Six years usually tell you what a quarterback draft class really was. The noise from draft night fades pretty quickly. College stats stop meaning much once everyone is playing on Sundays. Eventually, the conversation becomes simple. Did a team find its quarterback or not?
Back in 2020, plenty of people thought several franchises had solved that question. Viewed from 2026, things feel less clean than they did that night.
Joe Burrow was the easiest call of the bunch. The Cincinnati Bengals watched him dismantle college defenses at LSU, and the pick barely required debate. Selected first overall in the 2020 draft, Burrow quickly showed why the Bengals believed he could change the direction of the franchise. His accuracy stood out right away. So did the confidence.
When he is healthy, the Bengals offense still runs through him. Burrow has thrown for more than 17,000 yards with over 120 touchdown passes in his career while completing roughly 68 percent of his attempts, numbers that place him among the league’s most efficient passers. He reads defenses quickly and rarely panics when the pocket starts to close. For a franchise that spent years searching for stability at quarterback, his arrival changed the direction of the team almost immediately. Burrow led Cincinnati to Super Bowl LVI following the 2021 season, where the Bengals ultimately lost 23–20 to the Los Angeles Rams.
Yet the conversation around Burrow often drifts back to the same concern.
Staying on the field.
The knee injury early in his career forced Cincinnati to rethink protection in a hurry. Other lower-body issues have popped up since then. Every time Burrow misses games, the pressure on the organization becomes obvious.
Justin Herbert and January shortcomings
Justin Herbert came off the board sixth overall in the 2020 draft when the Los Angeles Chargers made their pick, becoming the second quarterback selected behind Joe Burrow. From a physical standpoint, he may still be the most impressive thrower from the entire class. The ball jumps out of his hand. Deep throws travel with almost no effort.
Herbert started piling up passing yards almost immediately after entering the league. As a rookie, he threw for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns, setting a rookie record for touchdown passes at the time. The production never really slowed down. Through the first several seasons of his career, he has already thrown for well over 20,000 yards with more than 150 touchdown passes, while regularly finishing near the top of the league in passing yards. The Chargers offense has leaned heavily on his arm and his ability to stretch the field.
Playoff success has not arrived yet. Herbert has only one playoff appearance so far, a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars following the 2022 season. Part of that falls on the organization around him. Coaching changes have created instability, and the group of offensive weapons has rarely stayed consistent for long stretches.
Tua Tagovailoa’s durability in question
Tua Tagovailoa remains one of the hardest quarterbacks from this class to define clearly.
The Miami Dolphins selected him fifth overall in the 2020 draft, believing the upside was worth the risk after his standout career at Alabama. When the offense is working, it moves quickly. The ball comes out fast and receivers rarely break stride catching it. In 2023, he led the NFL in passing yards with 4,624, showing just how dangerous Miami’s offense can look when everything clicks.
The issue that keeps resurfacing is availability.
Injuries have interrupted multiple seasons and forced Miami to change plans more than once. Concussions in 2022, along with other injuries earlier in his career, have caused him to miss double-digit games since entering the league. Some stretches made it look like the Dolphins had their long-term answer. Heading into 2026, some say Tagovailoa is on borrowed time in Miami.
Jordan Love’s Green Bay transition
Jordan Love entered the league under very different circumstances.
The Green Bay Packers selected him 26th overall in the 2020 draft, trading up even though Aaron Rodgers was still firmly in place as the starter. Love spent three seasons waiting and learning behind Rodgers before finally stepping into the starting role in 2023.
Since taking over the offense, Love has kept Green Bay competitive in the NFC. His first full season as a starter included more than 4,000 passing yards and over 30 touchdown passes, helping push the Packers back into the playoff conversation.
The only Super Bowl winner
Philadelphia selected Jalen Hurts 53rd overall in the second round of the 2020 draft, and the reaction at the time was confusion.
Six years later, he stands apart from the rest of the class.
Hurts has developed into one of the most productive dual-threat quarterbacks in the league. In 2022, he threw for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns while adding 760 rushing yards and 13 rushing scores, leading Philadelphia to Super Bowl LVII, where the Eagles ultimately lost 38–35 to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles later returned to the big stage, and Hurts helped guide them to a championship in Super Bowl LIX, where Philadelphia defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
That detail alone changes how the class is viewed. Burrow and Herbert may still dominate most talent discussions. Love continues guiding a competitive team in Green Bay. Tagovailoa remains one of the most debated players in the league.
The quarterback holding the ring, however, came from the second round.
Draft night predictions rarely survive the reality of the NFL.
This content was brought to you by: Yardbarker: NFL
