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49ers Legend Steve Young Ranked 11th-Best Quarterback Ever by CBS

Steve Young is one of the most underrated quarterbacks ever.
Grant Cohn|
Jan 29, 1995; Miami, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young (8) in action against the San Diego Chargers during Super Bowl XXIX at Joe Robbie Stadium. San Francisco defeated San Diego 49-26 and Steve Young was named the game's most valuable player. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-Imagn Images
Jan 29, 1995; Miami, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young (8) in action against the San Diego Chargers during Super Bowl XXIX at Joe Robbie Stadium. San Francisco defeated San Diego 49-26 and Steve Young was named the game's most valuable player. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-Imagn Images | Manny Rubio-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

Steve Young is one of the most underrated quarterbacks ever.

He truly was ahead of his time. If he were playing today, he probably would be the best quarterback in the league considering how mobile and accurate he was during his playing days.

And yet, Young doesn't even crack CBS Sports' top-10 quarterbacks ever. Instead, he ranks 11th, one spot behind Drew Brees, who never won an MVP and played most of his career in a dome.

"Young's pro career included two years in the USFL, two forgettable years with the Buccaneers and two Super Bowl wins in San Francisco as Joe Montana's backup," writes CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo. "Young didn't become a full-time starter with the 49ers until he was 30 years old. Despite that, he enjoyed a prolific career that included seven straight Pro Bowl selections, two league MVPs and a Super Bowl MVP. His 96.8 career passer rating was the best in NFL history at the time of his retirement.

"In Super Bowl XXIX, Young threw for a Super Bowl record six touchdowns and was the first QB to lead both teams in rushing in a Super Bowl. Speaking of running, Young was one of the best dual-threat QBs in NFL history. He's sixth all-time among quarterbacks in career rushing yards and fourth in career touchdown runs."

It seems like DeArdo is knocking Young because he had to sit behind Joe Montana, the No. 2 quarterback on this list, until he was 30. That's not Young's fault. He wasn't the late bloomer that DeArdo makes him out to be. Sure, he needed some development, but so did Aaron Rodgers, who ranks No. 8 on this list. Rodgers simply got his opportunity to play much earlier than Young did on the 49ers.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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