Every quarterback has their own unique game, so to speak… But if you watch enough tape—you can start to draw some parallels between guys.
It could be their play style, situational awareness, accolades, career trajectory—you get the idea!
Let’s take a look across the conference divide and see if we can break down 10 quarterbacks who have a mirror image of themselves in the other conference.
Kenny Pickett and Brock Purdy
First up, we have Pittsburgh Steelers second-year quarterback, Kenny Pickett, and San Fran’s favorite Mr. Irrelevant—Brock Purdy.
For starters, at a very basically level—Pickett and Purdy were taken in the same draft, granted at very different points in the draft. Kenny was a first round pick, 20th overall—and, well, we all know when Brock was taken at this point.
But they both ended up getting significant time starting as rookies—and played pretty well. In part—because Pickett and Purday have quite a bit of athleticism, as evidenced by their pre-draft 4.73 and 4.84-second 40-yard times, respectively.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Neither is going to light the league on fire in terms of being a 1000-yard rusher a la Justin Fields… But they matured as passers nicely for rookies—and were able to lead their teams to winning seasons. Purdy, of course, had a lot of talent around him—and stepped up for a Super Bowl ready team when injuries forced him to do so…
On the other hand, Kenny was able to rally, along with the rest of the Steelers, after a middling two and six start to salvage Pittsburgh’s consecutive non-losing streak, finishing nine, eight, and one.
These two young QBs look like winners, plain and simple. And I wouldn’t be shocked to see them do so in the league for a long time… and to do so by leveraging an extremely similar skillset!
Bryce Young and CJ Stroud
While this one takes a little bit of projecting… Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, the top two quarterbacks taken in this year’s draft—and the top two picks overall—have some extreme similarities heading into year one.
Young played his college ball at The University of Alabama, while Stroud played at Ohio State. Different schools, in different conferences, but they came from powerhouse programs—and put up insane numbers.
Not to mention compiling some very “NFL ready” tape.
Suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise with the modern NFL, but both young quarterbacks also possess quite a bit of athleticism—and can extend plays with their legs.
Also, despite being drafted into different conferences, they basically ended up in situations that are mirror images of each other… Young went to Carolina and Stroud to Houston—two organizations that are trying to rebuild in a big way, hence them going all-in on these young quarterbacks.
Neither franchise has a strong reputation for its quarterback play… Carolina got a few awesome years out of Cam… and Houston thought it had something with Deshaun Watson—before that all went down the tubes…
But that’s really it. So, I wouldn’t be shocked to see both Young and Stroud as week one starters on their respective teams—in the hopes that they really make a dent in elevating the level of their franchises.
Much will be asked of these guys, but if they can perform, they will be kings in their cities for years to come!
Tua Taglovailoa and Daniel Jones
Moving on to a different set of youthful signal callers… Let’s take a look at Tua Taglovailoa and Daniel Jones.
Tua and Danny Dimes have found themselves with the weight of the Dolphins’ and Giants’ futures fixed firmly on their shoulders. After a tumultuous start to their careers, they’ve progressed just far enough to give their teams and fan bases hope that they are “the guy.”
Neither quarterback is perfect… Tua has had some serious injuries concerns throughout his entire career. And we saw last year that when the stakes were raised a bit—and more was asked of him pressure-wise, he seemed to tighten up considerably.
And Jones, well, we still aren’t sure what his ceiling is passing-wise. The Giants are betting that it continues to improve under Daboll’s tutelage—and that it can become more of a focus, rather than the complementary skill that it has been to his running ability throughout his first four seasons in the league.
That, however, is far from a foregone conclusion.
2023 is going to be a pivotal year for these two mirror quarterbacks. Tua was taken fifth overall, the year after that Jones was taken sixth overall—and the marquee organizations that selected them are going to need to start seeing some consistent results.
Fortunately, they have both shown signs that they can do it… And their teams have really taken to their personalities, so they have the support in the locker room. It’s just a matter of taking that next step and turning the flashes into a consistent level that can elevate their teams to serious Super Bowl contention.
Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray
Moving up the quarterback hierarchy… There are also some striking similarities between two well-known quarterbacks out west: Denver Broncos’ recent acquisition, Russell Wilson, and the former first overall pick of the Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray.
Starting on a very basic level, Wilson and Murray are two of the shortest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Particularly at the level they do. Wilson is on the roster at 5’ 11”, while Murray is 5’ 10” – but even those modest measurements feel generous.
It’s even more noticeable when you look at them in the huddle—or on the sidelines next to their teammates, who generally tower over them.
And, no shocker here, but the two mini-QBs both seemed to have developed a bit of a Napoleon complex over the years—and have shown a tendency to butt heads with teammates and a proclivity for extreme egos.
I mean, one guy is all over social media calling himself Mr. Unlimited, while the other blows off his playbook to play video games and unfollow his team and teammates on Instagram and Twitter. Not exactly the kind of foundational behavior you’d want from the guy who is supposed to be the on-field leader of the organization.
It isn’t all doom and gloom for Wilson and Murray though… They have both proven to be exceptional QBs. It just seems that the team needs to be winning—and their needs to be a strong voice in the locker room—whether that be another player or from the coaching staff—to keep the team at equilibrium and sailing in the right direction.
Gardner Minshew and Jacoby Brissett
In some ways… they are kind of the opposite case from another AFC / NFC pair… Gardner Minshew and Jacoby Brissett.
Minshew and Brissett seem to be two of the most beloved quarterbacks in the league.
