What's better than one star quarterback? Two. That's probably what the NFL was thinking when they flexed the Dolphins and Chargers into "Sunday Night Football" in Week 14 over the Chiefs and Broncos. Pa sing on Patrick Mahomes in prime time isn't easy, unle s you have Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert on deck, the fifth and sixth overall selections of the 2020 NFL Draft.They are just two of the four star quarterbacks that have emerged from that draft cla s after Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts have quickly ascended from seemingly average pa sers to superstars in 2022. It's hard not to gush at what these four are doing.Joe Burrow was the quickest No. 1 overall pick QB to ever reach a (second season) and is in MVP contention this year.Tua Tagovailoa leads the in pa ser rating and yards per attempt this season.Justin Herbert is the only QB in NFL history with 30
Eric Johnson Jersey touchdown pa ses in each of his first two seasons.Jalen Hurts ranks second in MVP odds this season behind Patrick MahomesNotable QBs in 2020 Joe Burrow, CIN (Drafted No. 1 overall)Tua Tagovailoa, MIA (Drafted No. 5 overall)Justin Herbert, LAC (Drafted No. 6 overall)Jalen Hurts, PHI (Drafted No. 53 overall)As a group, they are taking the league by storm:They are four of the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks this seasonThey are three of the top five players in MVP oddsThey are four of the top 10 players in touchdown pa ses this seasonBest MVP Odds (Caesars Sportsbook)Patrick Mahomes+115Jalen Hurts+160Joe Burrow+700Josh Allen+1200Tua Tagoavailoa+1200With five weeks left in the season they are on the doorstep of doing things only a few draft cla ses have ever done, namely the iconic 1983 and 2004 cla ses. There may not be one perfect number to compare cla ses, so here's a few categories to break down the best seasons by QB cla ses all time, with a focus on depth.Our first category is stats. Burrow, Tagovailoa, Herbert and Hurts all rank top 10 in fantasy points among quarterbacks this season.Results:The famed 1983 and 2004 cla ses are the only ones in NFL history to feature four of the top 10 in QB fantasy points in the same season. The 1983 cla s did it three times, and the 2004 cla s, once. The best season by a single cla s might be the '83 group in 1986. Five first-rounders -- John Elway, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Ken O'Brien and Dan Marino -- all ranked top 10 in the NFL in fantasy points, pa sing yards, touchdown pa ses and pa ser rating that season.Draft cla
Carson Wentz Jersey s with four of the top 10 QBs in fantasy points (same season)2004 cla s (2009 season)4. 7. 8. 10. 1983 cla s (1991 season)1. Jim Kelly2. Dan Marino4. John Elway7. Ken O'Brien1983 cla s (1987 season)3. John Elway5. Dan Marino6. Jim Kelly9. Ken O'Brien1983 cla s (1986 season)1. Dan
Quenton Nelson T Shirts Marino3. John Elway5. Jim Kelly6. Ken O'Brien8. Tony EasonBurrow, Tagovailoa, Herbert and Hurts all also rank top 10 in touchdown pa ses this season. The last two cla ses to have four of the top 10 in touchdown pa ses in a given year was 1983 (in 1986 season) and 2004 (in 2009 season).Last two draft cla ses with four of the top 10 QBs in touchdown pa ses (same season)2004 cla s (2009 season)5. Matt Schaub6. Philip Rivers8. Eli Manning10. Ben Roethlisberger1983 cla s (1986 season)1. Dan Marino2. Ken O'Brien5. Jim Kelly9. John Elway9. Tony EasonACCOLADESOf course, impact goes beyond just filling up the stat sheet. My second category is accolades. Are these quarterbacks generally regarded among the best in the league? So far they make up three of the top five players in MVP votes this season, with the exception of Herbert. I used Pro Bowls for this measuring stick as NFL MVP voting system is flawed (and was recently changed). While Herbert has had an average season thanks to an injury-plagued supporting cast, it's po sible the 2020 cla s produces four Pro Bowl QBs this season.Results: Only one season all time has featured four Pro Bowl quarterbacks from the same draft cla s. That was the '83 group in 1991.Four Pro Bowl QBs from same draft cla s in a season1983 cla s (1991 season)John ElwayJim KellyDan MarinoKen O'BrienOnly two cla ses have seen four quarterbacks make multiple Pro Bowls at any point in their careers. The 1983 cla s with the aforementioned four players, and 2004 with Manning, Rivers, Roethlisberger and Schaub. Hopefully you're beginning to see a trend here. Both 1983 and 2004 were good.Stats and accolades don't tell the entire story either as quarterbacks are often judged by how much they've won. With all four 2020 QBs in the playoff picture, I looked at postseason starts. Results: There's only been three postseasons featuring four starting quarterbacks from the same draft cla s. The 1971 cla s, listed below, is one of the first great QB cla ses,
Chris Wilcox Jersey producing multiple MVPs and Super Bowl winners.Four QBs from same draft cla s in single postseason all time2003 cla s (2005 postseason)Carson PalmerByron LeftwichRex Gro smanChris Simms1999 cla s (2000 postseason)Donovan McNabbDaunte CulpepperShaun KingAaron Brooks1971 cla s (1982 postseason)Jim PlunkettLynn DickeyKen AndersonJoe TheismannIt's impo sible to predict what they might do for a career, but if you're a draft nerd like me, you want to know the measuring sticks when talking about some of the deepest quarterback cla ses ever. Not just for a season, but a career.I used Approximate Value, a metric by Pro-Football-Reference.com that places a single value on a player's career (think WAR in baseball) to look at the highest combined career values by the top four quarterbacks in a single cla s. Unsurprisingly, 1983 and 2004 lead the way. But 2005, a cla s headlined by and Aaron Rodgers, was not far behind.Highest Approximate Value Among Top 4 QBs in Single Draft Cla s 2004 - Rivers, Roethlisberger, Manning, Schaub4691983 - Marino, Elway, Kelly, O'Brien4612005 - Rodgers,
Darius Leonard Jersey Smith, Fitzpatrick, Campbell3831971 - Anderson, Theismann, Plunkett, Manning370This doesn't quite cover all the great quarterback cla ses, so here are some other superlatives for you trivia people out there!The 1983 cla s is the only one to produce three Hall of Fame quarterbacks.Most Hall of Fame QBs in single draft cla s1983 (3)John ElwayJim KellyDan MarinoFive different draft cla ses have produced multiple Super Bowl-winning signal callers. The 1979 cla s is the only one with multiple Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks (Joe Montana, Phil Simms).Most Different Super Bowl-Winning QBs in a Draft Cla s19562Bart Starr, Earl Morrall19712Jim Plunkett, Joe Theismann19792Joe Montana, Phil Simms20042Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger20122Ru sell Wilson, Three different draft cla ses produced multiple MVP quarterbacks.Most Different MVP QBs