The 2020 QB class is about to do things that only the famous 1983 and 2004 classes have accomplished

What’s better than a star quarterback? Of them. That’s probably what the NFL was thinking when they turned the Dolphins and Chargers into “Sunday Night Football” in Week 14 against the Chiefs and Broncos. Skipping Patrick Mahomes on prime time isn’t easy, unless you’ve got Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert on deck, the fifth and sixth overall picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.

They’re just two of four star quarterbacks to emerge from this draft class after Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts quickly went from seemingly average passers to superstars in 2022. It’s hard not to gush at what these four are doing.

• Joe Burrow was the fastest No. 1 QB pick to ever reach a Super Bowl (second season) and is up for MVP this year.
• Tua Tagovailoa leads the NFL in passer ratings and yards per attempt this season.
• Justin Herbert is the only QB in NFL history with 30 touchdown passes in each of his first two seasons.
• Jalen Hurts ranks second in MVP ratings this season behind Patrick Mahomes

As a group, they are taking the league by storm:

• They are four of the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks this season

• They are three of the top five players in MVP ratings

• They are four of the top 10 players in touchdown passes this season

With five weeks left in the season, they’re about to do things that only a few draft classes have ever done, namely the iconic 1983 and 2004 classes. There might not be a perfect number for compare classes, so here are some categories to break down the best seasons by QB classes of all time, with a focus on depth.

Statistics

Our first category is statistics. Burrow, Tagovailoa, Herbert and Hurts all rank in the top 10 in fantasy points among quarterbacks this season.

Results: The famous 1983 and 2004 classes are the only ones in NFL history to feature four of the top 10 QB fantasy points in the same season. The 1983 class did it three times, and the 2004 class did it once. The best season by a single class might be the 1983 group in 1986. Five first-round players — John Elway, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Ken O’Brien and Dan Marino — all ranked in the NFL’s top 10 in points fantastic , passing yards, touchdown passes and passer rating this season.

Draft class with four of the top 10 QBs in fantasy points (same season)

Class of 2004 (2009 season)

Class of 1983 (1991 season)

• 1. Jim Kelly
• 2. Dan Marine
• 4. John Elway
• 7. Ken O’Brien

Class of 1983 (1987 season)

• 3. John Elway
• 5. Dan Marine
• 6. Jim Kelly
• 9. Ken O’Brien

Class of 1983 (1986 season)

• 1. Dan Marine
• 3. John Elway
• 5. Jim Kelly
• 6. Ken O’Brien
• 8. Tony Reason

Burrow, Tagovailoa, Herbert and Hurts also rank in the top 10 in touchdown passes this season. The last two classes to have four of the top 10 touchdown passes in a given year were 1983 (1986 season) and 2004 (2009 season).

Last two draft classes with four of the top 10 QBs in touchdown passes (same season)

Class of 2004 (2009 season)

• 5. Matt Schaub
• 6. Philippe Rivers
• 8. Eli Manning
• 10. Ben Roethlisberger

Class of 1983 (1986 season)

• 1. Dan Marine
• 2. Ken O’Brien
• 5. Jim Kelly
• 9. John Elway
• 9. Tony Reason

REWARDS

Of course, the impact goes beyond just filling out the stat sheet. My second category is that of distinctions. Are these quarterbacks generally considered among the best in the league? So far, they make up three of the top five players in MVP votes this season, excluding Herbert. I used Pro Bowls for this measuring stick because the NFL MVP voting system is flawed (and was recently changed). While Herbert has had an average season thanks to an injury-plagued supporting cast, the Class of 2020 may produce four Pro Bowl QBs this season.

Results: Only one all-time season has featured four Pro Bowl quarterbacks in the same draft class. It was the group of 83 in 1991.

Four Pro Bowl QBs in the same draft class in one season

Class of 1983 (1991 season)

• John Elway
• Jim Kelly
• Dan Marin
• Ken O’Brien

Only two classes have seen four quarterbacks make multiple Pro Bowls at any point in their careers. The 1983 class with the aforementioned four players, and 2004 with Manning, Rivers, Roethlisberger and Schaub. I hope you’re starting to see a trend here. 1983 and 2004 were good.

team success

Stats and accolades don’t tell the whole story either, as quarterbacks are often judged by their earnings. With all four 2020 QBs in the playoff picture, I watched the playoff starts.

Results: There have only been three playoffs with four starting quarterbacks in the same draft class. The 1971 class, listed below, is one of the first major QB classes, producing multiple MVPs and Super Bowl winners.

Four QBs in the same all-time unique playoff draft class

Class of 2003 (post-season 2005)

• Carson Palmer
• Byron Leftwich
• Rex Grosman
• chris sims

Class of 1999 (post-season 2000)

• Donovan McNabb
• Daunte Culpepper
• Shaun King
• Aaron Brooks

Class of 1971 (post-season 1982)

• Jim Plunket
• Lynn Dicky
• Ken Anderson
• Joe Theisman

It’s impossible to predict what they might do for a career, but if you’re a draft nerd like me, you want to know the measuring sticks when you’re talking about some of the deepest quarterback classes of all. time. Not just for a season, but for a career.

Professional success

I used Approximate Value, a metric from Pro-Football-Reference.com that assigns a single value to a player’s career (think WAR in baseball) to examine the highest combined career values ​​of the four best quarterbacks in a single class. Unsurprisingly, 1983 and 2004 lead the way. But 2005, a class led by Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers, was not far behind.

Highest approximate value among top 4 QBs in a single draft class

That doesn’t quite cover all the major quarterback classes, so here are some more superlatives for you trivia folks!

The Class of 1983 is the only one to produce three Hall of Fame quarterbacks.

Most Hall of Fame QBs in a single draft class

1983 (3)

• John Elway
• Jim Kelly
• Dan Marin

Five different draft classes have produced multiple Super Bowl winning callers. The 1979 class is the only one with multiple Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks (Joe Montana, Phil Simms).

Three different draft classes have produced multiple MVP quarterbacks.

Verdict: So. The 2020 QB class may soon be in exclusive company with 1983 and 2004, author of one of the best quarterback draft class seasons ever. And who knows, before you know it, this class might also rack up MVPs and Lombardi trophies.