Where Jarrett Stidham Ranks On NFL Expert’s ‘Young QB Confidence’ List

The New England Patriots’ faith in Jarrett Stidham is apparent, but some question the wisdom of the team’s belief in him.

CBS NFL analyst Jason La Canfora ranked the Patriots quarterback No. 9 out of 17 on his “young QB confidence” list Monday. La Canfora surveys the top QBs selected in the last three NFL Drafts and gauges their prospects for short- and long-term success with their current team. Stidham, New England’s fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, likely will enter training camp as the front-runner for the starting-QB job, but La Canfora suspects he might struggle without elite receiving options.

“Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels really like this kid and think he is a winner and, at worst, would have or should have been the third or fourth QB taken in the 2020 draft if he were in it,” La Canfora wrote. “They love what he showed last offseason and preseason learning the offense. He needs better WR and TEs than New England has right now, but this staff believes they can make it work, and given their resume developing QBs, I wouldn’t bet against them.”

The spotlight will be on Stidham throughout the 2020 NFL season, as he seeks to lead the Patriots’ offense in Year 1 of the post-Tom Brady era. Stidham drew rave reviews from inside the Patriots’ organization as a rookie, and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell considers him one of the NFL’s “biggest offseason winners” after New England declined to draft a QB or sign a high-profile veteran signal-caller in free agency.

The onus will be on Stidham to justify the Patriots’ faith, and questions about the talent surrounding him will fade in importance once he begins performing in the regular season. If he exceeds expectations, he undoubtedly will climb La Canfora’s revised rankings.

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