How good is Russell Wilson?

[Dave Gray]

Coming from another thread, someone mentioned that Wilson was in the top 5 QBs.

I'm on the other end of that and find Wilson to not be a very good player, especially in the long term, once Seattle has to pay him.  I'm going to get my theory tested, because he's going to get paid and we'll see how good he really is.

How good do you think Wilson is?

[Phishfan]

I definitely do not rank him top 5. Off the top of my head I probably put him in the top 10 but really haven't sat down to consider it.

[MikeO]

Not the Top 5. That final pass in the super bowl proved that...lol

Good player. Not a great player. 

[Dave Gray]

I wouldn't trade him for Tannehill straight up.  Maybe I need my head examined.

I think the guy is undersized and benefits from having a world class defense and RB, because he doesn't get paid.  But when he does, he will be Doug Flutie.  He'll be decent as a game manager, but he has a very clear ceiling.

[Phishfan]

I wouldn't trade him for Tannehill straight up. 

Now that it is put this way, I tend to agree as well.

[Tenshot13]

I didn't say he was a top 5 QB, just that I'd take him over Brady.  I like his ability to escape pressure and extend plays, he throws very few INTs (even though everyone only remembers the Superbowl pick), very efficient, and not a complete lying cheating dick.

If I honestly had to rank QBs, present day...

1.  Aaron Rodgers
2.  Andrew Luck
3.  Peyton Manning
4.  Drew Brees
5.  Tony Romo (seriously, look at his stats from last year...off the charts)

[Sunstroke]

I wouldn't put either Tannehill or Wilson in the top-5, but think they both squeak into the top-10. Both are young and promising, but I might put Tanny a notch above Wilson at this point. Put Tannehill on Seattle's team and they are at least as good as they are now. Put Wilson on Miami, and I think Miami takes a tiny, almost imperceptible, step back.

[Spider-Dan]

Wilson reminds me a great deal of 2001-era Tom Brady.  And for the same reason, it's hard to criticize Wilson too much about his lack of passing stats; like early Brady, Wilson is running out there with a bunch of #3s as his WR corps.

How many of his receivers would start on Miami?

[Brian Fein]

I think the threat of mobility is something that amplifies Wilson's game.  We saw a bit of that from Tannehill last year, but still not on Wilson's level.

I, too, would not trade Tannehill for Wilson straight up. 

I consider Wilson a decent player, probably top 10 QB's.  But I think if you take his legs away from him he drops significantly.  I figure him to be a niche player in the Vick/Cunningham/Steve Young mold, which is fine.  All quality players.  But in comparison to Brady, Rodgers, etc, he's not even close.

[Spider-Dan]

While I certainly share your opinion of Steve Young, the football media felt he was a first-ballot HOFer, which is hardly a niche player.

[Dave Gray]

I think Wilson is closer to Trent Dilfer than Steve Young.

[Sunstroke]

I figure him to be a niche player in the Vick/Cunningham/Steve Young mold, which is fine.  All quality players. 

One of those guys (Hint: it's the 49er) is in the Hall if Fame (you were there when he was enshrined) and is one of the most accurate passers in NFL history.

Putting Young in that group is akin to me lumping Dan Marino in with Joe Flacco as being QBs who threw a lot of deep passes.

[Brian Fein]

One of those guys (Hint: it's the 49er) is in the Hall if Fame (you were there when he was enshrined) and is one of the most accurate passers in NFL history.

Putting Young in that group is akin to me lumping Dan Marino in with Joe Flacco as being QBs who threw a lot of deep passes.

Fair enough, not saying Russell Wilson = Steve Young.  I really only put Steve Young in there to avoid the semantics police from telling me "what, because he's a black QB?"  Guess that backfired.

The intent was to illustrate Wilson's running aptitude, which Steve Young was also pretty good at.

[Sunstroke]

Yeah, Steve had some pretty decent skills all the way around. He also went to a college that was named after his great-great-great grandfather (Brigham Young), which probably didn't hurt with getting the ladies.

[fyo]

Wilson and Tannehill were pretty even last season, but Wilson has performed at a reasonably high level all 3 years of his career. Tannehill has improved every year, but started considerably lower than Wilson.

I'm not convinced Tannehill is a top 10 quarterback at this point. To make it into that top tier, he has to show that he can continue to perform at a high level and while improvement is always good, it's just not enough if your starting point is sufficiently low.

And that's looking at them as pure passers. Wilson is better with his feet (although Tannehill is very good).

Overall I'd slot Wilson in at around #8 (the top 5 is insane right now and cracking that takes a lot). Tannehill I'd rate a couple of places outside the top 10.