5. 5. Mahomes not only can throw the football about as far as he'd like, but he can throw it where he'd like it to go. It's Derek Carr, with nine. And he is absolutely attacking with these throws, averaging 11.5 air yards per attempt, compared with 6.68 against all other coverages. Derek Carr, Raiders, Best of the best: While Brady might not have the cannon arm down the field that his counterparts possess, it has not hindered his production a bit. Goff went 183-for-233 for 1,487 yards and six touchdowns on such throws. He went 31-of-64 for 1,051 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions throwing deep in 2021. Most of the social media general managers asked about linebackers and safeties still on the board. Kyler Murray, Cardinals, Best of the best: Protecting the football and not giving it to the other team via bad decision-making is priority No. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Lamar Jackson, Ravens The Chiefs' signal-caller ranks third all time in NFL history in passing yards per attempt. Plus, Carr was much more willing to cut it loose on schemed verticals last season, registering a QBR of 99.6 on passes of 20 or more air yards, with 11 touchdowns and only one interception. T7. Stat to know: No quarterback was contacted on more plays than Jackson last season (180). Just look at some of these bombs. He also had the most deep ball touchdowns with 12 on the season. One thing to know: Kellen Mond was a four-year starter at Texas A&M, improving his numbers with each season. Dak Prescott, Cowboys The Vikings quarterback completed 166 of his 218 short passing attempts for 1,292 yards, 11 touchdowns and a 101.3 passer rating. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals 4. Hurts finished in the top half of the league in deep-passing yards (766) a season ago. Tom Brady, Buccaneers By | March 22, 2023 | 0 | March 22, 2023 | 0 Russell Wilson, Seahawks. Browns draft pick QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson dual threat pic.twitter.com . Tom Brady, Buccaneers But a pair of rookies -- Lawrence and the 49ers' Trey Lance -- have a good case for at least the No. But mechanics are still a big part of success. CHTV draft guide seems underwhelmed with this QB. When you have the best wide receiver in the game, why make things complicated? Josh Allen, Bills He's getting it rid of the ball quickly and pushing it down the field, which makes no sense. Murray does both. Jeremy Fowler polled a panel of more than 50 coaches, execs, scouts and players to come up with top-10 rankings for 2021: Edge | Interior DL | LB Or can he scan the field, make the defense bite with his eyes and then find the open receiver? It is no coincidence that the two Super Bowl 56 quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford ranked top-four in the league in yards from passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield in 2021. Ranking the 2021 NFL starting quarterbacks by deep-passing performance. 2. 3. More NFL coverage , Stat to know: Over the past three seasons, Wilson leads all quarterbacks in completion percentage over expectation on passes with 20-plus air yards -- often via his famous rainbow-arc deep balls -- per NFL Next Gen Stats. As we wrote in our "Thursday Night Football" preview: Brady is throwing the ball within 2.5 seconds of the snap on more than 60 percent of his dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus, and he is PFF's highest-graded passer on those plays. Cam Newton, Patriots, Best of the best: Every QB on this list is worthy of being at the top of this category, as they will all stand in the pocket and keep firing in the face of pressure, big hits or sacks. To view standard stats, check out our QB Stats reports. Allen, with his physical size, strength and ability as both a runner and thrower, separates himself slightly from the group for me as the one guy who would scare me the most if I had to line up and defend him for a full 60 minutes. 2021 Elite 11 Finals QB Superlatives: Strongest Arm, Most Accurate, Best Decision-Maker and More . All premium content with the best insights + analysis in the game, NFL Draft Guide, Big Board + Mock Draft Sim, Fantasy Draft Kit and Nathan Jahnke's award winning rankings, Bet smarter with PFF player mismatches and expert betting insights, NFL and CFB player grades and premium stats, Unlock all PFF data trusted by all 32 NFL teams, top quarterbacks in deep passing situations. Who are the most technically sound signal-callers in the league? passing yards along with the defensive pressure he faces. 1. 