Any NFL quarterback at age 25 or younger should be considered part of the league’s next generation of quarterbacks.
Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson both are 26, so they would skew any rankings of young NFL quarterbacks.
Throw them out and you have an interesting ranking of quarterbacks at age 25 or younger that is ripe for debate. These rankings are based on statistics, and winning also weighs heavily. A quarterback’s upside also is taken into account.
Johnny Manziel (22) and E.J. Manuel (25) don’t make the cut because they haven’t been able to keep starting jobs. All five of these quarterbacks are entrenched as their team’s starter.
No. 5: Marcus Mariota (21)
Mariota has thrown nine touchdown passes this season with five interceptions. He’s thrown for 247.8 yards per game and completed 64 percent of his passes.
The Titans’ only win this season, however, came in Week 1 against the Buccaneers and the only player drafted ahead of Mariota, Jameis Winston. Mariota had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in that game, but that number has gone down in each subsequent game. It dipped to 96.3 to 84.2 to 68.1 to 67.6.
All five of Mariota’s interceptions have come in the last three games, which all have been at home. He’s thrown just three touchdown passes during that stretch.
No. 4: Jameis Winston (21)
Winston’s stats don’t match up to Mariota’s so far. He’s thrown seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s completed only 56.6 percent of his passes and thrown for 234.8 yards per game.
However, Winston (2-3) has won one more game than Mariota and four of his interceptions came against the Panthers’ stingy defense. Winston came into the NFL more pro-ready than Mariota, and that will become more evident as their careers unfold.
No. 3: Blake Bortles (23)
It’s impressive what Bortles has accomplished so far in his career considering he’s been sacked 72 times, including 55 in his rookie season.
Bortles has shown the potential to run a prolific offense if he has a serviceable offensive line in front of him. He’s fifth in the NFL with 13 touchdown passes this season, but he’s also tied for fifth with seven interceptions and has completed just 57 percent of his passes. He’s 10th in the NFL with 271.7 passing yards per game.
The top three quarterbacks on this list all have a leg up because they have one more year of experience. But to stay ahead of Winston and Mariota, Bortles has to start winning. The Jaguars are 1-5 this season and Bortles is 4-15 in his career as a starter.
No. 2: Derek Carr (24)
Carr has the most touchdown passes of anyone on this list and the best touchdown-to-interception ratio (29-15). That includes eight touchdowns and three interceptions this season. The wins have been hard to come by. The Raiders are 2-3 this season and Carr is 5-16 in his career as a starter.
#Raiders Derek Carr off to better start this season than first five games last season, showing desired progress. http://t.co/Z9o46bCEPk
— Steve Corkran (@CorkOnTheNFL) October 18, 2015
If Carr can help make the Raiders a contender, he could get them into the playoffs if he repeats last season’s December performance. He threw seven touchdown passes and one interception in the season’s final month. Carr also has led two career fourth-quarter comebacks.
No. 1: Teddy Bridgewater (22)
Bridgewater has disappointed those who had the Vikings as a sleeper pick in the NFC this season. But he’s the best NFL starting quarterback under 25 because he has a winning record as a starter (9-8) and he already has three fourth-quarter comebacks to his credit, a sign of his poise and leadership. He might have hit a plateau this season with three touchdown passes and four interceptions, but Bridgewater completed 64.4 percent of his passes last season, third-best of any rookie in NFL history according to ESPN. Guess what Bridgewater’s completion percentage is this season? 64.4. That’s called consistency.
.@teddyb_h2o turns “sacked for 19-yard loss” into “falling, 49-yard completion.” Flick of the wrist. #MINvsDET https://t.co/qHJNscajZw
— NFL (@NFL) October 21, 2015
The Vikings are 3-2 with a chance to contend in the NFC. Bridgewater completed 72 percent of his passes in the last five games last season. If he comes close to that number this season, he could be the first quarterback drafted in the last two years to lead his team to the playoffs.