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Last year was an exhilarating year for young quarterbacks. Andrew Luck performed as advertised, Robert Griffin III was fantastic, but it was Russell Wilson that stole the show in Seattle. With three outstanding performers from 2012 quarterback draftees, what's in store for the young guns from 2012?
Disappointment. That's not so much a prediction as a possible outcome, but it may be more likely to happen than another great year for 2012's quarterback class. The top pick of the draft, Andrew Luck, will face teams more aware of the Colts' talent, but the Colts will also be without the coach that led them to the playoffs, Bruce Arians. Chuck Pagano should be with the team the whole way this time around, but fans have to realize that the Colts overachieved in a big way a season ago. Don't expect that again.
Robert Griffin III will be fresh off a torn ACL. While Dr. James Andrews has called him "superhuman," don't expect him to be quite as flashy running around the field as pre-injury Griffin, at least for awhile. The Redskins remain in one of the toughest divisions in football, and all those factors combined may result with a less than impressive sophomore performance by Griffin.
Russell Wilson may have been the best show in the NFL to watch. He ran the ball, made key passes, and ultimately, made the Seahawks one of the best, young teams in the NFL. Can he repeat that performance in 2013? Not a chance, although he'll still be tough to handle by opposing defenses. In his rookie season, Russell Wilson completed nearly 65% of his passes, throwing 26 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. If he improves on that, he'll be the next superstar quarterback in the NFL, but improvement from such a great rookie season is hard to imagine.
While some networks are already calling the 2013 quarterback crop one of the best of all time, I think it's important to take a step back. As a group, 2013's quarterback class had an incredible rookie season, but after just one season, it's far too early to call them the best of all time. There's still growing pains to go through, and I would guess we'll see some of those pains on full display this season.
