Each year, the NFL offseason gets to a point where there’s nothing better to do than debate how good or great a player is. What better way to do that than by ranking players?
Naturally, no position is more hotly debated than quarterback. Who’s the best QB? Who’s the worst? That type of thing. Eventually, we get to a point where one player is being ranked against the other. Like, Justin Herbert being placed above Drake Maye, for example. Such a placement might ruffle some feathers, no?
ESPN Poll Finds Justin Herbert Ranks Ahead of Drake Maye?
Recently, ESPN started rolling out results from a poll surveying NFL executives, coaches, and scouts asking to rank the top players by position. The QB results are in.
One of the most interesting takeaways was that consensus placed Herbert at No. 7, which may be fair. But what drew some criticism was that it placed the Los Angeles Chargers QB, who has zero playoff wins in six seasons, one spot ahead of Maye, who ranked eighth.
Seeing Herbert land ahead of Maye caused FS1’s Nick Wright to get fired up on First Things First.
“It is outrageous to have him ahead of Maye. Herbert is literally one of the worst playoff quarterbacks ever. We’ll see if that changes. They’re 0-3. They score fifteen points per game. He has two touchdowns, a 65 rating, and five turnovers.”
“It is outrageous to have him ahead of Maye… Herbert is literally one of the worst playoff quarterbacks ever. We’ll see if that changes.”@getnickwright reacts to Justin Herbert being ranked ahead of Drake Maye in QB poll: pic.twitter.com/yWV0RPLycT
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) July 15, 2026
Herbert’s postseason record is clearly his biggest drawback at this point, and it is a very valid concern, especially in a world that values playoff success above all else.
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Meanwhile, Wright acknowledged there are maybe two knocks on Maye: that he has just one season of success, and questions about the New England Patriots’ strength of schedule during their Super Bowl run.
Notably, Herbert’s Chargers were one of the teams that Maye’s Patriots beat in the postseason. So any questions or doubts about opponent strength have direct ties back to Herbert.
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Still, Herbert has simply had success over a longer period of time. Some may have concerns that Maye’s season was somehow just a flash in the pan. That’s where the upcoming season will give these two quarterbacks a chance to truly separate themselves from the pack.
Maye’s receiving corps has seemingly only gotten better, swapping out Stefon Diggs for A.J. Brown while sprinkling Romeo Doubs into the formation too.
Meanwhile, Herbert is heading into his third season under coach Jim Harbaugh, but his first under offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who just might be able to unlock more explosive plays while making things easier on the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
