NFL

Which Quarterback From the 2017 Draft Class Is Statistically Superior?

The 2017 NFL draft quarterback class presents plenty of reasons for concern across the board. Which players rise to the top based on collegiate stats?

It's Christmas time, y'all. Now that the real football is officially over, we get to unwrap the presents that are a new crop of NFL draft prospects, bringing smiles to faces of little Sallys and Timmys all across the land.

Johnny wants a new edge rusher whom he can take out on day one and use to terrorize the neighbors. Gabrielle begged her parents for a wide receiver so somebody would finally be able to handle her high-velocity throws in "500."

And Eva? All she wants is a quarterback. Most years, these were the shiniest, dopest gifts you could possibly get, representing the pinnacle of gift-receiving bliss.

This year, it's like getting a pair of plain, white socks.

Everywhere you look, you'll see analysts saying that this year's draft class doesn't provide much room for hope. That's largely based on what scouts are saying; the statistics these quarterbacks put up in college may be even less optimistic.

Last year, we did see that there is a link between a quarterback's collegiate production and what he does in the NFL. Thus, it would make sense for us to view an incoming player's stats to see how things may shape up for him after he's drafted. This year's crop, though, all falls short of the baselines we want out of a first-round pick.

Let's take a quick second to explain exactly what it is that we want out of a quarterback's collegiate statistical profile. Then, we'll go through each of the top-five quarterbacks for this year's class -- based on how ESPN's Mel Kiper ranked them in his positional breakdown earlier this month -- stacks up with historical comps. That list will include North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, Clemson's DeShaun Watson, Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer, Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes, and Miami's Brad Kaaya.

In which areas does this year's class fall short? And which one has the statistical profile best suited for the NFL? Let's check it out.