CBSSports.com ranked the top 20 quarterbacks drafted since 2021 to see how presumed No. 1 pick this year Cam Ward compares to the other top prospects.
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00:00Alright, you're in the loop here on Sports Radio 610. CBS Sports put together an interesting
00:06ranking of the top years of draft class, and that's including this one, mind you. So 2021,
00:1322, 23, 24, and then this upcoming draft class. And I'm really interested in how you would
00:20stack it, especially because I know that you guys were talking earlier this week, I believe
00:24it was you and B Scott on Tuesday, and I was trying to join the conversation by text, of
00:31course, about kind of where these quarterbacks in this draft class fall. But of course, within
00:37the last five years, the Texans drafted C.J. Stroud, right? And he had an incredible rookie
00:43season, and then he had a sophomore season in which it was not necessarily as productive,
00:50even though you end up in the same place when it comes to the end of your season, going
00:54on to the playoffs, losing in the divisional round and such. But I was interested to see
00:58how people would stack him up, and how some of the guys in this year's draft stack up
01:04along with all of those ones. So with that being the case.
01:06No, I have not looked at this.
01:08Very good. And that is, I'm going to lean on that, because I'm going to ask you, John,
01:13in the last of the 20 quarterbacks of the last five drafts, the top 20, where do you
01:20think C.J. Stroud falls when it comes to caliber of quarterback?
01:25Last five years.
01:26Yes.
01:27Quarterbacks drafted.
01:282021, 22, 23, 24. And of course, this upcoming 2025 NFL draft.
01:35C.J. Stroud. Trying to go through them all in my head here. I'm going to say definitely
01:43top three.
01:45Three.
01:46Okay.
01:47What you thinking?
01:48I was going to say maybe three or four.
01:52All right. So in that instance, who would you possibly think is better than C.J.?
01:58I'm looking. Let's see. At the at the last five years, I would say I'm going back to
02:062021.
02:07Ooh.
02:08Kind of slim pickings, isn't it?
02:11Just five years.
02:12Yes, sir.
02:14You know what? He might be one.
02:16Yeah, I was going to say, I don't think one or two, depending on how people feel about
02:21Jaden Daniels.
02:22Yeah, I was going to say, like, I will put C.J. over Jaden Daniels right now, but I wouldn't
02:29be surprised if they had Jaden Daniels over C.J.
02:31Well, according to Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports, C.J. Stroud is the best quarterback that's
02:37been drafted over the last five seasons.
02:40All right.
02:41No surprise with that, right?
02:43You know, where do they have Brock Purdy?
02:45Good question. Brock Purdy, they have third after Jaden Daniels.
02:50That would be my top three. So they did it right.
02:52OK, according to you, they did that right.
02:56They did that right. Now, four and five gets interesting because, man, I mean, there's
03:04not a whole lot right there.
03:06Well, I'll go ahead and rattle off the top five. Again, C.J. Stroud being the best quarterback
03:09that's drafted over the last five seasons.
03:13They put Jaden Daniels second, which I really appreciated considering that there was a lot
03:17of talk about, oh, man, well, Jaden Daniels has reset and he's now have the best rookie
03:22season of all of NFL quarterbacks.
03:25A year after C.J. Stroud kind of, you know, grabbed that, they're still acknowledging,
03:31you know, how good he was and the reasons why he had a little bit of a downturn last
03:36year.
03:37I mean, look at where the offense was, where the offensive line was, which I mean, locally
03:41we talked about.
03:42So again, C.J. one, Jaden Daniels two, three Brock Purdy, four Jordan Love of the Packers,
03:49and five, a player in the same division as you, Trevor Lawrence.
03:55Wow. I think that's fair. Now that I look at all the quarterbacks drafted, I didn't
04:02look at the list, but I'm looking at all the quarterbacks drafted.
04:06Yeah, I guess that's fair.
04:08Probably five.
04:09Yeah, it would be right.
04:10I think it's fair.
04:11I guess my mind be thinking like, man, ain't showing no love to the, I would have thought
04:15probably Trevor Lawrence was like number two or something, one or two because it's Trevor
04:20Lawrence.
04:21He probably should have been if he'd come along more like he still seems like he exists
04:26in that place where a lot of this is relatively hypothetical from when he was drafted.
