Jordan Love’s stock is climbing fast, and ESPN’s latest top-100 list shows it in a big way.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback has jumped from 87th to 52nd, a rise of 35 spots after a season in which he looked sharper, cleaner and more in control. Last year, Love appeared in 15 games, missing one because of a concussion and another as a precaution before the NFL Playoffs. In that stretch, he delivered a career-best 66.3% completion rate and a 101.2 passer rating while throwing for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
That turnover number is a big part of why ESPN moved him up so aggressively. The site’s explanation leaned heavily on the way Love handled the details before the snap, and on comments from Packers coach Matt LaFleur that got plenty of attention around the league.
“Packers coach Matt LaFleur raised some eyebrows when he said this summer that Love is ‘the best I’ve been around in terms of protections and adjustments, and rarely does he get out-schemed.’ When reminded that he coached Aaron Rodgers, LaFleur didn’t back down.
“Last season was Love’s cleanest in terms of mistakes; he threw a career-low six interceptions in 15 games, and it’s likely due in part to his ability to make those pre-snap adjustments.”
Those LaFleur remarks drew plenty of reaction because Rodgers is, of course, one of the best quarterback of all time, and the Packers coach was pointing to a specific part of the position where he believes Love stands out.
There was also a small but notable wrinkle late in the preseason. Love served as Green Bay’s offensive play-caller in the second half of the team’s preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals, and the Packers used that stretch to score 18 points in the fourth quarter and wipe out an 11-point deficit.
So while ESPN has already pushed Love well up the board, the bigger question now is how much higher he can climb if this trend keeps rolling into 2027.
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The wrinkle is that Johnson was not the only name under consideration. Tyrone Tracy Jr. of the New York Giants was viewed as a possible alternative, but he stayed put after a late preseason performance that helped cement his spot. Tracy also dealt with a minor injury in a recent game before returning to the sideline, while Johnson arrives in Green Bay with limited NFL experience and production, which has already pushed the conversation toward what the Packers might have preferred instead of the player they actually got. [Read more 🡒]