9. -- Walder, Riser to watch: A lot of people were worried about Murray's size coming out of college. In the black boxes are the Accuracy Percentage numbers. On his way to an AFC championship victory, Burrow completed 186 of his 240 short pass attempts in 2021 for 1,858 yards and 12 touchdowns. 10. Watch: Tom Brady Note: For teams forced to start more than one QB, we went with the player who attempted more passes. 7. Oh yeah and Kyler Murray. Allen completed four of these passes against the Chiefs alone. From a pure mechanics standpoint, you could make an argument that Prescott could jump in front of Mahomes and even Rodgers, who both lean more on their natural throwing ability. Up first is perhaps the league's most picked apart quarterback. 8. The G.O.A.T. was a touchdown machine in the short game the Bucs quarterback recorded 24 short passing touchdowns, the most of any quarterback last season at that depth. Kirk Cousins, Vikings 6. Watch: Eli Manning, Stat to know: Over the past three seasons combined, Mahomes had the highest total expected points added on throws on the run. We looked at the play-action pass game in the CLE offense on a deep ball throw for QB Baker Mayfield. Pass velocity and the amount of zip a QB can put on a pass were factors in the ranking, as was the ability to hit the deep ball. Stat to know: Eleven percent of Jackson's dropbacks resulted in him scrambling last season, the highest rate in the league. 6. It's not only about pass velocity or placement. Mahomes leads the NFL with 41 throws from outside the pocket, 29 completions from outside the pocket, 406 yards on throws from outside the pocket, and seven touchdowns from outside the pocket. 1st out of 31 quarterbacks. 32 lingering post-draft questions: Will Lions have regrets? In today's NFL, quarterbacks have so many different throwing motions. Herbert recorded the most short pass attempts (315) of any quarterback on the list. He also averaged just 8.8 yards per deep attempt. 1. Time will tell if he can replicate that in 2021. Josh Allen, Bills #AskFFT (@daverichard) March 24, 2022 His 30.2% completion percentage and 10.3 yards per attempt ranked 28th and 26th among starters, respectively. The Colts-turned-Commanders quarterback ranked seventh among starters in both turnover-worthy play rate (4.5%) and passer rating (107.8) on deep passes last season. He had a league-high six deep passes dropped, too. Wilson made it eight straight seasons of durably starting and never having a losing year in the NFL. -- Tannenbaum, Snubbed: One could argue nothing has been more critical to Ryan Fitzpatrick's success than how tough he is in the pocket. Ryan Tannehill, Titans Scrambling | Rushing | Second-reaction. He earned a 28th-ranked passing grade. Outside of 21-25 yards his accuracy was outstanding on throws of 26+ yards, and he was the third most accurate tight window passer and second most accurate under center. He is the classic pocket passer in terms of footwork from under center, play-action fakes, subtle movement within the pocket, keeping two hands on the ball, release and follow-through. Yes, Kyler Murray, in his rookie season, was the most accurate deep passer in the 2019-20 Deep Ball Project. Russell Wilson, Seahawks The next-closest players in each category, respectively, have 34 throws, 21 completions, 268 yards, and five touchdowns. 5. Burrow's placement consistently enables yards-after-the-catch opportunities, which is necessary for maximizing his skill set as a passer. Those are pretty strong signs that Rodgers' throws are on the money. While turnovers can often be a problem for rookies, Mills' 4.1% turnover-worthy play rate on deep passes ranked fifth among starters last season and he did this with a lackluster receiving corps. But so, too, is Mahomes under center. 3. Pick NFL winners straight up or against the spread and compete to win more than $14,400 in prizes! But Brady is breaking it. Sure, Mahomes throws the prettier deep ball, but if we're just assessing arm strength, Allen's cannon is indisputable. Most NFL tracking services consider "deep" throws to be those that travel 20 or more yards down the field in the air. Russell Wilson, Seahawks Looking at the rookies, Trey Lance might be the toughest of the bunch; he'll be rising in this ranking by next year. The seven-time Super Bowl champion earned the top spot in deep-pass accuracy percentage, placing the ball in the right spot 52.1% of the time. 1 deep passer of this year's study, but with his name erased as to not spoil who he is. The baseline for league-average play has accordingly been raised, but there are still plenty of players who are clearing it with a whole lot of room to spare. But according to NFL Next Gen Stats, another quarterback led the league in expected points added per play and completion percentage over expectation on throws on the run over that span: the Saints' Jameis Winston, who missed our top 10. 