NFL execs and coaches rank Top 10 quarterbacks, settle Wentz-Prescott debate

Share

Anyone can rank football players, but when the league's top decision-makers weigh in, it's probably worth paying attention.

ESPN rounded up the opinions of 50 league executives, coaches, scouts, and players to determine the best players at each position. On Wednesday, they rolled out the results at quarterback, probably the most-debated position in pro sports.

Eagles fans won't be bowled over by where Carson Wentz landed, but they should certainly be happy in one respect: the consensus across the league is that the Birds have the best quarterback in the NFC East.

Wentz finished No. 8, one spot ahead of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, which feels like a pretty big foothold in the never-ending Wentz vs. Prescott debate.

"We went into this exercise thinking Wentz vs. Dak Prescott would be tight," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes, "but it wasn't all that close, with Wentz holding a lead of nearly a full point over Prescott."

Nice.

Here's a sampling of quotes about Wentz from NFL insiders:

- An NFL head coach: "Such a creator -- no play is dead."

- An NFL coordinator: "It's hard to argue he's not top-10. You just wish he had a complete season. If he wins that Super Bowl in Philly, he's consensus top-five, because he's a top-five talent."

- An NFL assistant: "He can carry a team. Only a few guys can say that."

Those are some pretty encouraging assessments from around the league.

And, frankly, the list feels pretty solid. Here are the seven names ahead of Wentz:

1. Mahomes
2. Wilson
3. Rodgers
4. Watson
5. Brees
6. Jackson
7. Brady

I think Deshaun Watson is a smidge too high, and I would put both Wentz and Prescott ahead of Tom Brady in 2020, but otherwise it's a pretty good list.

In terms of the Wentz vs. Prescott evaluation, I took a look at the two players earlier this offseason, when the order was reversed and Prescott was the one getting more love:

Prescott: 1.51 TD/game, 0.56 INT/game, 7.6 yds/attempt, 65.8% completion

Wentz: 1.73 TD/game, 0.62 INT/game, 6.9 yds/attempt, 63.8% completion

Over the course of a 16-game season, Wentz averages 3.5 more touchdowns and one more interception than Prescott. The completion percentage gap is negligible, and Prescott wins the yards-per-attempt battle, which would likely be much closer if Wentz had been able to make use of deep threat DeSean Jackson for more than one game in 2019.

In any case, the two scheduled Eagles-Cowboys games in 2020 should be good for fireworks aplenty. Here's hoping we actually get to watch these guys play football.

Subscribe and rate the Eagle Eye podcast: 
Apple Podcasts / Google Play / Stitcher / Spotify / Art19

Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.

More on the Eagles

Contact Us