FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 27th, 2020
TUA TAGOVAILOA LEADS OFF CHRIS SIMMS’ TOP 40 NFL QUARTERBACK RANKINGS, NOW ON “CHRIS SIMMS UNBUTTONED” AND “PRO FOOTBALL TALK LIVE”
Two QBs Revealed Per Day on PFT Live, Culminating with the Top Two on Thursday, June 25; In-Depth Breakdowns for Each Ranking Weekly on Chris Simms Unbuttoned Podcast
Rookies Tua Tagovailoa (No. 40) & Justin Herbert (No. 37), Dwayne Haskins (No. 39), Mitchell Trubisky (No. 38), and Taysom Hill (No. 36) Ranked #36-40 in the Simms Top 40 QB Countdown
“He’s the future of the Saints. Taysom Hill is on his way to being the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints in 2021.” – Simms
“Do I have my concerns about whether he is going to live up to that worthiness of a top-five pick? Certainly…At the very least, I know he has got the talent to play in the league.” – Simms on Tua Tagovailoa
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 27, 2020 – Over the course of the next month, NBC Sports’ Chris Simms will unveil his list of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and on “PFT Live.”
Beginning this week and culminating Thursday, June 25 with his top two quarterbacks in the league, Simms will release two selections daily every Monday-Thursday on “PFT Live.”
Simms, a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2003 NFL Draft who played eight NFL seasons, will also offer in-depth player breakdowns and rankings explanations throughout each week on Chris Simms Unbuttoned.
“It’s always fun to revisit this,” Simms said. “I really thought 25 to 40 was the toughest part of it for me this year, which is rare. Usually 10 through 20 is tough. This year, I felt like the backend was tough which means there are a lot of good quarterbacks and a lot of guys that are up-and-comers to look out for.”
To kick off the countdown, Simms unveiled his quarterbacks ranked 36-40:
| 36. | Taysom Hill, New Orleans |
| 37. | Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers |
| 38. | Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago |
| 39. | Dwayne Haskins, Washington |
| 40. | Tua Tagovailoa, Miami |
The rankings will continue Thursday with numbers 34 and 35 on “PFT Live” and 31-35 on the next episode of “Chris Simms Unbuttoned.”
The following are highlights from this week’s editions of Chris Simms Unbuttoned:
No. 40: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Simms: “There is talent there. Whether I thought he was a top five or top 10 pick (in the Draft)…doesn’t matter. I still thought he was a first-round pick and certainly one of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL right now…He is a natural at the position in a lot of ways and he brings other things to the table which I take into account…He does have a presence on the field, and we saw that at Alabama. He can give a team belief because of that charisma…Do I have my concerns about whether he is going to live up to that worthiness of a top-five pick and be a guy that can carry a football team on his shoulders, and make plays when nothing has happened and all those things? Yes, I do. I am concerned about that, but at the very least, I know he has got the talent to play in the league.”
No. 39: Dwayne Haskins, Washington Redskins
Simms: “I don’t know what to make of his first year. I am not sure what he is…There are other proven commodities right now in front of him…. They are better quarterbacks than he is at this point. Do I see potential in Dwayne Haskins? Certainly. I know he has got a big-time arm, good size, and he is a decent athlete…I don’t think Dwayne Haskins gave the Washington Redskins organization the confidence maybe Drew Lock or Daniel Jones gave their teams last year.”
No. 38: Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears
Simms: “What can you love about Mitchell Trubisky’s game right now when you really look at it? First off, it’s below-average NFL throwing of the football…Way too many slam dunk NFL completions missed, let alone the decision-making is questionable at times…If you’re not going to scramble and make plays that way, then you need to be a good thrower, good decision-maker, and accurate.”
No. 37: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Simms: “Justin Herbert has played a lot of college football at a really high level. Four-year starter (at Oregon), lots of reps in a non-quarterback friendly offense where he really got a lot done and made a lot of plays. When there’s nothing there to be had, an awesome quarterback makes sure there’s something there to be had, and he can do that…I think he has superstar capabilities. You put him in the Bears offense, I think they’d have better results than they would with Mitchell Trubisky. I’m very bullish on Justin Herbert…I wouldn’t be shocked if we’re sitting here next year, two years from now, and he’s in the top 10. That’s what kind of guy he is.”
No. 36: Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Simms: “He’s the future of the Saints. Taysom Hill is on his way to being the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints in 2021…He’s been coached by Sean Payton the last few years. I’ve seen a progression every year…He’s got big-time talent. He’s got a huge arm. He can throw missiles all over the field and he can throw it deep with great ease. He’s learned how to go through reads and play within the pocket…He’s got a skillset that’s special and that you’re going to be able to do some different things with a guy like Taysom Hill that you can’t do with a lot of other quarterbacks…He has superstar ability. There’s a reason you hear Sean Payton say Steve Young and things like that. It’s special that way…If I saw 100 more reps, he’d probably be way up the list from where he is, but right now he a little bit of an unknown commodity.”
To listen to the full player breakdowns on Chris Simms Unbuttoned, click here.
-NBC SPORTS-
