Orlovsky ranks the best NFL QBs in seven different traits: Who makes each top-10 list?

The NFL is loaded with talent at quarterback, from Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson to the rookies who haven’t even taken a regular-season snap yet.

But who are the top signal-callers in specific areas of the game? Who really excels in one aspect of his play and stands above the rest?

To answer that question, I decided to stack the best of the best in seven different traits: arm strength, ball placement, mechanics, decision-making, pocket presence, rushing ability and second-reaction creativity. These top-10 lists are based on current performance and expectations for the 2024 season — how I would rank the QB group at this moment in each skill. Let’s start with the most powerful arms; you can also jump to any of the other categories below.

Jump to:
Arm strength | Ball placement | Mechanics
Decision-making | Pocket presence
Rushing ability | Second reaction

Arm strength

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
2. Josh Allen, Bills
3. Justin Herbert, Chargers
4. Matthew Stafford, Rams
5. Aaron Rodgers, Jets
6. Will Levis, Titans
7. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers
8. Anthony Richardson, Colts
9. Dak Prescott, Cowboys
10. Lamar Jackson, Ravens

To put together this first list, I weighed two components of having a big arm. First, there’s the obvious one: being able to throw far downfield. We’re talking about completing passes of 55-60 yards. Second, there’s the ability to fit the ball into tight windows with zip. Honestly, I leaned more on that aspect. These are really difficult passes to make, with quarterbacks throwing on a rope 15-20 yards downfield into a small strike zone. I call it “stepping on one,” and it’s critical in the NFL. Weak arms won’t cut it.

The top three seemed obvious; Mahomes, Allen and Herbert can all deliver the ball with serious velocity. We know they each have the ability to find receivers on deep balls, but I also really love watching them effortlessly pump fastballs to the intermediate areas of the field. Herbert leads all QBs in tight-window completions (145) since being drafted in 2020, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Rounding out the top five, I have some veterans — Stafford and Rodgers — who can still sling it. Watch the tape and you’ll see Stafford consistently driving the ball to the sideline even as he prepares for his age-36 season. He was one of four QBs to complete at least 10 passes of 30-plus air yards in 2023, too. Not too far behind Stafford and Rodgers is another veteran in Mayfield, who makes the list based mostly on his deep-ball skill. In 2021, he had the second-farthest completion (in air yards) of the NFL Next Gen Stats era (since 2016), airing it out 66.4 yards to Donovan Peoples-Jones. He also found Mike Evans on a go route last season on a pass that traveled 60.1 yards in the air.

I have a pair of sophomore quarterbacks here, too. Levis can thread the ball with his big arm, and if you go back to the Titans’ Monday night win over the Dolphins in Week 14 last season, you’ll see some really firm passes. And everyone knows about Richardson’s powerful arm; if you don’t, check out his out route to Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox from last October. He can fire it.

AR ➡️ MAC for six.

📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/nzChc51Zae

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 1, 2023

As for guys who could have been on there but just missed, I’d give honorable mentions to Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence. At the very least, they each belong in the conversation.

Ball placement

1. Joe Burrow, Bengals
2. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins
3. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
4. Matthew Stafford, Rams
5. C.J. Stroud, Texans
6. Brock Purdy, 49ers
7. Geno Smith, Seahawks
8. Dak Prescott, Cowboys
9. Jared Goff, Lions
10. Josh Allen, Bills

There’s a difference between accuracy and ball placement: Accuracy is the ability to throw the ball to your guy, while ball placement is keeping it away from the defender. An accurate quarterback gets the pass to a spot where his receiver can make the catch. A quarterback with strong ball placement gets the pass to a spot where only his receiver can make the catch. Trajectory, touch, anticipation and field vision all play a role.

Burrow is the best in the game here, but Tagovailoa is really close. I think Burrow stands out in true ball placement, while Tagovailoa might be the most accurate passer in the league. Both quarterbacks rank in the top five in completion percentage since their 2020 draft year — Burrow is third (67.8%), while Tua is fifth (67.4%).

