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NFL coaches, execs believe Justin Herbert is better than Jalen Hurts
The NFL is in perhaps a golden age of elite young quarterback play, and Mike Jones of The Athletic recently sought to determine which one was the best age 25 or younger.
In a poll of five NFL coaches and seven front-office executives, just three QBs made the grade—Los Angeles’ Justin Herbert, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence—while Chicago’s Justin Fields and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy just missed the cut.
In the final rankings, Herbert (No. 6) narrowly edged out Hurts (No. 8) while Lawrence (No. 15) made the top 15.
“The Chargers star faced stiff competition from Jalen Hurts,” Jones wrote. “But Herbert—who has passed for 5,000-plus yards once and 4,000-plus yards twice—has a larger body of work, so he earned the edge. Our experts said that although Hurts is impressive, they want to see him duplicate last season’s production before they rank him ahead of Herbert.
“They also noted that Herbert has less to work with compared to Hurts’ supporting cast on both sides of the ball. Keep an eye on Trevor Lawrence, with a playoff win over Herbert under his belt; and Justin Fields, who has all of the physical gifts but now must prove he can make strides as a passer.”
Justin Herbert holds the #NFL record for the most passing yards by a QB in his 1st 3 seasons with 14,089 yards. pic.twitter.com/WQOHbau5xI
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) July 25, 2023
Both drafted in 2020, Herbert has had the more impressive body of work despite Hurts’ Super Bowl appearance last year. The Chargers signal-caller has thrown for 14,089 yards, 94 touchdowns and 35 interceptions over 49 games with a 66.9 completion percentage and a 25-24 record as a starter. Herbert has one Pro Bowl and he was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year three seasons ago.
Conversely, Hurts has 7,907 passing yards, 44 touchdowns and 19 interceptions over 45 games with a 62.3 completion percentage and a 23-11 record as a starter plus 1,898 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns. He’s made one Pro Bowl and was a Second Team All-Pro selection, both coming last season.
Jalen Hurts silenced the doubters in 2022
— PFF (@PFF) August 8, 2023
Will he repeat his performance this season? pic.twitter.com/qWXlmpeunK
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