National Football League

Lawrence, Wilson, Lance, Fields, Jones: How have the rookie QBs fared so far?

Updated Sep. 21, 2021 8:26 p.m. ET

With two full weeks of NFL action now under their belts, the five rookie quarterbacks chosen in the first round of April's draft are showing what they're made of.

But some have gotten off to smoother starts than others.

After two games, it's shaping up to be an eventful season as this year's top rookie QBs navigate the difficult transition from college football to the pros.

Here's how each of the young stars has fared through the first two weeks of the season.

Mac Jones, New England Patriots, 1-1

In 69 pass attempts in two games, Jones has thrown for 467 yards and zero interceptions and boasts a completion percentage of 73.9, good for sixth in the league among qualified QBs. However, Jones’ 3.1 air yards per attempt are second-lowest in the league, behind only that of an injured Carson Wentz (3.0).

On Monday’s "The Greg Hill Show," 14-year NFL veteran Boomer Esiason said he believes the Patriots rookie would go No. 1 — instead of falling to No. 15 — if teams could do the draft over again.

But Colin Cowherd isn't buying it.

On Tuesday’s "The Herd," Cowherd reacted to Esiason's "overreaction," saying that no GM would have chosen Jones first overall, given his lack of downfield throws and big playmaking ability.

"Mac Jones, through two games, had one touchdown pass and one pass over 30 yards," Cowherd said. "Mac Jones in the next couple of weeks has to face the [New Orleans] Saints' run defense. Excellent. And Tampa Bay’s run defense. Excellent. You can’t run on Tampa, so Mac Jones is gonna have to throw the ball down the field. He’s not done that in two games. … Best fit, absolutely. Boomer’s right. But redrafting? What?"

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Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars, 0-2

The actual No. 1 overall pick, Lawrence, has completed 42 of 84 passing attempts (50%) through two games, good for 450 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. His passer rating: 57.1. His Jaguars are 0-2 after falling in consecutive outings against the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos.

But while the Patriots' offense has relied on short throws to move the ball, it's a different story for Lawrence in Jacksonville. He's averaging 5.4 yards per attempt with a season long (so far) of 41 yards, which might help explain the interceptions.

"You know the last quarterback to throw more [interceptions] in his first two games? Maybe you’ve heard of him: Peyton Manning," Nick Wright said on Tuesday's "First Things First." "You know why? Because they were trying to let him grow. … I will take the Trevor Lawrence learning as you go, as opposed to the Mac Jones, who's gonna be one of the 14-year-old kids that still needs training wheels on his bike."

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Zach Wilson, New York Jets, 0-2

Like Lawrence, the No. 2 pick has struggled to meet the high expectations set for him. Wilson has thrown five picks (two more than he threw his senior season at BYU) and two touchdowns while totaling 468 yards through the air on a 55.7% completion rate (39-of-70).

It could be argued that Wilson's task is significantly more difficult than others', given the overall lack of talent on his team, but the 22-year-old has some harsh critics, nonetheless.

On Tuesday's "First Things First," Kevin Wildes shared his confusion about the hype surrounding Wilson.

"I don’t get it," Wildes said. "Everyone’s telling me how great Zach Wilson is … Wilson decided to test the Patriots' secondary. It didn’t go too well. Four interceptions. Meanwhile, Sam Darnold … is Tom Brady-esque in inspiring the Carolina defense."

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Justin Fields, Chicago Bears, 1-1

Fields played his first full set of downs on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals after veteran Andy Dalton exited with a noncontact injury. His passing stats so far: 8-for-15 (53.3%) for 70 yards and one interception. He also scored a touchdown with his legs in Week 1.

On Monday, head coach Matt Nagy said that if Dalton is healthy, he'll still be the starting quarterback in Week 3. Are the Bears making a huge mistake in not going with Fields?

If you ask Marcellus Wiley, it's a no.

"You don’t win a Super Bowl by putting a rookie out there that’s not ready right now," Wiley said. "I thought Matt Nagy was making a huge mistake, but it’s starting to look smaller and smaller by the day, and it really looks small after Andy Dalton got hurt, and I realized Justin Fields: not yet.

"I think it’s gonna do him some good to not be out there in totality. … I’m not gonna say he got exposed. He just got shown to be a rookie."

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Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers, 2-0

Not to be forgotten, the No. 3 overall pick has yet to play much. He made his debut in Week 1, taking four snaps, with his first career pass going for a touchdown. It was a different story in Week 2, as the rookie remained on the sideline for the 49ers' contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, despite Jimmy Garoppolo's sluggish start (his first first down didn't come until the final drive of the half).

Based on Lance's usage in the preseason and season opener in Detroit, it was widely speculated that the 49ers would continue to operate a dual-quarterback system, but head coach Kyle Shanahan shut down that notion this week.

"I plan on doing that week-to-week and, whenever I feel like, putting him in," he said Tuesday.

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Eight quarters in, perhaps the only real conclusion is that it's too soon to be making any conclusions about these rookies.

Stay tuned for the next 15 games.

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