2 QB. 9. That's a 152.8 passer rating, which is easily the best in the league. (Only Prescott's is higher (149.3), and he's attempted less than half as many throws as Allen, going 4 of 6 for 163 yards and two touchdowns.) The pass went incomplete near the back of the end zone, but it was still notable: It was the farthest-thrown football in terms of actual distance by any quarterback on any play in the regular or postseason over the past four years. You name it, he does it perfectly. Josh Allen, Bills 8. -- Schatz/Klassen, Others who received at least one vote: Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, Cam Newton, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, Mitchell Trubisky, Sam Darnold, Gardner Minshew II, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Baker Mayfield, Marcus Mariota and Jacoby Brissett. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Russell Wilson, Seahawks 6. Even at 44 years old, he still has a knack for being able to take his feet out of the equation when necessary and make a tough throw with only his upper body, and often with defenders in his face. Are you looking to contact Customer Support about a subscription or account related question? Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans AFC West Broncos Chargers Chiefs Raiders NFC East Commanders Cowboys Eagles Giants NFC North Bears Lions Packers Vikings NFC South. 1. -- Yates, Biggest surprise: I know they're unproven, but I think rookies Justin Fields (Bears) and Lance could've been ranked higher -- and in the case of Fields, ranked at all. He completed 32 of these attempts for 962 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions during the regular season. That takes a special blend of understanding protections and defenses, as well as some innate instinct and athletic traits. In his last season in Atlanta, Ryan completed 43.1% of his 51 deep attempts, the ninth-best completion rate among starters. 5. But he's also. I think he could've easily been ranked higher on this list. Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos . This category is all about the biggest arms in the NFL. 1. Kyler Murray, Cardinals And Football Outsiders' model suggests that Carr has 56 more completions than expected since 2018, which ranks fifth over that three-year period. Ryan Tannehill, Titans The Dolphins signal-caller ranked third in completion percentage (48.3%) and second in yards per attempt (18.1) a season ago, but only Taylor Heinicke posted a worse turnover-worthy play rate on deep passes. He led the Seahawks to an 11-5 record, just falling short of . -- Riddick, Biggest surprise: Allen has to be higher on the list given his noticeable development as a pocket thrower. Take a look below at our ranking for the top seven quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft class. What's most incredible is how many of these quick-strike throws are also coming off of play-action fakes. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Taysom Hill, Saints His 48 passing touchdowns led the NFL, and his 1.0% interception rate (five all season) was tied for the best in the NFL with Mahomes. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Jones earned a 16th-ranked 87.7 passing grade on deep throws last year, going 22-of-58 for 690 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. Allen excels on those throws, but what he really excels on are the even deeper throws. He has a league-high 43 completions of 10 or more air yards and he's taking an average of only 2.86 seconds to throw them, which means he's getting the ball out more than two-tenths of a second faster than the average NFL quarterback on those plays. Right below Mahomes, it sometimes appears at though every throw from Rodgers is off-platform, as he rarely has his feet set and can deliver the ball however and wherever he needs with a flick of the wrist. But arm strength without accuracy is fool's gold. Tyreek Hill caught two of Mahomes' touchdowns for 334 of his deep yards, so we'll have to wait and see whether the star quarterback can keep up his deep-passing prowess with Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman in 2022. 10. Matthew Stafford, Rams And he's making defensive backs look ridiculous (and lose their minds) in the process. He completed 47.6% of his 42 attempts, earning an impressive 89.4 passing grade. 2 in that stat didn't make the top 10 here: Washington's Ryan Fitzpatrick. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs T7. He has added more EPA than any quarterback in the league on deep throws, according to NFL.com's Next Gen Stats model, so it seems like a pretty good strategy. He is blowing away the field. Many modern NFL quarterbacks have the ability to contribute in the run game, and offensive coordinators are looking to their QBs for designed runs and option reads more often. . Dak Prescott, Cowboys His 86.0 short passing grade ranked second, and he went 222-of-279 for 1,857 yards and a top-rated 121.6 passer rating at that depth in 2021. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. You cannot take him down with one free rusher, because he will make that guy miss. On deep balls in 2021, the 2021 first overall pick posted an ugly 46.4 passer rating and threw for just 548 yards on deep passes, both of which were bottom-five marks. He attempted a deep throw on just 7.5% of his attempts, 36th-most among qualifying QBs. 2. -- Yates, Biggest surprise: Wilson at No. Arm strength | Accuracy | Touch Cardinals (1): Don't believe in the league's only unbeaten team? -- McFarland, Snubbed: Carr may not be known as one of the great leaders in the modern NFL, but his performance in late and close situations speaks for itself. -- Tannenbaum, Snubbed: The Ravens' Lamar Jackson may never get the credit he deserves as a processor, but few handle the quick game the way he does. -- Walder, Riser to watch: Mahomes is incredibly tough and will be even higher in this category in the future. Derek Carr, Raiders Allen finished the season with 77 deep-ball attempts, totaling 1,051 deep-passing yards and finishing fifth among starters in PFF grade throwing deep. Some of that is certainly schematic and by design, but he still went 0-of-9 on deep throws under pressure. Darnold was more accurate under pressure, to the middle, and to the right, though Bridgewater had him beat throwing to his left. guys who are playing the best this season, 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Williams No. April 29, 2023 at 01:41 pm. Lamar Jackson, Ravens Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati: One of the best passers in school and conference history, Ridder has been consistent in three years as a starter, with 2,100-2,500 passing yards and 18-20 touchdowns per. Russell Wilson, Seahawks Deshaun Watson (67.0%), 5. Justin Herbert (66.9%), Deshaun Watson, Texans* -- Schatz/Klassen, Others who received at least one vote: Justin Herbert, Ben Roethlisberger, Derek Carr, Ryan Tannehill, Joe Burrow, Matt Ryan, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield, Teddy Bridgewater and Tua Tagovailoa. Baker Mayfield, Browns, Best of the best: There is an effortlessness to the way in which Mahomes can seemingly flick the football 50 yards down the field without setting his feet or coming to balance. Dak Prescott has earned layers of criticism from NFL faithful for his turnovers, but on the deep ball he got away with just one turnover all season. Matt Ryan, Falcons He is showing again in 2021, that he is one of the most accurate after AS decided to run plays longer than 5-10 yards. The best quarterbacks minimize the degree to which their performance drops off, either by getting rid of the ball quickly and with pinpoint accuracy, or by using their athleticism to make plays outside of structure. Deshaun Watson, Texans* The Super Bowl runner-up averaged 15.8 yards per deep pass attempt, fifth among the league's starters. Aaron Rodgers, Packers 1. 1. If Mahomes' receivers consistently have more separation when targeted, that speaks to his ability to see and target the correct option more often. And how quickly can he get through his progressions? And even that might not work all that well. It's more than a little bit ridiculous. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers 5. 6. No, I'm a California resident looking for the California Consumer Privacy Act form. FitzMagic is indestructible. Matthew Stafford, Rams He could easily find himself at the top of this list in the next few seasons. Deshaun Watson, Texans* -- Walder, Riser to watch: Coming out of Wyoming, Josh Allen had a habit of just trying to throw the ball hard. When a quarterback has to fake the run before throwing a pass, that takes time. 3. 2. That's a 147.3 passer rating. This year's quarterback class is much more exciting than last year's. In 2022, we had one QB taken in the first round, and three of the top four picks this year are signal callers. However, Nick Foles ranked 24th, and was 17-41, so it not like he was lighting . -- Bowen. With pressure coming off the edge or up the middle, getting outside the pocket and making off-schedule throws on the run is important in today's game.