Over the past two seasons, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has grown from an upstart rookie to a bona fide star.
At 6-foot-6 and nearly 240 pounds, he’s one of the most physically imposing quarterbacks in the NFL, appearing to have a bionic rocket launcher for a throwing arm.
The question is where exactly Herbert ranks among the best signalers in the league.
Pro Football Focus raised the question of whether Herbert is one of the top five players at his position, and it’s polarizing.
Is Justin Herbert a Top-5 quarterback? pic.twitter.com/NUhiwgbGd1
— PFF (@PFF) June 26, 2023
Almost everyone would agree that Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen are currently the top three quarterbacks in professional football.
Right behind them has to be Jalen Hurts, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl after passing for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns in the regular season.
Herbert outperformed Hurts in both categories, but what probably puts Hurts ahead of Herbert overall is his ability to move chains with his legs, a skill the Chargers quarterback doesn’t really possess.
Beyond that, the debate gets interesting.
Is Lamar Jackson, whose production has dipped a bit since his 2019 MVP campaign, better than Herbert?
What about Trevor Lawrence, who soundly outplayed Herbert in the second half of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ rousing comeback over the Chargers in the wild-card round of last year’s playoffs?
One big thing that Herbert has going for him is that he seems to be in the clutch, both late in games and in third and fourth down situations.
If rookie wide receiver Quentin Johnston becomes the speed threat LA sorely needs, perhaps Herbert can break into the top five this fall and winter.
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Chargers remind fans of Justin Herbert’s elite skills
