For the second year in a row in 2021, we are primed to see a quarterback who played college football in Utah get selected in the first round of the NFL draft, as BYU’s Zach Wilson is expected to follow former Utah State signal-caller Jordan Love, who was the 26th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2020.
But how do the quarterback classes from this year and last stack up against each other? On Tuesday, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. published a mailbag in which he was asked to rank his top 10 quarterbacks from the last two years. Wilson, whom many are projecting could be taken as high as No. 2 this season, came in fifth, and Love came in ninth.
“I’ve gone back and forth on Wilson and (Ohio State’s Justin) Fields in my rankings, but I’m giving Wilson the edge for now,” Kiper wrote, slotting Fields sixth.
Trevor Lawrence, the presumptive No. 1 pick this season, topped Kiper’s list, and last year’s No. 1 overall selection, Joe Burrow, came in second. Two picks from last year, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, were next, followed by Wilson.
After Fields started the bottom five, next came Mac Jones and Trey Lance from this year, followed by Love, and Kiper snuck two from last year in at the 10th spot, Jacob Eason and Jalen Hurts.
“Tagovailoa didn’t have a great rookie season, but the talent is there — if Miami gets him some help,” Kiper wrote. “There is a lot of demand for quarterbacks in this draft, which means Jones and Lance could go higher than they would in a normal year.”