File under silly: The Comeback has ranked Alex Smith at No. 23 overall in their overview of all NFL QB situations.
The Comeback has published a new list ranking all 32 projected starting quarterbacks in the NFL for the 2017 season. Once again, Kansas City Chiefs starter Alex Smith fails to garner the respect he deserves after guiding the team to a 12-4 record last season, as he comes in No. 23 overall.
It’s silly to think that the 22 quarterbacks above him on the list would perform better in Kansas City, a list that includes Andy Dalton, Tyrod Taylor and even Brian Hoyer. Somehow Smith is listed as a Top 100 NFL player according to the NFL Network’s latest rankings but he’s not better than 3/4 of the league at his same position per The Comeback. Writer Brad Gagnon says:
"Smith is basically an older and slightly more conservative version of Bradford. There’s a reason the Chiefs sacrificed two first-round picks in order to add Patrick Mahomes in the draft."
The game-manager narrative on Smith is old and overused at this point, an all too easy (and inaccurate) way to view a quarterback who is far more capable than lazy writers like this will dig to find out. Does Smith have his issues? Absolutely. Is he worse than 75% of his peers. No way.
Then again, Smith’s supporters have grown used to this over the years. He deserves far more credit than he ever receives and that will likely remain true when the Chiefs decide to replace him in the starting line-up with Patrick Mahomes.