A few things I enjoy about every NFL season is seeing teams go worst to first, from pretenders to contenders, and, of course, breakout performances like the quarterback leap.
I recently logged every quarterback leap since 2000 to find the most common factors linking them together as we look ahead to project breakout stars in 2024. You can find everything you need to know on my criteria and the history of the quarterback leap in Monday’s article.
The primary factors leading to quarterback leaps can be placed into four buckets: development, coaching, supporting cast and a change of scenery. Development was the most common thread since 2000, showing up as the primary factor in 31 of the 97 leaps. This included rookie quarterbacks who made an immediate splash and exceeded expectations, thanks to improvements made between college and their first season. For example, not many could have predicted Dak Prescott’s performance in 2016. It’ll be interesting to see which rookie can perform like a top 10 quarterback in 2024.
The Year 2 leap has also become a popular phrase for good reason. They accounted for 20% of all leaps, by far the most of any season number. There’s been a Year 2 leap in six of the past seven seasons, including nine total in that span. Carson Wentz, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Brock Purdy either won MVP, or were MVP contenders in their second seasons. The primary reason for the Year 2 leap isn’t always development, as we saw the coaching impact with Trevor Lawrence in 2022, but it’s certainly a part of it.
Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a five-part series that dives deep into NFL quarterbacks making sudden, massive improvement, which we’ve dubbed ‘Quarterback Leap Week.’ To see what’s coming each day this week, scroll down to the end of this story.
Year 2 leaps since 2017
2023 — Brock Purdy: 31 Pass TD and NFL-high 9.6 yards per attempt (first…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/no-1-overall-quarterbacks-who-can-break-through-in-2024-caleb-williams-bryce-young-primed-for-success/
Author : Douglas Clawson
Publish date : 2024-06-25 12:19:57
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