Best & Worst Rookie QB's (Since 2016)

TL;DR

Ranking all 43 rookie QBs with 150+ pass attempts since 2016 by passer rating, identifying Brock Purdy as the best and DeShone Kizer as the worst.

Key Points

• 1.Brock Purdy holds the highest rookie passer rating ever for a QB with 5+ starts. The 7th-round Mr. Irrelevant went 6-0 in the regular season with elite efficiency, had a 4-TD playoff debut against Seattle, and benefited from elite weapons (Aiyuk, Deebo, CMC) and Kyle Shanahan's system.
• 2.Jaden Daniels makes the strongest case for the greatest rookie QB season ever. He posted elite passing and rushing numbers, led Washington to the NFC Championship for the first time since 2005, and largely carried a mediocre roster with average weapons outside of Terry McLaurin.
• 3.The elite tier also includes CJ Stroud, DeShaun Watson, Dak Prescott, and Justin Herbert. Stroud led the NFL in yards per game with the lowest interception percentage; Watson averaged near-historic pace before his ACL tear; Herbert became the first rookie to throw 30+ TDs; Prescott posted the highest passer rating ever for a rookie starting a full season.
• 4.Seven QBs finished with a passer rating below 70, headlined by DeShone Kizer as the poster child of bad rookie seasons. Kizer was drafted by a tanking Browns team with virtually no weapons, was never given time to develop behind a veteran, and contributed to a 0-16 season.
• 5.Josh Allen and Jared Goff both landed in the 'bad' tier as rookies yet became excellent pro QBs. Allen was raw and inaccurate in 2018 but showed rushing ability and arm talent; Goff suffered on a dysfunctional Rams team that Todd Gurley called a 'middle school offense.'
• 6.Situation dramatically influenced rookie performance across all tiers. Bottom-five QBs generally had terrible O-lines, weak run games, and poor receiving corps, while Purdy had the NFL's #1 scoring defense, a top-10 O-line, and elite skill players around him.
• 7.The 2024 class broke the record with six QBs taken in the top 12, producing wildly different results. Jaden Daniels had arguably the best rookie season ever, Drake May showed promise, Caleb Williams was inconsistent, Pennix started only three games, JJ McCarthy missed the entire year injured, and Bo Nix surged late to help Denver reach the playoffs.