Justin Herbert Rightfully Charts Above Dak Prescott, Drake Maye and Others

Those actually in and around the NFL don't undersell Chargers QB Justin Herbert.

Justin Herbert | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert often has plenty of negatives chasing him into a season. 

That’s the case this year ahead of Week 1. His interior offensive line is a mess (evergreen statement, that) in the wake of the Tyler Biadasz injury. There are other questions around the Chargers. Oh, and quarterback rankings nationally tend to undersell him in a criminal manner. 

But there are some good things going for Herbert, too. The skill positions around him are loaded. Mike McDaniel has the chops to help him reach new ceilings, too, which is a dramatic shift from the conservative offenses of his past across many coordinators. 

Hence, Herbert getting some love from those in the NFL in a new poll, putting him over some much “bigger” names in the process. 

NFL execs show Justin Herbert proper respect in rankings

Justin Herbert | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Usually, quarterback rankings throw Herbert somewhere below the likes of Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, if not names like Dak Prescott, too. 

Not this time, though. 

Call it the McDaniel effect. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer chatted with NFL execs for his annual quarterback poll and Herbert landed sixth, above some notable names like Prescott and Drake Maye. 

“It feels to me a little like how NFL folks looked at Stafford when he was in Detroit,” Breer wrote. “But this could be the year he really breaks through. One VP ranked him second and texted, ‘[Mike] McDaniel will push him to the next level. The team is stacked, and with better injury luck, they’ll go far.’” 

It’s always been a little weird to watch the Herbert takes and rankings over the years. He’s unquestionably a top-10 player with an almost unmatched arm and overall elite physical profile. He’s thrown for 5,000-plus yards in a season and very obviously been held back by a mid-to-bad organization around him. 

In other words, it’s nice to see McDaniel showing up and instantly upping the outlook a bit. There’s no major justification when accounting for their situations that a Prescott or Maye should be over Herbert. Ditto for a journeyman like Jared Goff (10th on this poll) or somewhat unrealized upside with a Jayden Daniels (13) or Bo Nix (14). 

Perhaps what’s more interesting now is where things go from here. If Herbert evolves further in an actually-modern offense and the Chargers find some playoff success at the same time, does he crack top three? 

Hard to say, but this feels like it for Herbert. Some of the mentioned stuff, like a never-ending rotation of coordinators and other bad stuff from the Chargers, are excuses that dry up now with McDaniel’s arrival. There’s probably no better chance to make big gains on the field and annual exercises like this. 

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