I usually like to see a quarterback win more in the playoffs before I decide to rank him as highly as number four, but I feel as though Justin Herbert is a rare exception to that notion.
Other than his lack of playoff success, Justin Herbert checks almost every other box for an ideal franchise QB. Also, he's only been in the league three years, 2023 will only be year four for Herbert. He almost made the playoffs in year two and he made the playoffs in year three.
Herbert lost his first playoff appearance last season in somewhat embarrassing fashion as the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead to lose in the end to the Jacksonville Jaguars. I don't blame that loss too much on Herbert. Blowing a lead like that is an overall team failure. I think the Jaguars had superior coaching in that matchup, and Jags QB Trevor Lawrence deserves a lot of credit.
I just really like what Justin brings to the table. He's been able to run a pro offense like a veteran pretty much instantly since his rookie season in 2020. In three seasons he's routinely passed for a ton of yards, averaging nearly 4,700 passing yards a season. The man passed for over 5,000 yards in his second season. Herbert is only six touchdown passes away from hitting 100 in his career.
In general Herbert's passing statistics through three seasons have been fantastic, and he's led the Chargers to two consecutive winning seasons and the playoff appearance I mentioned.
Herbert has a fantastic, probably top three arm in the NFL. Justin Herbert's game is similar to Josh Allen's, but I think Herbert enjoys functioning from the pocket more. Herbert is every bit as mobile as Josh Allen, arguably even more so, but I think Allen is able to withstand hits more and so runs more often as a true scrambler.
Justin Herbert's overall game is pretty awesome. He just needs to continue to fine tune everything and really put it all together. He's only 25 years old, I think he's gonna put it all together really soon, and he's already proven to be a top five QB.
He is solid in the pocket, has a tremendous combination of arm strength and accuracy. The guy is 6-6, and nearly 240 pounds, so he has ideal size to be able to see the entire field with ease, and injuries have not been an issue thus far for him. He has truly very good mobility even while being that big.
Herbert has to win soon in the playoffs, and simply continue to improve. Herbert is very good in all departments and I think he's got a bright future.
Chris Simms picked Herbert at 4 as well!
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