04:32It looks like, hey, there's a lot of potential within there and that draft status is still
04:36carrying him.
04:37But we've not, we've not seen the prospect that he was in 2021 to turn into the type
04:42of player.
04:43I mean, they even gave him the contract that would seemingly befit the player in theory
04:47that they have not seen on the field, which thankfully for the Texans, because that guy
04:51is in your division.
04:52You have to see him twice a year, but we know uniquely because we've seen him with this
04:55level of a, I guess, consistency.
04:58He has not become that kind of like terrifying quarterback that he should have been, that
05:03he should be.
05:04Yeah.
05:05Um, if he's actually living up to that number one draft pick that he had.
05:09I do have this top 20 top 10 top 20 top 20 of the last five years.
05:15I would looking at the quarterbacks and maybe I'm just being dumb here.
05:20I think Davis Mills is pushing top 10.
05:22No, they didn't put Davis.
05:24They didn't put Davis Mills at all.
05:25No, they didn't put Davis Mills as the top 20.
05:27So here I'll give you, because like, I want to see who else on this list.
05:30Think about this.
05:31Like I know Bryce Young's probably up there.
05:34Bryce Young comes in at nine, but if you're putting, that's a little, if you're putting
05:39Anthony Richardson ahead in the top 10, top 12, what they are, what has he done?
05:45What has he done?
05:46As a great question.
05:47You want me to read the blurb that they have here?
05:49There's been deep strike flashes, no doubt, but they've been outweighed by wayward misses
05:53on easy throws and bad decisions outside of a structure.
05:56He's higher than other clear first round bus quarterbacks because he's played in 28 games
06:01since high school, counting college and the NFL.
06:03Give me the whole top 10.
06:04All right.
06:05So the entire top 10, of course I gave you CJ, Jane Daniels, three is Brock Purdy, four
06:10is Jordan Love, five is Trevor Lawrence, six is Bo Nix of the Broncos, great rookie year.
06:17Caleb Williams of the Bears is seventh, eight is Drake May, which I find, I don't know.
06:24You can sell me on the Drake May, but I guess you have not seen it all the way come together.
06:27We're just seeing pieces when it comes to it.
06:30Bryce Young comes in ninth, and then 10th, Michael Penix Jr.
06:34This is kind of an interesting thing.
06:36Like everybody knows Davis Mills is a backup quarterback.
06:40He's been productive.
06:42He's been a productive quarterback.
06:44You got to be honest though, it'd be kind of wild that Houston Texas had two quarterbacks.
06:48Of course, but how are you looking at this?
06:52The most productive?
06:53I mean, he's, okay, now I need to know the other top 10.
06:58Yeah, I'm about to say he's 20.
07:01Because he sounds like all starters.
07:04As he's reading the list.
07:05Well, I mean, if you end up as a backup, it's kind of hard for you to be one of those guys.
07:08That's what I'm saying.
07:09But he's been a starter.
07:10He has.
07:11All right.
07:12So as we continue on.
07:13Now, if we got Matt Jones on here, then I will be like, all right, hold on.
07:17So I will continue reading from 11 to 20 on the top quarterbacks.
07:20I'm going to stop you every time I think Davis Mills has had a better career.
07:24And I'm kind of amazed that you have not noticed that none of the quarterbacks that are in
07:28this year's draft class coming up have been put in any of this.
07:31Do you think that that's fair?
07:32First and foremost?
07:33You think that's fair?
07:34Absolutely.
07:35All right.
07:3611 is where Cam Ward drops in on this list.
07:37So they're putting Cam Ward as the 11th best.
07:39So before you play the snap?
07:41That's right.
07:43Justin Fields at 12.
07:46Okay.
07:47Shadur Sanders comes in at 13.
07:49Come on, man.
07:51And then that's where we get to Matt Jones at 14.
07:54They got Shadur Sanders ahead of Matt Jones even, man.
07:58Matt Jones looks like he fell very quickly into, oh, he's a backup.
08:02I mean, Matt Jones, his one year was pretty good.
08:05Yeah.
08:06Whitman Daniels, he had an okay year.
08:09And then it very quickly became apparent that is not really a starter that you want.
08:13Will Levis, 15.
08:14Anthony Richardson, 16.
08:15Zach Wilson, 17.
08:16What are we doing?
08:17Kenny Pickett, 18.