Stroud is in my top five partly because of how well he throws receivers open down the field. It was his calling card in college, too. I wrestled with Purdy being sixth behind Stroud, rather than higher on the list. He led the league in completion rate last season (68.7%) and does a great job layering the ball into his receiver’s strike zone.

Next on the list is Smith, who might be the most underrated quarterback when it comes to ball placement. Over the past two seasons, he has been off-target on just 12.4% of his throws, best in the NFL among QBs who started at least 20 games over that span. Smith has a knack for making challenging throws look easy.

Picking between Allen and Rodgers at No. 10 was a tough call, but I went with Allen, who has improved so much in this area.

Mechanics

1. Joe Burrow, Bengals
2. Matthew Stafford, Rams
3. Justin Herbert, Chargers
4. C.J. Stroud, Texans
5. Dak Prescott, Cowboys
6. Jared Goff, Lions
7. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins
8. Aaron Rodgers, Jets
9. Brock Purdy, 49ers
10. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

Who is a natural thrower? Who has the best footwork? Who moves well within the pocket and always plays in rhythm? It all factors into mechanics. When things are clean, I’m looking for a repetitive throwing motion. And when things aren’t clean, I’m looking for the ability to make it work because of a strong base.

That’s why Burrow leads the way — he is always ready to throw and can smoothly repeat the motion rep after rep. Stroud has that same ability, and Goff is equally consistent when his pocket is clean.

My hardest call here was probably putting Lawrence at No. 10. I almost put Geno Smith there, but Lawrence edged him out. Honestly, part of me wants to see Lawrence be a little less mechanical. He is so good in that department, but he could stand to play a little more free and have more of a recess style to his game at times.

Decision-making with the football

1. Aaron Rodgers, Jets
2. Matthew Stafford, Rams
3. Joe Burrow, Bengals
4. C.J. Stroud, Texans
5. Brock Purdy, 49ers
6. Jordan Love, Packers
7. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
8. Dak Prescott, Cowboys
9. Jared Goff, Lions
10. Kirk Cousins, Falcons

Quarterbacks have to be able to read the defense and recognize what it is trying to get him to do with the ball — and what it is trying to keep him from doing. Then they need to be able to figure out whether their first read is going to work given what the defense is showing. If the play calls for a throw to your top receiver on a slant route, would making that throw be a good or bad decision based on the coverage and how the defense is lined up? And if it would be a bad decision, can you trick the defense with your eyes or movement to open things up?

Rodgers is the best in the game here. Yes, he threw 12 interceptions in his last full season (2022 with Green Bay), but before that season, he hadn’t thrown double-digit picks in a season since 2011. He can read it out and keep the ball out of harm’s way. And Stafford gets acknowledged near the top of the list because he can consistently get the defense to do what he wants — like forcing a safety to bite with his eyes — and then make a high-percentage throw.

Stroud had the best interception rate in the NFL last season, tossing five picks for 1% of his total pass attempts. I already see high-level decision-making from him. And Love, who is sixth on my list, took a big step forward in his decision-making during the second half of last season. Only Mahomes threw more passes to open receivers last season than Love — 300 of his 579 targets went to pass-catchers with at least 3 yards of separation, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

The only other QB who was close to making this list is Herbert. He is pretty good about making smart throws, but I’d like to see him stretch out more and read the full field rather than be so quick with his decision-making.

Pocket presence

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
2. Joe Burrow, Bengals
3. C.J. Stroud, Texans
4. Matthew Stafford, Rams
5. Lamar Jackson, Ravens
6. Brock Purdy, 49ers
7. Jordan Love, Packers
8. Josh Allen, Bills
9. Geno Smith, Seahawks
10. Dak Prescott, Cowboys

A quarterback with strong pocket presence operates effectively in the pocket even when things are chaotic around him. Can he recognize and avoid pressure? Can he move efficiently and calmly under duress? When I built this top 10, I looked for those who were at their best when the situation was at its worst.

