Daniel Jeremiah ranks rookie QB draft class with Sam Darnold included

03/30/2021

Despite the notion that Sam Darnold’s value is in a freefall, Daniel Jeremiah put some respect on his name while ranking the rookie QB class.

On Monday, ESPN’s Kimberly Martin reported Sam Darnold‘s perceived value by a few NFL executives. To be frank, it wasn’t great, and it certainly was not what New York Jets fans wanted to hear.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah still has hope for Darnold, though. Jeremiah believes that Darnold would be the third-best player overall behind Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson when thrown into the rookie quarterback draft class mix.

(Let me try this again)

Interesting to insert Sam Darnold’s availability into this draft class. Obviously, that will determine what the Jets do at pick 2. For me, he would be 3rd.

1) Trevor Lawrence
2) Zach Wilson
3) Sam Darnold
4) Trey Lance
5) Justin Fields
6) Mac Jones

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) March 29, 2021

For those who aren’t aware, Jeremiah is close with current Jets general manager Joe Douglas and was once thought to be in the running for an executive position on the team. High praise from Jeremiah could assert that a similar belief is felt by the man making the moves in New York.

Sam will only be 24 by the start of the 2021 NFL season. He’s already shown flashes of excellence, and the new head coach and offensive coordinator both see the potential for greatness in the young quarterback.

Recent footage of a throw made by Darnold against Robert Saleh‘s San Francisco 49ers (that somewhat mirrored a pass thrown at Wilson’s Pro Day) has only added fuel to the speculation that he can be salvaged if given a better opportunity.

I see ALOT of Sam Darnold vs Zach Wilson debates…. thoughts? pic.twitter.com/YQRwomOMIZ

— 𝙉𝙀𝙒 𝙀𝙍𝘼 𝙅𝙀𝙏𝙎 (@NewEraNYJets) March 27, 2021

While Daniel Jeremiah’s comments can’t be assumed to be the exact thoughts by Joe Douglas, there’s still merit to be held in them.

If a team still believes in Sam Darnold, there is a chance he could end up better than some of the elite 2021 quarterback prospects. Whether or not that team is the Jets, however, remains to be seen.