The NFL is Entering a New Age of Exciting Young Quarterbacks

Photo Credit: George Holland Cal Sport Media

No longer will the NFL be dominated by pocket passers.

The NFL is entering a new age, and fans must be excited about it. Prototypical pocket passers, such as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, are dying out of the NFL. The new age, as mentioned earlier, is exciting and consists of mobile signal callers that are entering the NFL.

Back in 2011, the Carolina Panthers started this trend when they selected Auburn QB Cam Newton with the first overall pick in the draft. There have been more examples of mobile quarterbacks being taken early since, such as Andrew Luck, the best of both worlds in passing and running, and Robert Griffin III. Both quarterbacks were selected in the first-round with the first and second overall selections.

In addition to Luck and Griffin, quarterback E.J. Manuel was selected in 2013, Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, and Teddy Bridgewater being taken in the 2014 draft, and, now, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota being taken with the first two picks in this years’ draft.

These young players are revolutionizing the game, as defenses have had to create new tactics to prevent these players from beating them with their legs. Of course, the mentality of trying to contain the quarterback all started back when Michael Vick entered the league back in 2001. Vick revolutionized the game as he brought a rare combination of speed and arm strength that was not seen in the NFL since Steve Young’s Super Bowls with the 49ers.

These signal callers need to find a way to stay on the field without completely losing their mobility factor. Luck is a player who has found a perfect balance between being a pocket passer and rolling out to take off down the field. Manuel, on the other hand, has not yet put it all together and is still seen as a work in progress. Both Bortles and Manziel disappointed their rookie years. Bridgewater showed flashes of brilliance throughout his rookie season and looks as if he will have a breakout 2015 season on an extremely underrated Vikings team.

That brings us to Winston and Mariota. Winston is surrounded by talent on the Buccaneers, including play-makers such as Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, and Doug Martin. Mariota, however, does not have as much talent surrounding him, as his top offensive weapons are Kendall Wright, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Bishop Sankey. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mariota had a better year statistically, though, as throughout his college career he was a precision passer and had not thrown as many interceptions as Winston did. Mariota has made more plays with his legs when the play call broke down though; expectations could rise and point to Mariota having a higher percentage of getting injured, due to his mobility.

All that said, the NFL’s future is bright. All of these young mobile players are still developing their skills and will keep opposing defenses in fear, granted they stay healthy. We’ve seen Russell Wilson lead the Seattle Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, so it has already been proven that a mobile quarterback can be the face of a franchise.

All fans of the NFL, like myself, have to be excited about the future of the league.