08:18What are we?
08:20You still don't think Davis Mills should be on this list, Biggie?
08:22You still don't think that?
08:23Now I understand.
08:24Yeah.
08:25I mean, you look at it.
08:26I'm telling you, man.
08:27No, I get it.
08:28The first 10 was like starting quarterbacks, though.
08:36So you know, it'd be weird to have Davis Mills on top 10 against these starters.
08:41I said pushing top 10.
08:43He'd be pushing the top 10.
08:44Now, yeah.
08:45Now, Kenny Pickett and Will Levis.
08:50And I feel like there's a couple of places where people should probably be offended.
08:54All right.
08:55Yeah.
08:5619th is J.J. McCarthy.
09:00God Almighty.
09:02They got J.J. McCarthy behind Kenny Pickett, Zach Wilson, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis.
09:08They're about to literally they have his replacement on the list above him.
09:12And they're like, so technically the Titans got two quarterbacks on this list.
09:16There you go.
09:17There you go.
09:19Somebody does up there.
09:21And then Trey Lance is 20, which I'm like, God Almighty.
09:24Guys, what are we doing?
09:26All right.
09:27So we've established Davis Mills deserves to be on this list.
09:31Yes.
09:32How high, though?
09:33That's the question.
09:34That's where I'm going.
09:35I would put him.
09:36OK, who's 13, 14 on the list?
09:39Who's 13?
09:40I mean, we got to take these McCann Wards and Shadur Sanders off.
09:43No, but that's the idea is like trying to see how they fit in.
09:46I thought that was an interesting exercise because we me and you had kind of a conversation
09:49about a side conversation just about the idea of I think you at one point said one of them
09:55is going to be a stud.
09:57And I'm like, I don't think you can assume that one of the quarterbacks will absolutely
10:00be a stud.
10:01And I think that leads you to a conversation and a question where you go, how high of a
10:05ceiling do you have to be able to project on a quarterback for you to then make that
10:11in the draft?
10:12And I think that you might be seeing that.
10:13Cam Ward seems like the ceiling is high enough as he's probably like, I think he profiles
10:18us at the high level, a really, really solid starter.
10:21Right.
10:22Yeah.
10:23Shadur, I think, is an interesting one because I'm like, all right, is he going to be like
10:25a good starter as like a relatively high ceiling?
10:28And then is that a place where you get comfortable?
10:30But that kind of player they have at 13, they immediately go to Matt Jones, who has failed
10:35as a starter, who is a consistent backup.
10:37That's where we get to the backup territory.
10:40So, Will Levis at 15, Anthony Richardson at 16, and then Zach Wilson at 17.
10:46It's probably the Zach Wilson there, right?
10:48No, no, no lower than 15.
10:50Davis Mills.
10:51So you got him above Will Levis and Anthony Richardson for sure.
10:54Yes.
10:55That's fair.
10:56Right?
10:57Yeah.
10:58God.
10:59Trey Lance.
11:00What have he done?
11:03Well, I can tell you what he's done.
11:04I think he just signed a contract with the CFL team.
11:07That's what he's done.
11:08Goodness gracious, man.
11:09But I do think that they're 100% right at the very top where CJ Stroud is still in that place.
11:14Like you are blessed with a quarterback where even through like from a national perspective
11:19that, you know, sometimes isn't as favorable to a player locally as they can be.
11:24They saw through that season last year, even though there was a lot of conversation about,
11:27oh, is he having a sophomore slump?
11:29People can see through and be like, no, that's still the one.
11:32And it's so nice to not be in the conversation where you're having to make the proposition
11:36or the conversation of how high is the ceiling or how low of a ceiling do you have to go to?
11:40No, you're just in a place where when the time comes and it becomes available,
11:44you give him his big money contract and you continue to cook.
11:47And not only you give him the big money contract and you wonder if you're going to see the production,
11:53you know the production will be there.
11:55You know that you're set a quarterback.
11:56What a place to be if you're a Houston, Texas fan.
12:00That's comical.
12:01You just stuck on.
12:02I'm just stuck on.
12:03They could have just kept it top 10.
12:05Top 10.
12:06I wouldn't be so offended.
12:08So Mack Jones is not on this list.
12:11Mack Jones was.
12:12Oh, is he?
12:13Mack Jones was in the lower quadrant of it.