When it comes to grading the NFL Draft, we all know that it’s impossible to give an accurate grade until years down the line. Well, 10 years later, the time has come to rank the quarterbacks in the 2012 Draft. This draft included four quarterbacks selected in the first round and three within the top eight picks. However, it’s the quarterbacks who were selected later that have made the most impact. A full decade after draft night, let’s give a proper ranking to the quarterbacks of the 2012 NFL Draft.
8. Brandon Weeden
For Weeden, the good news is he’s only one of several quarterbacks who failed with the Browns. In his defense, the Browns didn’t even give him a season and a half to prove himself. Of course, Weeden also showed little promise that he could stick as a starter. He ended up being a rarely used backup for a few years, but finished his career with a 76 passer rating and only one more touchdown than interception.
7. Brock Osweiller
For what it’s worth, the Broncos probably don’t win Super Bowl 50 if they don’t go 5-2 with Osweiller filling in for Peyton Manning during the regular season. However, whenever he got a chance to be a full-time starter, Osweiller failed miserably. He played so poorly that nobody else wanted him as their backup. He was out of the league after 2018 with a career passer rating of 78.
6. Nick Foles
How does one evaluate Foles’ career? He’s primarily been a backup, but he also went to the Pro Bowl in his second season and was a Super Bowl MVP. Foles had had some truly triumphant moments, although most of his career has been spent on the bench or playing subpar football.
5. Robert Griffin III
The knee injury RG3 suffered at the end of his rookie season was the first of several that hampered his career. Keep in mind that he was Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler that year, so if he stayed healthy, who knows what could have happened for the former Heisman winner. To his credit, Griffin hung around the league until 2020, mostly playing as a backup who was serviceable at best.
4. Kirk Cousins
As a fourth-round pick, Cousins has more than surpassed expectations as a three-time Pro Bowler. However, in his first seven seasons as a full-time starter, he’s only won 10 games once while going 1-2 as a starter in the playoffs. Cousins is a bonafide starter in the NFL, but he’s average at best, which is what you’d expect from the 102nd overall pick.
3. Ryan Tannehill
You have to give Tannehill some credit. He had some ups and downs in Miami and then missed an entire season due to injury. But he’s found himself and found a lot of success with the Titans. He even made the Pro Bowl in 2019 when he led the league in passer rating, which led to him signing a massive extension.
2. Andrew Luck
It’s hard not to feel like Luck’s career is incomplete. Injuries caused him to retire early, as he only played five full seasons. But in those five seasons, Luck made the Pro Bowl four times and led the league with 40 touchdown passes in 2014. He also owns the all-time record for passing yards by a rookie. Ultimately, Luck accomplished more in his five full seasons than almost every other quarterback in the 2012 draft.
1. Russell Wilson
There’s no question that the 75th overall pick is the best quarterback from the 2012 draft. Wilson still has some good years left in him, but he’s won a Super Bowl and been a Pro Bowler in all but one of his first 10 seasons. His resume is missing an MVP award, although there’s no denying that Wilson will go down as one of the best quarterbacks of his generation and arguably the best player from the class of 2012.