Top 5 NFL Rookie QBs in 2019
Nine weeks into the 2019 NFL season, seven rookie quarterbacks have thrown a pass. Six have started a game. Five have thrown a touchdown pass. Four have won a game. Three will start in Week 10. Two will keep their jobs going into next season. One will be Rookie of the Year.
5. Ryan Finley
Who? The North Carolina State product completed just 16 of 30 passes in his first career start on Sunday. Finley lined up under center for the Bengals just in time to knock Dwayne Haskins off this list. Finley was far from good in his debut, but at least he didn't throw four interceptions and get benched for Colt McCoy. No matter how much Finley improves between now and the end of the season, he'll lose his job to Tua Tagovailoa or Joe Burrow next year. That's still better than whatever will happen to Haskins in Washington.
4. Devlin Hodges
Devlin Hodges is a third-string quarterback and a world-class duck caller. The undrafted rookie out of Samford was forced into action earlier this season when Mason Rudolph went down and he actually performed quite well. "Duck" has appeared in two games and completed 22 of 29 pass attempts for 200 yards, one touchdown and just one interception. He's also 1-0 as a starter.
3. Daniel Jones
It has been an up and down season for Danny Dimes. The Giants are 2-8, but Jones has had an opportunity to air it out. He started strong, looked like a bust for a while, then threw four touchdown passes twice in the last three weeks. He now has 15 touchdowns to go with eight picks, which isn't bad for a rookie. Jones could still turn out to be the Giants' next franchise QB.
2. Gardner Minshew II
Minshew has returned to the bench with the return of Nick Foles. Minshew performed admirably while Foles was injured, throwing for 13 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He went 4-4 as a starter and plenty of people got swept up in Minshew Mania. With a lot of hype and a cheap rookie deal, Minshew could be a very valuable asset for the Jaguars.
1. Kyler Murray
The #1 pick in April's draft, Kyler Murray has lived up to the hype on a bad Cardinals team. Murray has been letting it fly this season and the Offensive Rookie of the Year award will either belong to him or Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. Murray is second in the league in pass attempts and has only thrown five interceptions. He's also 45th in the NFL in rushing attempts. And he's been sacked more than anyone but Jameis Winston and Daniel Jones. The Cardinals just need to get him through the season healthy and try to build around him next year.