Qb rankings vs Strength of Schedule

1. Qb Rankings vs Strength of Schedule

  

   Last year you could make the argument that Drake Maye kind of came out of nowhere to finish as Qb 3. Yes he is an uber talented Qb with a rocket arm but something else was hiding behind the scene of his breakout season. That would be his strength of schedule. He had the 3rd easiest strength of schedule with his opponents having a previous year win % of only .429%. I believe his talent plus an easy strength of schedule propelled him into the top 5. 

   With this in mind lets look at the pre-draft 2026 rankings and strength of schedule and see if we can find this years Drake Maye. 

Here is the easiest projected schedule for 2026 based on Vegas Win totals.

1. Lions(Goff)
2. Bengles(Burrow)
3. Saints(Shough)
4. Jets(Smith)
5. Ravens(Jackson)
6. Browns( Watson/Sanders)
7. 49ers(Purdy)
8. Eagles(Hurts)
9. Colts(Jones)
10. Patriots(Maye)

  Im not going to list the top Qbs for this year based on ADP. But we will pluck the useful info from this list. Obviously we aren't drafting Daniel Jones , Deshaun Watson of Geno Smith in one Qb leagues. But they are guys who could be interesting if you are drafting in a Super Flex league. 

  What about Burrow, Jackson, and Hurts? These are all guys expected to be in the first 7 Qbs off the board. I don't know about you but I cant definitively say I know Jayden Daniels or Caleb Williams will finish higher than our list of Burrow, Jackson or Hurts. These guys are all very similar in ceiling and floor. We are really splitting hairs with the top 10 Qbs this year outside of Josh Allen who is the model of consistency. 

 With this info I may lean more towards waiting on Burrow and taking him with the confidence he could finish inside the top 10. Hurts and Jackson also have a major green light for me. 

  Drake Maye could also yet again meet his lofty ADP as Qb3. He will have plenty of opportunities and with the addition of Aj Brown he could be off to the races again in 2026. My guy Brock Purdy is the most intriguing on this list. Yes , he will have to play the vaulted Rams defense…with Myles Garrett  :( yikes. However, the rest of schedule is very manageable and with an upgraded receiving core he could be in for a career year. Currently coming off the board at Qb 11. I could see him finishing as high as Qb 5 overall.

   This year the Qb position looks like a big blob to me. The position was down as a whole last year. There is great value late in the draft. But if you are splitting hairs use the schedule they play to help you differentiate and let the cream rise to the top.

  Let me know which Qbs you like in this year’s draft and if this SOS moved the needle for you. Drop in the comments below!

-FFguru24