Grading and ranking NFL quarterbacks can be weird. Take Seattle Seahawks QB1 Sam Darnold, for instance. His quarterback rating is just 88.8, 23rd in the NFL, and lower than former Seattle quarterback, Russell Wilson.
But if one takes a trip over to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Darnold is graded as the third-best quarterback in the league through two games. So is Darnold mediocre or great? The eye tells us that he is pretty solid and is likely going to continue to be.
But what happens if Darnold gets injured? The assumption is that Drew Lock will step in. Rookie Jalen Milroe is nowhere near ready to be a starter, and he might not be until 2026 at the earliest. Lock, though, has had some starting experience, and when asked to start, he hasn't always been awful.
Seattle Seahawks' Drew Lock gets disrespected in recent ESPN quarterback ranking
He has a strong arm, is well-liked by the teams he has worked for, and can create explosive plays. Does he put the ball in harm's way more than Sam Darnold? You betcha, but a team can win some games with Lock as QB1. Seattle did as much in 2023 when Lock stepped in for Geno Smith.
Just don't ask ESPN's Seth Walder about that. He has a recent article ranking the top 12 backup quarterbacks in the NFL, and oddly, he has two rookies on the list. Those would be the New Orleans Saints Tyler Shough and the New York Giants Jaxson Dart. Neither quarterback has yet thrown a pass in the league.
Drew Lock, though? He is nowhere to be found in the top 12. Anthony Richardson, who is trending toward being a first-round draft bust from 2023, is No. 9, but Lock? Nope.
How many teams, including the Indianapolis Colts, would rather have Drew Lock as their backup quarterback than who they currently have? The Seattle Seahawks were fortunate to land Lock this past offseason, even though at the time Seattle still had Sam Howell (Howell didn't make the list either).
Last year, for an awful Giants team, Lock had six touchdown passes and three interceptions while starting the last three games of the season. In Week 17, he threw for four touchdowns, no picks, and 309 yards in a victory over the Colts.
Drew Lock is going to make mistakes if pressed into action, but he is also not afraid to make mistakes while throwing deep. He has a strong arm and good mobility. While he isn't likely worthy of being a long-term QB1 anywhere, he is definitely one of the better backups in the league, no matter what ESPN believes.