With five NFL teams starting rookie quarterbacks this week, what better time to take a closer look at these passers. In the first of a weekly series, I will be grading the rookies to find out who is at the top of the class and who needs to make improvements.
Check it out below.
Robert Griffin III, Washington. Final grade: A-
He couldn’t have hoped for a better start to his NFL career as he led Washington to a surprise victory over the New Orleans Saints. He looked poised and confident, not like a QB making his first start in the National Football League.
He completed 19 of 26 passes for 320 yards and threw for two touchdowns. Fans in Washington will be thinking they’ve got their money’s worth if he carries on the way he’s started.
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis. Final grade: C+
Chosen first overall in this year’s NFL draft, Luck has taken over a Colts team that weren’t very good last year. Looked to as being the next Peyton Manning, Luck lost his first game as a starter against a tough Chicago defense.
He threw for 209 yards and one touchdown, but also threw three interceptions.
However, he has all the talent to be a great pro quarterback and looks to be near the top of this class each and every week.
Russell Wilson, Seattle. Final grade: D-
Wilson won an old-fashioned fight to beat out Matt Flynn for the starting job in Seattle. He showed enough in preseason to convince head coach Pete Carroll that he was the man for the job.
In a week one loss to the Cardinals, Wilson threw for one touchdown and only 153 yards, completing just over half of his passes. He needs to get better but the question remains, how much time he will be given to make the necessary strides to put the team in the right direction?
Ryan Tannehill, Miami. Final grade: E-
The Dolphins rookie doesn’t really have much to work with. In week one, Tannehill looked exactly how a rookie QB usually looks. Like Wilson, he completed just over fifty per cent of his attempts on his way to 219 passing yards. Let’s be honest, Miami aren’t one of the league’s better teams, but if Tannehill doesn’t move in the right direction, his grade won’t either.
Brandon Weeden, Cleveland. Final grade: F
Sitting at the bottom of the class this week is the nearly 30-year old rookie Brandon Weeden.
He ended his first NFL start with an amazingly low 5.1 QB rating. He completed just 12 out of 35 passes for a measly 118 yards. It couldn’t have been much worse. Unless Weeden makes huge strides, it won’t be long before Browns fans are calling for Colt McCoy’s return.
