Sam Darnold has done enough over the last two seasons to force a new conversation about where he belongs among NFL quarterbacks. After leading the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl title and turning in back-to-back elite seasons, Darnold has built a case that puts him in the top 10.
That didn’t stop the league from leaving him outside that tier in Jeremy Fowler’s recent look at how insiders view the Super Bowl champion quarterback. Fowler gathered opinions from across the NFL, and the results showed plenty of respect - but not full agreement.
One high-ranking AFC team official put it plainly: "What a career bounce-back. He's been lights-out for two years. Deserves to be in the top 10."
An NFL personnel evaluator also praised the way Darnold has played: "Playing to his strengths while playing disciplined, can beat you with his arm. I think he can use his legs more. He's mobile."
Even with those kinds of endorsements, Fowler’s collection of votes still placed Darnold outside the top 10. That’s where the skepticism remains, despite what he’s shown on the field.
The Seahawks’ defense got plenty of credit for last season’s dominance, but Darnold’s work mattered just as much, especially in the NFC Championship Game against the Rams and in other key moments throughout the season. The idea that he’s anything less than a top-10 quarterback feels outdated at this point.
Still, this season will be the next test. Klint Kubiak is gone to Vegas, and Darnold will have to keep producing with a new offensive coordinator. The good news for Seattle is that his connection with Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already in place, and that should give Darnold plenty of confidence heading into another year.
In Other News...
Former Blue-Chip Trojan Faces A Make-Or-Break Chance At USC
Elijah Newby arrived at USC with the kind of rsum that usually suggests a player is built for a bigger role, but his first two seasons have been more about waiting than breaking through. The former four-star linebacker has flashed enough to keep hope alive, and his athletic profile has long made him an intriguing fit, especially for a defense that wants speed and flexibility from its second level.
Now there is a new opening. Incoming defensive coordinator Gary Patterson is expected to bring a faster-paced scheme that leans on five defensive backs and gives linebackers more freedom, which could suit Newby in his third season. He has already had to navigate a revolving door of linebacker coaches, and with another fresh start on the way, this looks like the kind of spring and summer that can either finally push him into a featured role or leave him fighting for the same ground again. [Read more 🡒]
USC Is Suddenly In A Crucial Fight For A Local DB
USCs push in the secondary has already turned into a local battle, and Kiingbaraka Kizzee is right in the middle of it. The Mission Viejo sophomore cornerback has been on the Trojans radar for a while, and his move to Mission Viejo for his sophomore year only adds another layer to a recruitment that already has plenty of overlap with USCs backyard. Hell also be at the same school as fellow USC recruit Jordan Hicks, giving the Trojans another familiar name to track as they keep working the 2028 and 2029 cycles.
Kizzees early high school rsum is part of what makes this one worth watching. He played well as a freshman and has already shown the kind of ability that keeps major programs involved this early, which is why USC is still pressing even with other priorities in the secondary. For the Trojans, the appeal is obvious: a local defensive back with upside, in a pipeline area, who could become one of the more important long-term recruiting swings in Southern California. [Read more 🡒]
Ronnie Lott Still Sets The Standard For USC Greatness
Ronnie Lotts USC career still reads like the blueprint for what greatness looks like in Cardinal and Gold. From 1977 to 1980, he grew from a true freshman with a limited role into one of the defining players of the era, earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors in both 1979 and 1980 before his senior season put him squarely in the national spotlight. He was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002, a fitting nod for a player whose time in Los Angeles helped shape the standard by which Trojans defenders are still judged.
Lotts legacy only deepened after USC, where the 49ers took him eighth overall in 1981 and watched him build a pro career that spanned ten seasons in San Francisco before stops with the Los Angeles Raiders and New York Jets. The hardware followed at every level, from Pro Bowls and All-Pro recognition to four Super Bowl titles and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, which is part of why his name still carries so much weight around the program. Even now, the conversation around USC greatness tends to circle back to the same question: who, if anyone, can really match the standard he set? [Read more 🡒]