwayne Haskins, Was. | 32 | 58 | 409 | 55.2 | 2 | 2 | 74.6 | -- |
| 2017 | Deshaun Watson, Hou. | 29 | 56 | 397 | 51.8 | 0 | 1 | 67.3 | -- |
| 2023 | •• C.J. Stroud, Hou. | 11 | 20 | 89 | 55.0 | 1 | 1 | 62.3 | 10 |
| 2016 | Jared Goff, LAR | 22 | 49 | 232 | 44.9 | 2 | 2 | 55.8 | -- |
| 2015 | • Jameis Winston, T.B. | 23 | 47 | 311 | 48.9 | 0 | 2 | 52.7 | 17 |
| 2023 | Anthony Richardson, Ind. | 13 | 29 | 145 | 44.8 | 0 | 1 | 45.9 | -- |
| 2016 | Carson Wentz, Phil. | 12 | 24 | 89 | 50.0 | 0 | 1 | 41.8 | 27 |
—Ian Allan