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Mock Draft Simulator 2026 NFL Draft Big Board Big Board Builder NCAA Premium Stats SubscribeOnly four quarterbacks remain in the hunt for a Super Bowl appearance, and no two profiles look the same. Matthew Stafford represents the experienced veteran with a long playoff résumé, Sam Darnold has revived his career in Seattle, Drake Maye has emerged as one of the league’s most efficient young passers and Jarrett Stidham finds himself thrust into the spotlight under center in the biggest game of his career.
Ahead of conference championship weekend, we break down the strengths and weaknesses of each quarterback using PFF grading, efficiency metrics and performance under pressure, highlighting where each passer excels — and where opposing defenses may look to attack.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Strength: Play-action
Darnold has been exactly what the Seahawks envisioned when they signed him this offseason, emerging as an ideal fit for Klint Kubiak’s play-action-heavy offense. Darnold owns the highest PFF grade on play-action throws (91.3) and has consistently generated explosive plays in those situations, ranking second in average depth of target while leading all quarterbacks in big-time throw rate off play-action this season (10.2%).
Weakness: Play when pressured
Things tend to fall apart when Darnold is forced off his initial dropback. He has been pressured on just 34.5% of his dropbacks this season — the 11th-lowest rate in the NFL — but his effectiveness drops sharply when that pressure does arrive. Darnold’s 49.3 PFF grade under pressure ranks 26th among quarterbacks, a stark contrast to his elite 91.7 PFF grade from clean pockets, which ranks sixth.
Keeping Darnold clean will be essential if Seattle wants its offense operating at full efficiency.
Sam Darnold: Metrics Swipe (2022–24) Sam Darnold: 2025Stable Metrics
Clean Pocket Grade88th Percentile Standard Dropback Grade83rd Percentile 1st / 2nd Down Grade95th Percentile No Play Action Grade71st Percentile At / Beyond Sticks Grade95th Percentile Avoids Negatives88th Percentile Sack Rate67th PercentileUnstable Metrics
Under Pressure Grade73rd Percentile Outside Pocket Grade86th Percentile 3rd / 4th Down Grade43rd Percentile Play Action Grade97th Percentile Positively Graded Throws69th Percentile ❮ ❯Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Strength: Operating over the middle of the field
Stafford has made a career out of attacking the middle of the field, but he’s been as lethal there this season as ever. The veteran has earned a 94.9 PFF passing grade on throws targeted between the numbers, the highest among all quarterbacks. And this production isn’t built on checkdowns: 46.6% of his attempts over the middle are thrown past the first-down marker, the second-highest rate in the NFL.
Few quarterbacks manipulate linebackers and safeties better than Stafford, and he’ll need to be at his surgical best to stress a Seahawks defense that excels at closing throwing windows.
Weakness: Putting the ball in danger
Stafford has never been afraid to shy away from challenging throws, a trait that has occasionally led to turnover issues throughout his career. For most of this season, that aggressiveness was well controlled. From Week 1 to Week 14, Stafford recorded just 11 turnover-worthy plays, giving him the sixth-lowest turnover-worthy play rate in the league.
That trend has flipped since Week 15, however. He has produced 15 turnover-worthy plays over that stretch, and in the playoffs, he leads the remaining quarterbacks in turnover-worthy plays despite throwing just one interception. That disconnect may not last forever, and if those risky throws begin turning into actual turnovers, it could prove costly for the Rams against an opportunistic Seattle defense.
Matthew Stafford: Metrics Swipe (2022–24) Matthew Stafford: 2025Stable Metrics
Clean Pocket Grade98th Percentile Standard Dropback Grade95th Percentile 1st / 2nd Down Grade98th Percentile No Play Action Grade95th Percentile At / Beyond Sticks Grade92nd Percentile Avoids Negatives69th Percentile Sack Rate90th PercentileUnstable Metrics
Under Pressure Grade85th Percentile Outside Pocket Grade72nd Percentile 3rd / 4th Down Grade83rd Percentile Play Action Grade80th Percentile Positively Graded Throws95th Percentile ❮ ❯Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Strength: Deep ball
Maye’s rise into the NFL’s upper tier of quarterbacks has been one of the defining storylines of the season. He finished the regular season with the third-highest PFF overall grade among all quarterbacks (90.1), driven largely by his dominance throwing the ball downfield. Maye earned the third-highest deep passing grade in the league and ranked second in accuracy percentage on throws with a targeted depth of 20-plus yards.
Perhaps most impressively, he paired that aggressiveness with elite decision-making, producing just one turnover-worthy play on deep attempts all season.
Weakness: Ball security
There are few clear holes in Maye’s game, but ball security has emerged as a concern — particularly in the postseason. Five of his 17 turnover-worthy plays during the regular season were fumbles, tied for the third-most among quarterbacks. That issue has been magnified in the playoffs, where all four of his turnover-worthy plays have come via fumbles. Against a Broncos defense capable of generating pressure with multiple rushers, protecting the football will be critical if New England hopes to punch its ticket back to the Super Bowl.
Drake Maye: Metrics Swipe (2022–24) Drake Maye: 2025Stable Metrics
Clean Pocket Grade90th Percentile Standard Dropback Grade93rd Percentile 1st / 2nd Down Grade93rd Percentile No Play Action Grade90th Percentile At / Beyond Sticks Grade86th Percentile Avoids Negatives81st Percentile Sack Rate26th PercentileUnstable Metrics
Under Pressure Grade88th Percentile Outside Pocket Grade61st Percentile 3rd / 4th Down Grade88th Percentile Play Action Grade86th Percentile Positively Graded Throws90th Percentile ❮ ❯Jarrett Stidham, Denver Broncos
Strength: No fear of pushing the ball down the field
Unfortunately for the Denver Broncos, Bo Nix will not be available after leading the franchise to its first conference championship appearance since 2016 — the same postseason run that ended with a Super Bowl 50 victory. That responsibility now falls to Jarrett Stidham, who will be making his first meaningful appearance since the 2023 season.
While Stidham’s résumé is thin, there are reasons for cautious optimism. In limited preseason action, he flashed a willingness to challenge defenses vertically, earning an 88.6 PFF overall grade — the fourth-highest among all quarterbacks — fueled largely by an 11.6% big-time throw rate that ranked second at the position. Stidham showed no fear attacking downfield when opportunities presented themselves, an approach that could help Denver generate explosive plays against this Patriots defense.
Weakness: Inexperience
The most glaring concern with Stidham is his lack of recent, meaningful NFL snaps. He has not played significant regular-season football since Week 18 of the 2023 season, and Conference Championship Sunday represents a massive leap in difficulty from anything he has faced in his career. There are no higher-leverage snaps than these.
That said, Stidham does have familiarity working in Sean Payton’s system, having been with the team since Payton’s arrival. While trust from the coaching staff matters, the challenge will be translating practice reps and system knowledge into poise and decision-making under playoff pressure.
Michael Penix Jr.: Metrics Swipe (2022–24) Jarrett Stidham: 2019-25