Overview of The Iceman Cometh: Ranking All 32 QBs
Mina Kimes and Ben Solak run their annual quarterback draft, ranking all 32 NFL starting quarterbacks on a three-year horizon while trying to strip away team context, contracts, and supporting cast as much as possible. The conversation leans heavily on traits like durability, pressure-to-sack rate, accuracy, scrambling value, deep-ball ability, and how much a QB can elevate an offense on his own. As usual, the top of the board is stable, but the middle and bottom tiers are full of debate, injury risk, and projection.
Key Takeaways
- Patrick Mahomes remains No. 1 despite a down year, mostly because nobody else made a strong enough case to unseat him.
- Josh Allen over Lamar Jackson came down to durability and long-term health confidence more than pure peak play.
- Joe Burrow is still clearly in the top tier, but Mina frames him as the “big three plus” because he lacks the same rushing/scrambling value as Mahomes, Allen, and Lamar.
- Drake Maye and Caleb Williams are the biggest ascending bets among the young QBs, with both hosts buying the talent and trajectory.
- Jordan Love is viewed as severely underrated, especially because of his efficiency on third down and willingness to attack downfield.
- Matthew Stafford is hard to rank in a three-year exercise because his age and back issues make his future playing time uncertain.
- The rookie class is all over the place, but Fernando Mendoza is the highest-rated rookie, while Cam Ward, Tyler Shough, and Jaxson Dart all land in the 20s.
- Injury and age crushed a lot of names: Tua, Rodgers, Geno, and Daniel Jones all slide because of durability concerns and/or declining physical tools.
Full QB Rankings
Top Tier
- Patrick Mahomes
- Josh Allen
- Lamar Jackson
- Joe Burrow
Young Stars / High-End Starters
- Drake Maye
- Justin Herbert
- Dak Prescott
- Caleb Williams
- Jordan Love
- Jayden Daniels
Established Veterans With Questions
- Matthew Stafford
- C.J. Stroud
- Trevor Lawrence
- Jared Goff
- Brock Purdy
- Fernando Mendoza
- Jalen Hurts
- Kyler Murray
Mid-Tier to Riskier Starters
- Sam Darnold
- Bo Nix
- Baker Mayfield
- Cam Ward
- Tyler Shough
- Jaxson Dart
- Bryce Young
- Malik Willis
- Daniel Jones
- Geno Smith
- Tua Tagovailoa
- Aaron Rodgers
- Shedeur Sanders
- Jacoby Brissett
Notable Arguments and Evaluation Themes
Why Mahomes stayed on top
- Even in a frustrating season and a bad offense, he still produced elite pressure numbers and remained the best bet over a three-year window.
- The hosts repeatedly emphasize that the Chiefs’ offensive environment was worse than expected, but Mahomes still separates by track record.
Why Allen edged Lamar
- Allen’s durability and relative steadiness gave him the slight edge.
- Lamar’s 2025 season was impacted by lower-body injury and a noticeable dip in evasiveness and rushing effectiveness.
Why Burrow stays elite
- Burrow is described as an incredible distributor and processor who elevates receivers and rarely makes the wrong read.
- The main limitation is physical: he simply doesn’t add the same scramble/running value as the top three.
The Maye and Williams bets
- Drake Maye: the hosts love the year-two jump, physical tools, and his ability to adapt to different styles of play.
- Caleb Williams: elite arm talent and playmaking upside, but still needs more consistency, especially on routine throws and timing.
Jordan Love’s case
- Mina argues that Love is one of the most misunderstood quarterbacks in the league.
- His production on third down and in pressure situations was excellent, and his aggressive downfield style is a feature, not a bug.
Why Stafford, Stroud, and Lawrence landed where they did
- Stafford: still very good, but age and injury uncertainty matter a lot in a three-year ranking.
- Stroud: better than the public perception after a rough postseason; the Texans’ run game and protection issues weighed him down.
- Lawrence: the talent is obvious, but the hosts still want more consistency before fully buying him as a top-10 lock.
Rookies and risky bets
- Fernando Mendoza was the highest rookie because of size, arm talent, processing, and projection.
- Cam Ward is the big arm talent bet, but the stat profile was rough.
- Shough gets credit for aggression and scheme fit.
- Dart has exciting playmaking, but contact and injury risk are major concerns.
- Bryce Young is treated as a tough evaluation because the size limitations remain real, even if the flashes are better.
Likely Fan Reactions
- Eagles fans may be the angriest about Jalen Hurts at 17.
- Broncos fans could object to Bo Nix at 20.
- Colts fans may dislike how low Daniel Jones lands despite his strong stretch before injury.
- Steelers fans will be divided on Aaron Rodgers at 30.
- Geno, Tua, and Sanders all land in spots that will probably generate debate because of health, age, and projection questions.
Bottom Line
This episode is less about “who had the best season” and more about who you’d bet on over the next three years. The final board rewards:
- proven elite play,
- durability,
- pressure handling,
- and quarterbacks who can create value even when the environment gets messy.
It also shows how quickly the league’s QB conversation is changing: the old elite core is still intact, but the young wave — especially Maye, Williams, Daniels, Love, and the rookie crop — is closing fast.