A New Era of Quarterbacks
As the Tom Brady’s of the world are starting to close their careers, the new age of quarterbacks is emerging rapidly.
With players such as Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson bringing a new type of playstyle into the league, the NFL is set for the next few decades.
Patrick Mahomes set the bar very high as he took home the MVP award in his first season as a full-time starter. Mahomes has the magnificent ability to throw the ball down the field but can take matters into his own hands with his run game. He completed 65.8% of his passes, averaging almost a first down on each pass attempt.
He ended his season with 51 touchdowns and 5,381 passing yards to cap off his record-breaking season. He led the Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC Championship and ended up losing in overtime to the defending Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots.
Also, Lamar Jackson has set a trend for all African-American quarterbacks in the NFL. Most black quarterbacks are considered to be “runners,” but Jackson proved critics wrong. In his first game of the season against the Miami Dolphins, he threw 5 touchdown passes and ran for 1. 2 of his touchdowns were over 50-yard throws.
Jackson set an early standard to become this season’s MVP, but after a couple of shaky performances, he may have lost votes. The Heisman from the University of Louisville is looking to soon take the league by storm.
Lastly, Deshaun Watson in his rookie season looked out to be the 2nd player in NFL History, behind Jim Brown, to be named the MVP in their first career season.
That season was cut short due to a torn ACL and ruined his chance to take home the MVP. Watson became a strong-armed quarterback and a very talented runner out of the pocket between his transition from Clemson to the NFL. With one of the best receivers in the league in DeAndre Hopkins, Watson’s totaled a career average of 66.6% completion average. Watson looks to lead the Texans to the playoffs, hoping to fend off the rest of the struggling AFC South.
These new quarterbacks have all transcended from pocket passers to runners that consistently are able to throw the ball.
The future of quarterbacks is set and ready to take the league by storm.
Hi, my name is Drew Pennington and I’m a senior going onto my 3rd year on staff. I got into lamplighter because of my passion of sports and began writing...