Mahomes is fantastic in this regard — he feels the pressure, doesn’t panic and moves around, all while keeping his eyes downfield. Burrow is right behind him, and I don’t know that anyone is better than him in the league at working in a phone booth. Stroud has already impressed in that area, too, especially on money downs.

This is another category in which I wondered whether I put Purdy too low at No. 6. His work in the pocket has stood out going back to when he became the 49ers’ starter in 2022, and he trailed only Prescott in QBR from inside the pocket last season (72.7). Love was right behind Purdy in that category (70.5), and he follows him in my ranking here, too. For some time, playing effectively from inside the pocket was a big concern in his game, but he has gotten so much better. (He might still drift backward a little too often, but expect more improvement in his second season as a starter.)

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Smith and Prescott round out this list thanks to the way they move inside the pocket. They each have subtle movements and navigate pressure by feeling it and then relying on their solid mechanics.

Rushing ability

1. Lamar Jackson, Ravens
2. Josh Allen, Bills
3. Anthony Richardson, Colts
4. Jalen Hurts, Eagles
5. Justin Fields, Steelers
6. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
7. Dak Prescott, Cowboys
8. Joe Burrow, Bengals
9. Kyler Murray, Cardinals
10. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

In 2015, there were 384 designed QB runs league-wide. Last season, there were 832 — and that was actually down from the 919 in 2022. So it’s clearly a massive part of the game today in comparison to a decade ago, as offensive coordinators lean into mobility at the position. Scrambling is key, too, but I really honed in on the designed carries here — the speed, instincts, physicality and elusiveness to break big plays.

I don’t think Jackson and Allen going 1-2 is going to shock anyone. Jackson led NFL quarterbacks with 821 rushing yards last season, while Allen was fourth at 524 (Allen also tied Hurts for the most rushing TDs in 2023 with 15). We saw enough promise from Richardson last season for me to put him third on the list (he averaged 5.4 yards per carry in four games), and we know Fields has a lot of upside as a ball carrier. For Fields, it’ll just be a matter of usage, and I wonder whether the Steelers will lean on him more there if he ultimately lands the QB1 role in Pittsburgh.

I put Mahomes, Prescott and Burrow on here mainly because of their scrambling ability, a category they all excel in (Mahomes was actually second in scramble attempts last season with 50). Lawrence is solid as a scrambler and designed ball carrier, but I want to see him do it more. He rushed 70 times last season. Purdy and rookie Jayden Daniels also crossed my mind and could be on this list by next August.

Second-reaction ability

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
2. Josh Allen, Bills
3. Lamar Jackson, Ravens
4. Brock Purdy, 49ers
5. Jordan Love, Packers
6. Caleb Williams, Bears
7. Dak Prescott, Cowboys
8. Jalen Hurts, Eagles
9. Gardner Minshew, Raiders
10. Justin Herbert, Chargers

Being able to make a play is central to QB success, and the best in the league excel at making off-schedule and off-platform throws. These second-reaction passes from different arm angles — often on the move — can be the difference between moving the sticks and a stalled drive. They require serious creativity at times. Mahomes — the obvious No. 1 on the list — is elite in this trait.

Though he doesn’t make the list, the 40-year-old Rodgers used to be so good at this. Most quarterbacks exit the pocket to avoid bad situations. Rodgers used to do it to hurt you. We’ve seen a lot of growth at the position overall, and that’s why this is the only top-10 list that includes a rookie. Williams has elite strength, and considering how good he was in this category in college, I fully expect him to instantly be among the NFL’s best second-reaction playmakers in 2024.

Prescott might not jump out as a standout second-reaction QB, but he was actually first in QBR outside the pocket last season (81.8). It’s a major reason he took such a leap in 2023.

I included Minshew here because I truly believe he is one of the best at off-schedule plays. He finds a way when the play doesn’t work. His 64.0 QBR in situations in which the QB was pressured and left the pocket ranked fifth in the league last season.