NFL Quarterback Class of 2020 Dominating 2022
Three quarterbacks were selected in the top six of the 2020 NFL Draft. Heisman winner Joe Burrow went No. 1 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Miami Dolphins took preseason presumptive top pick Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5, which left Justin Herbert to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 6.
If the 2020 class only gave you those three top-ten successes, it would be a stellar group, but it doesn’t stop there. In the second round, with the 53rd pick in the draft, the Philadelphia Eagles surprised many when they called the name of Jalen Hurts, the fifth passer drafted (Jordan Love was fourth).
Fast forward to 2022; as we head into Week 14, Burrow, Tagovailoa, Herbert, and Hurts all rank in the top ten in the NFL in touchdown passes.
Only two draft classes have finished with four-plus quarterbacks in the top ten of touchdown passes over the past 40 years, the legendary 1983 Class (in 1986) and the 2004 Class when Matt Schaub joined Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger in 2009.
Fresh off winning the AFC in his second season, Burrow is second in the NFL with 3,446 passing yards and tied for second with his 25 scoring strikes. With a Week 14 win against the Cleveland Browns, the Bengals can lock up their second-straight winning season.
Also, on Sunday, Herbert takes on Tagovailoa, who leads the NFL in passer rating (112.0). At 24, Tua could become the second-youngest player to lead the league in passer rating, with fellow Miami Dolphin Dan Marino, one of the headliners of the Class of ’83, the youngest (23 years old in 1984).
With 3,339 passing yards, Herbert ranks fourth in the NFL, giving him 12,689 career yards. He needs 268 yards to break Andrew Luck’s record for most passing yards through three seasons in the league where they play for pay. Herbert is third in the NFL in passing yards over that time.
As for Hurts, he has the Eagles with the best record in the NFL, and at 11-1, they’re on the cusp of clinching a second-straight postseason berth with a win on Sunday. Hurts, who is third in passer rating (108.3), also joins Burrow and Tagovailoa in the top five of completion percentage and is second only to Tua in yards per pass.
If the season were to end today, Hurts would have the Eagles as the No. 1 seed in the NFC, while Burrow’s and Tagovailoa’s teams are 8-4, tied for the top wild card in the AFC. At 6-6, Herbert and the Chargers trail the New York Jets for the final postseason spot in the conference.
In today’s SportsGrid Daily, our king-of-the-cage Tyler Mason steps into the octagon with his best bets for UFC 282. Mr. Insights Zack Cook looks at the Heisman odds on the eve of the award. In Chalk Talk, we give you a pair of NFL player props for Week 14 while Ryan May previews the World Cup’s epic semifinal match between France and England.
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