Their teammates love them, the fans love them… But because neither quarterback is really a bonafide starter, they’ve bounced around to a few teams each, recently landing in Indy and Washington DC respectively. And everywhere they go, they seem to make a positive impact on the locker room.
The only problem—neither guy can really seem to hack it as a full-time starter. They are great in a pinch—and can win you a game… Just not on a regular basis, especially when the opposing defense has a full week to gameplan for them and exploit their weaknesses.
The similarities are fairly apparent when you watch the way that they play as well. Both possess enough athleticism to get themselves out of—and sometimes into—trouble… And both seem to be plagued by stretches of recklessness…
But when things are going well and their teams are rallying behind them to deliver an upset victory, man can they be fun to watch!
Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen
Speaking of fun to watch… The similarities between Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen, the Bills franchise quarterback, have also become much more apparent of late.
Hurts and Allen are freak athletes that can rush the ball in designed run situations—and impromptu scrambles. Neither is hurting for arm strength either… and their fan bases are all about them.
Which, let’s face it, you would be too if they were starting for your favorite team. Jalen and Josh are going to be in the MVP conversation—and elevating their teams to Super Bowl contention—for years to come!
Justin Fields and Anthony Richardson
Something that the Bears and Colts hope that Justin Fields and Anthony Richardson will do for their franchises in the not-too-distant future.
This one is a little tricky—because Fields is already two years into his NFL career, meanwhile Richardson hasn’t stepped foot on the professional gridiron yet…
But these are two guys with next level athleticism… Richardson ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, the fourth fastest by a quarterback since 2000—and .01 seconds faster than Field’s 4.44.
Considering the way that Fields scorched opposing defenses last year—running for over 1100 yards—there is no reason to believe that Richardson shouldn’t be able to befuddle opposing defenses in a similar manner.
What makes these two prospects all the more exciting is that they both have the arm talent to keep defenses honest as well. It’s just a matter of developing and maturing as a passer—and finding the right offensive scheme to really showcase their unique abilities.
Which, if done right—could be downright scary…
Zach Wilson and Trey Lance
And… if done wrong… Could look more like two other young bucks, who’ve really limped out of the gate to start their NFL careers—both figurative and literally.
The Jets took Zach Wilson second overall in ’21, then with the next pick, San Fran took Trey Lance and the return on investment for both teams has been staggeringly low.
Lance gets a little bit more of a pass. He was slotted behind Jimmy Garoppolo, who had recently led the team to a Super Bowl appearance to start. But once he did get into the action—he looked inconsistent—and perhaps more concerningly, completely unable to stay on the field.
Wilson, well… That whole situation in New York has been a complete abomination. Yes, he’s struggled with injuries, but he’s also shown a level of profound immaturity—and his play on the field single-handedly kept an uber-talented Jets team from even qualifying for the playoffs in 2022.
Now, both of these young quarterbacks’ futures are really hanging in the balance. Wilson has been banished to the bottom of the depth charts with the Jets’ acquisition of Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile, San Fran has brought in the likes of Sam Darnold to compete with Lance and last year’s Cinderella story, Brock Purdy.
The fact of the matter is that despite all the talent and expectations that Wilson and Lance came into the league with, time is going to start running out for them if they can’t find a way to stay on the field—both performance-wise and health-wise.
Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stafford
Speaking of Rodgers… He and Matt Stafford have weirdly found themselves as interesting comps for one another.
Stafford struggled slightly more with interceptions than Rodgers throughout his career, but they are far and away two of the most talented “throwers” we have seen.
Aaron is a few years older than Matt, but they have both been in the NFL for a decade-plus now. And because of the Brett Favre-buffer Rodgers had between getting drafted and his ascent to stardom—it fees like they’ve largely been on the same timeline.
And in the time since, both have put up absolutely astronomical numbers, though Stafford hasn’t gotten the same kind of critical acclaim—largely, I believe, because of the downright dysfunctional organization he played the bulk of his career through.
Tough to rack up the All-Pros like Rodgers did when you are surrounded by incompetence—on the field, in the coaching rooms, and the front office, for the bulk of your entire career.
Time, however, has been kind to Matt. And he got a hell of a break with the opportunity to join up with Sean McVay and the Rams. And now that he has joined Rodgers in having a Super Bowl ring, the comparison between the two is even more compelling.
Jimmy Garoppolo and Jared Goff
And last, but not least… we have Jimmy Garoppolo and Jared Goff, two guys, who in many people’s eyes, have proven themselves to be competent NFL starters, but in many ways, “system babies.”
Garoppolo played the bulk of his career in Kyle Shanahan’s insanely quarterback-friendly offense.
And Sean McVay’s system, which Goff made his money off of, is a close second!
Though Jared had a nice bounce back performance in year 2 in Detroit, after having been unceremoniously shipped out of town, I don’t think anyone is making the mistake of thinking he is going to put up the kind of numbers he did in 2018, when he and McVay’s offense were one of the top units around the league.
This year, his counterpart, Jimmy G will have a very similar test in Las Vegas, where he is going to have to play without the benefit of Shanahan’s system for the first time since he was in New England, under Belichick and co.
One thing working in Garoppolo’s favor is that he has some familiarity with Josh McDaniels, so it shouldn’t be an overly painful transition. But again, the public seems to have extremely modest expectations for what this next chapter in Jimmy G’s career will look like.
Both he and Goff have played in Super Bowls, but neither looked particularly capable of elevating their team to victory… Hence people’s reluctance to believe that they’ll thrive amid the increased adversity that comes with their new teams.
Which NFL quarterbacks do you think are the closest mirror images of one another? Did we miss anyone?
