Ranking Josh Allen among the QBs of the AFC before 2022 NFL Draft
By Khari Demos
The AFC looks like the power conference in the NFL. And a lot of that has to do with a star-studded list of quarterbacks so where does Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen rank?
Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger. Those are the names of QBs that have dominated the AFC for the better part of the 21st century.
While two of the three have retired, and the other has come back to vulture the NFC in Tampa Bay, the AFC’s current crop of QBs has a ton of new faces. From MVPs to Super Bowl champions, and young players on the rise, this group has it all.
The question now is with all the changes within the AFC, where does Josh Allen rank within the conference. So let’s see where they all rank out. Here’s a list of the AFC’s signal-callers, going from 1 to 16.
16. Davis Mills (Houston Texans)
Although he was not highly touted coming out in a deep class of passers in 2021, Mills may have been one of the best of the bunch last season. The third-round pick totaled 16 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions with a 66.8% completion rate.
The Stanford product was able to set a franchise rookie record with 2,664 passing yards as well.
Mills was able to notch four 300-yard games, two three-TD pass games, and more importantly, seven games without a pick in 13 tilts. That’s really saying something when you’re playing for one of the most talent-devoid rosters in the NFL.
Outside of Brandin Cooks’ sixth 1,000-yard season, Mills was throwing to a skill group that included Nico Collins, Jordan Akins, Danny Amendola, and Brevin Jordan.
The biggest thing for me with Mills is how much further will he grow? He won’t have the advantage of being an unknown player coming into 2022.
I personally think that, even with a high floor, he may be capped out on his ceiling. His QBR (35.5), adjusted net air yards per attempt (5.8), yards per attempt (6.8) intended air yards per attempt (7.2), and his intended air yards per completion (5.4) all ranked bottom 10 in the NFL.
Plus, he’s still got one of the more underwhelming receiving corps around him, so it’ll be tough to replicate what he did last season.